Posts Tagged ‘Mike For Governor’

Haslam Against Small Business Tax Breaks Yet Rakes In State Subsidies

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Haslam’s Pilot Oil Company Receives Over $536,000 in State Subsidies

Mike McWherter, businessman and democratic candidate for Governor, today said “what’s good for Pilot Oil should be good for small businesses throughout Tennessee.”

Bill Haslam opposes the McWherter proposal while at the same time his Pilot Oil Company has taken more than $536,000 in state subsidies and grants in just the past 26 months.

“Bill Haslam, who owns a multi-billion dollar oil company, claims he is in favor of job creation, yet he is on record in opposition to my proposed tax breaks for small businesses that create new jobs and promote job growth.” said Mike McWherter. “It’s bad enough that Haslam opposes tax breaks for small business owners, now we find out that his big oil company has received over half a million dollars in state subsidies in a little over two years. If these breaks are good enough for Pilot Oil, then why not provide real opportunities to mom and pop operations across our state? I feel certain the voters and small business owners of Tennessee would like to know.”
Records show that between July of 2007 and November of 2009, Pilot Oil Corporation and Pilot Travel Centers LLC, received more than half a million dollars in grants and subsidies from various state agencies including the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
McWherter has proposed offering jobs tax credits to Tennessee small businesses that create good paying full-time jobs for Tennessee workers. His proposal would build on Governor Bredesen’s current successful approach in providing jobs tax credits to large industries as incentives for investing in Tennessee jobs.

For more details on McWherter’s jobs approach visit his web site at www.mikemcwherter.com
“Small businesses employ the vast majority of Tennessee jobs and are the fuel that drives the state’s economic engine.” added McWherter.  “As Governor, I will make it a top priority to ensure that all businesses, regardless of where they are located, are afforded the same opportunities to sustain and grow new jobs for Tennesseans.”

Mike McWherter, the only candidate in the race who is not a career politician, is a successful small business owner in West Tennessee. A native of Northwest Tennessee, he now lives in Jackson with his wife Mary Jane and their children Walker and Bess.

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McMillan Endorses McWherter

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Clarksville – Kim McMillan, former state House Majority Leader and one time Democratic candidate for Governor, today endorsed her former primary rival Mike McWherter for Governor.

“Mike McWherter would be an outstanding Governor who will put the needs of Tennessee’s working families first,” said McMillan. “Over the past few months I’ve gotten to know Mike better as we campaigned across the state, and in that time I found that he cares deeply for Tennessee families who struggle to make ends meet, and he understands what needs to be done to get our economy back on track and get Tennesseans back to work.”

McMillan, a long time advocate and champion for children and family issues, said that “as a small businessman, McWherter brings to the race a fresh unique perspective and a sincere willingness to think outside the box in how we need to address major issues like education reform and job creation.”

McMillan served 12 years in the Tennessee General Assembly and was elected as the first woman in Tennessee to serve as House Majority Leader. In 2006, McMillan was appointed by Governor Bredesen to serve as his senior advisor, and more recently has worked at Austin Peay University as a professor and Director of Community and Business Relations. She’s currently a candidate for Mayor in her hometown of Clarksville.

McWherter, the remaining Democratic candidate in the race, is a businessman from Jackson, Tennessee.  McWherter and his wife Mary Jane are the parents of two teenage children. To read more about McWherter visit his web site at Mike McWherter.

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Mike In Morristown

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Mike  visited earlier Morristown earlier this week. He spoke to voters about the issues he thinks are crucial for Tennesseans. Mike has stated before his Tennessee First, Tennessee Jobs plan but he also spoke of ways to bring in industry to create a  stronger work environment for the entire state.

“We need to aggressively go after support industries,” McWherter said, citing solar and automotive industries as prime examples.

He noted that Tennessee is among the top three states in green energy, and said that should also continue as a prime source of new jobs.

To accomplish those goals, the state should offer tax incentives to small businesses that will create jobs, he said.

“We already do that with large industries. It’s not rocket science,” he said.

Mike will be appearing this evening at MTSU’s gubernatorial forum in Murfreesboro. The candidate will also be in Memphis tomorrow night at the Shelby County Democratic Party’s Kennedy Day Dinner before heading to his father’s hometown of Dresden for the Tennessee Iris Festival on Saturday morning.

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Today Is The Day!

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Mike

Today is the day! We have been talking about it all week. The deadline has arrived. It is January 15!

This financial deadline is incredibly important. It is imperative that we make a big statement regarding the strength and grassroots support of our campaign. That’s why I need your help today.

Will you stand with us and show that we have the support to win?

Today is critical to our success. Our campaign has made extensive progress since entering the governor’s race, but we need your help and support to keep the momentum going.

We have a long road and a lot of hard work ahead of us and we can’t do it alone, which is why we need your support to keep us strong in the tough months ahead.

Will you join us today and contribute to our campaign so that we are prepared for the fight in front of us?

As Governor, I will work to create more jobs, grow our economy, provide our students with quality education, and ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable and quality health care.

I know I can be the strong, common-sense Governor Tennessee needs, but first I am going to have to get elected… and for that I am counting on you!

So whether you can donate $500, $100, $25 or even just $10, you will be making a difference and helping us to continue fighting for the citizens and working families of Tennessee.

Please contribute now.

Thank you so much for your consideration of support.

Sincerely Yours,

Mike McWherter

P.S. – Early financial support is absolutely critical to a campaign. Put your money to work right away by donating online today at www.mikemcwherter.com.

P.P.S. – We had a great night on the campaign last night. I was honored to participate in the SCORE gubernatorial forum on education and share my vision for Tennessee’s students. I hope you tuned in.

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A Message From Kim

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Lately, there’s been some talk about how to measure where each campaign stands in this election. Some campaigns point to straw polls or other anecdotal evidence. Those seem to be more talking points for the campaigns than a true barometer of the race and have engendered more skepticism than anything else, as this article indicates.

Mike and our campaign are taking this race very seriously, and our inclination is to rely more on bona fide scientific surveys to keep us informed about where things stand. That’s why I wanted to share with you the results of a poll we commissioned of more than 600 likely Democratic primary voters across the state. We used a respected pollster with years of experience in Tennessee helping other prominent Democrats like Governor Bredesen assess their respective campaigns.

These results were not all that surprising – Mike’s name recognition is strong in all parts of the state, much stronger than any other candidate in the Democratic field. Initial trial heat results at the start of the survey showed Mike with 26% of the vote, with the rest of the field in single digits at 6% or less. Furthermore, even after voters were given positive statements about each of the Democratic candidates in the race, Mike’s support grew and held its strong lead over the others. Read the pollster’s internal memo here.

We feel comfortable sharing this information with you because we know that it is a true reflection on where the voters stand and that it came from a reliable source.

While our poll shows Mike in a strong position, we know we have a lot of work to do and are taking nothing for granted. To that end, we ask for your support by making a contribution today. Your contribution of $250, $100, $50, $25, or even $5 will help spread the word about Mike’s candidacy and push our poll numbers even higher.

Mike is busy doing the hard work it takes to run for Governor – he’s burning up the phone lines raising money, he’s hitting the road meeting Tennesseans across our state, and he’s talking about the issues that matter most to our working families. In fact, Mike has already been to 45 of our 95 counties.

I hope you will join Mike and our campaign on our journey. We’ll keep you posted as things progress, and we invite you to stay in touch as well.

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Traveling With Mike For The First Time

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Well, this was the first time for me to really get out of the office and on the campaign trail with Mike. I will say I learned a lot and met so many great people!

We started our travels off in my hometown, Sevierville. First stop for Mike and Christian was at the Clarion Inn on Hwy 66. I personally booked them this hotel because of the overwhelming hospitality I have heard is regularly dispensed there. I got to stay at mom’s … for the first time in a looooong time. It was nice to sleep in my old bed again. It is amazing how home always has that “mom made something tasty” smell in the kitchen.
Thursday morning I got up very early. I made a trip past the hotel where Mike and Christian were staying to drop my kitten off at the vet. When I was heading back to mom’s, I noticed a man…running down the side of a very busy construction zone. It was 30 degrees, too! Knowing that Mike is an avid runner, I slowed with interest. Sure enough, Mike was jogging back to the Clarion. That’s one moment when your camera phone just doesn’t work fast enough.
Our first stop for the day was the Trula Lawson Early Learning Center. Mike got the chance to speak to Dr. Fran Harmon and read a book to the Pre-K class. It was fun to see him interacting with children in the classroom. He said it had been so long since he had the chance to “play,” and he enjoyed this opportunity. We visited another few rooms where Mike made several new friends. This was a great visit! Took me back to when I was a middle schooler right across the street volunteering my time in these same rooms.
After the pre-K visit, we headed over to some more of my old stomping grounds to catch up with Dr. Jack Parton and Dr. Cline at the Sevier County Board of Education. My mom, who works there, was back in her office, and she finally got to meet my new boss. After Central, we walked next door to the C&I building for Dr. Cline to introduce us to some supporters. It was a great welcoming by all and Mike had a great conversation with many of the folks there. I also got the chance to see my 5th grade teacher as well as my Intermediate School Principal and Vice Principal. People I hadn’t seen in years…and they had some stories about me to share with Mike. I am sure he felt like he learned a lot about me in these meetings!
After visiting with some educators, we ran over to the courthouse where we were walked around and were introduced to employees and officials. Mayor Waters made us feel very welcome.
Finally it was lunch time and we headed over to the Sever County Campus of Walters State Community College. Here, Dean Frazier showed us around the culinary arts department’s new facility. It was amazing! Mike got to sample a student’s pilaf as we were walking through the kitchen before lunch.
I was given a chocolate dessert that was exquisite. I enjoyed it while everyone else had normal lunch dishes. The culinary department has a VERY friendly staff and the students there were so welcoming. I have to shout out to Joe Fall of Walters State. He is the only reason I tasted this wonderful dessert and he was so generous!
Next stop was the sheriff’s department on our way to Alcoa to meet with some locals. This was a very brief stop, so I stayed in the car.
On the way over to Blount County (I was the lead car, as I knew the back roads to get Mike there on time), I couldn’t help but think of how we really lucked out in the weather. The leaves were changing and it was a beautiful drive over on HWY 411. I recommend anyone to take this drive given the chance.

We also met with the United Steelworkers of America. He had a very good welcoming there as well. We headed over to Channel 10, WBIR for the Inside Tennessee taping. This was fun and went very well.
Traveling with Mike was a wonderful experience. We met so many people and the response was great. Be sure to see all the photos from our adventures in East Tennessee over at our Flickr account.

~ Kendra

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