Charles Funk

Guest columnist

I had been back in Tennessee two years when I first became aware of someone I perceived to be an important part of Tennessee’s future.

He ran for governor against Ray Blanton in 1974 and lost, but I trusted my instinct that this was a man of the people and at some point would be a force with whom opponents would have to reckon.

He ran again in 1978 and in his campaign walked over 1,000 miles across the state, eschewing hotels for the homes of dozens of citizens. My instinct was reinforced.

He was elected amidst the scandalous events of Blanton, who was accused of betraying the trust of the citizens of this state by selling pardons and liquor licenses to cronies. The legislature considered Blanton’s behavior so egregious that the new governor was inaugurated three days early to avoid further scandal and illegal action.

Lamar Alexander was a force

Yes, Lamar Alexander was not only a man with whom others had to reckon, he was leading the charge to right wrongs and restore honor, respect and dignity to the governor’s office.

Alexander was good for the state. He helped bring Saturn and Nissan to the state and led Tennessee to address teacher pay and teacher merit. He left office with the third lowest per capita taxes in the nation, a state bond rating of AAA and zero road debt.

As Secretary of Education, his keen interest in and leadership of efforts to improve education in the U.S. was widely hailed.

He was elected to the Senate in 2002, defeating a Tennessee political dynasty in the person of U.S. Rep. Bob Clement.

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In a continuation of his dedication to education, a bill, of which he was principal sponsor, the Every Student Succeeds Act was characterized by President Barack Obama in 2015 as “a Christmas Miracle.”

He authored the Opioid Crisis Response Act in 2018, acknowledged as “landmark legislation” by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

Something has gone wrong

Clearly, this was a man above partisanship who was respected by those on both sides of the aisle and who was respected as a leader worth following.

Alexander was mentored by another great Tennessean, Howard Baker, who had distinguished himself by setting aside party loyalty in events leading up to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Somehow something has gone terribly wrong.

Alexander abrogated his leadership position in voting to disallow witnesses at the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. In doing so, other senators who looked up to him were influenced to do likewise.

The end result is that Senator Alexander will not be remembered for the many things he did to benefit this state and the educational system. Rather, his legacy will be that he was the man who caused Richard Nixon’s vindication since, had the current understanding of the process been extant, Richard Nixon could have easily claimed that what he ordered done was in the best interest of this nation and would likely have never resigned nor been impeached and found guilty.

The more hurtful result of his action has been repudiation of the example set by and the lessons learned from his mentor. Indeed, Senator Alexander is no Howard Baker.

Charles Funk is CEO of a small business, having been active in chairing employment opportunity events with the Chamber of Commerce as well as being a part of advisory committees focused on Metropolitan Nashville – Davidson County schools.