Williamson County Board of Education member Brad Fiscus, 4th District, confirmed on Monday he plans to pull a petition to run against embattled lawmaker Rep. Glen Casada, 63rd District, in the 2020 state House election.

Fiscus, a 22-year resident of Williamson County, was elected as a school board member in 2018 and serves as a director of Next Gen Discipleship ministry as part of the Tennessee Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Fiscus has also been outspokenly against school voucher programs and the governor's Education Savings Account program, targeted at bolstering failing schools in Shelby and Davidson counties. In an opinion letter published April 16 in The Tennessean, Fiscus writes that he believes vouchers are not the answer to underperforming schools.

"Instead of removing students and funding from underperforming schools, we should invest more funding to provide training and resources for community development," he writes.

An advocate for public education, Fiscus plans to run as an independent candidate.

Fiscus announced his upcoming candidacy just over a week before his likely challenger Casada is replaced as House speaker by his peers, or members of the House Republican Caucus.

The caucus will meet July 24 to vote on a new House speaker after sexually explicit texts messages surfaced last spring, showing lewd comments made toward women by Casada in a text conversation that included his former top aide Cade Cothren.

Cothren, who later resigned, also came under scrutiny for racist text messages and faces accusations that he may have tampered with an email to implicate activist Justin Jones.

Amid the controversy involving Casada, Fiscus says new leadership is needed in the 63rd District.

Because no stipulation in the law prohibits it, Fiscus also said if elected to the state legislature, he would still maintain his seat as a county school board member until the end of his four-year term in 2022.

A 'return to common decency'

In a recent announcement of his candidacy, Fiscus calls for "a return to the common decency and community values that have defined Tennessee's 63rd State House District."

"The current two-party political system has pushed both parties to the extreme, leaving moderates without representation," Fiscus said in the announcement.

"As a fiscal conservative and social moderate" Fiscus said he feels an independent candidate can encourage Williamson County residents to come together.

“I have dedicated my life to public service," Fiscus said.

"I love Williamson County, and I am committed to representing its residents with honor and integrity.”

Fiscus also emphasized that his decision to run didn't happen overnight. As a young boy, he was inspired by a family member, Donald Dean, who served as a representative in the Indiana legislature.

"I always looked up to him and knew I wanted to serve my community in that way," Fiscus said.

Fiscus highlights experience

Fiscus believes his experience provides him with a unique perspective to offer the legislature, which includes more than 30 years of experience in public education and adult and student leadership development and ministry.

He describes himself as an effective negotiator and communicator.

"I think we're all tired of partisan gridlock in Tennessee and across the country," Fiscus said.

"Our elected officials should be able to see past partisanship to do what's right and good for our state."

Although the ballot of candidates in Williamson County elections rarely includes Independents, Fiscus said he believes his designation will be an asset. According to Williamson County election administrator Chad Gray, an Independent candidate has not run for a state race in over a decade if not longer.

"As an independent, I won't be hamstrung by either party, and I fully intend to work across the aisles to find common ground and a meaningful way forward," Fiscus said.

"Our community deserves to be proud of the person they elect as their representative. That person should embody family values, be a responsible steward of the state's resources, and lead with integrity. I think I'm that person."

Public education 'driving force'

Fiscus said his passion for public education would be the "driving force" of his focus in the legislature if elected.

He said he would also address such issues as "not free but accessible health care" for all, accountability measures for the state's new ESA program and the infrastructure needs of Williamson County.

"We need to make sure Williamson County is keeping up with high growth," Fiscus said.

"Nolensville is growing like crazy. What will we do to bring the community together to plan for the future growth in Williamson County?"

Casada welcomes contested election

Incumbent Casada, who did not confirm he will run for re-election in 2020, said Monday he welcomes opponents in elections.

"I have always advocated for contested elections," Casada said. "It is healthy for all levels of government to have contested elections and let the citizens decide who they want to represent them."

Candidate petitions for state House seats can be issued Feb. 3, 2020.

Fiscus has two children who have attended Page High School most recently and is married to Dr. Shelley Fiscus, a pediatrician, who now works for the state. He is a member of Epworth United Methodist Church in Franklin and has served as a volunteer coach for numerous sports teams in Williamson County.