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By Brad Hicks
Johnson City Press
July 28, 2009
After 15 years of service in Congress, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp said his decision to leave is final. However, he is hopeful that he will soon be undertaking a new political challenge.
Wamp, a Republican out of Chattanooga, said he has been a candidate for Tennessee governor in the 2010 race since December 2008 and since Bill Frist hinted that he would not be running. Wamp, who has visited 53 counties so far this year, said he has always been more motivated by impact than by money or power, and he believes serving as governor is how he can have the biggest impact.
“I honestly think the best way to do that is to be governor for four to eight years and try to improve the state,” he said. “I’ve lived here all my life. I love Tennessee. I raised my family here. By far the best people, by far the most beautiful state, but I know we can do better.”
Tennessee is currently 47th in the nation in health and 42nd in education, Wamp said. Aside from improvements in those areas, he said he would like to see what he called a “dynamic production agenda” set for the state. He said this agenda needs to be put into place for Tennesseans to have jobs that they can maintain and provide for their families, and also to make the state more production-oriented to bring in revenues to address other matters.
“I think that takes strong leadership,” he said. “It takes determined and dynamic, energetic leadership, and so I tell people often that we need our next governor to set an agenda.”
Wamp has dubbed his agenda “20/20 Vision,” which he said is a plan for what he thinks the state needs to look like by the year 2020 and what is needed to get there. He said there must be a renewed focus on agriculture, manufacturing and infrastructure. He also said growing existing industry is as important as bringing in new.
“If somebody doesn’t make it, build it or grow it, you can’t service it or sell it,” he said.
Also, Wamp wants an emphasis placed on education, in particular reading, which he called a “linchpin” in state education reform.
“This 20/20 Vision would have children reading much better earlier,” he said. “Step one in education is reading.”
