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Contributed commentary by the Montgomery County Republican Party.
We oppose the resolution by Clarksville City Councilwoman Karen Reynolds to put the council on record opposing Gov. Bill Lee’s Educational Freedom Scholarship Act. Resolution 38-2023-24 claims the bill now under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly “threaten(s) the district’s ability to maintain the quality of its educational offerings.” Yet no proof is offered for this statement.
Our objections are three-fold:
First, Councilwoman Reynolds has already declared that she’s a candidate for the Tennessee State Senate. This resolution is clearly a political stunt designed to draw attention to her campaign and perhaps help her fundraising efforts.
Second, the Clarksville City Council has minimal involvement with the funding and administration of our local schools. This job is handled by the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board and the Montgomery County Commission.
Third, the Clarksville City Council is supposed to be a bipartisan body. It should not take sides in what has unfortunately become a partisan issue.
Why alienate a large bloc of the city’s population taking a side on an issue that the council has virtually no say over? The council relies on Gov. Bill Lee’s administration for a myriad of services and funding. Why do you want to risk alienating such an important entity?
Perhaps the council should focus on issues of importance. Eliminating the city’s horrific traffic issues, funding law enforcement and ensuring our city’s growth is managed properly are much more pressing problems.
Councilwoman Reynolds should leave her political posturing for the campaign trail and not bring it into the council chambers.
Doug Englen, GOP Chairman