Gov. Bill Lee launched his second term on Saturday, reflecting on four years of hardship, both public and private, while looking forward to his second term with “great hope,” as he plans to prioritize infrastructure and child welfare issues in Tennessee.
Chief Justice Roger A. Page of the Tennessee Supreme Court administered the oath of office to Lee, swearing him in as the 50th governor of the Volunteer State. First Lady Maria Lee, who was diagnosed with lymphoma last year, stood by the governor’s side.
“While Maria and I are in a time of struggle, we know that we are not alone in these hardships,” Lee said in his inauguration address.
“In fact, the last four years have brought unexpected challenges to many of us in this state – floods, wildfires, a pandemic, tornadoes, even a bombing on Christmas morning – in addition to personal challenges you could be facing right now that your fellow Tennesseans don’t even know about. It doesn’t take away the tragedy, difficulty or fear, but in times of struggle, we can find great hope.”
Lee was sworn in under chilly but sunny skies, a welcome departure from his first inaugural address that was forced indoors due to significant rain.
More than 1,500 people were slated to attend the governor’s inauguration at Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville.
Lee’s Christian faith was a through-line of Saturday’s morning activities, which began with a worship service at the Ryman Auditorium. Lee devoted a large portion of his speech to a biblical parable from Matthew, where a man goes on a long journey and entrusts his wealth to three servants for safekeeping.
Lee described two of the men as “good stewards” who doubled the man’s wealth by the time of his return. The third servant, afraid of losing the money, buried it for safekeeping.
“Because of his fear of failure, he multiplied for no one,” Lee said. “May that never be me – or you.”
The governor connected the Matthew parable to fiscal responsibility and stewardship of Tennessee in his speech. It’s an issue he has continually drawn sharp criticism on from Democrats and family advocates in the state. Republican policy has been to stockpile state funds to cushion robust state coffers, which critics have argued are prioritized over needy families in the state.
“You and I, and this state, have been entrusted with treasures, not meant to be buried but to be spent on helping our fellow man,” Lee said. “We should recognize our treasures, celebrate our accomplishments, and be challenged by what lies ahead. May we, together, each one of us, consider the other and how we may use our lives to multiply in theirs.”
Senate Democrats on Saturday called for increased access to affordable health care, housing and child care in Lee’s second term.
“We want to lead the nation in lifting up children and working families. We want to lead the nation in defeating poverty and creating opportunity. We want to lead the nation in seeking justice for all Tennesseans,” Sen. London Lamar, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said in a statement.
“There’s so much we can achieve when we work together and focus on solutions to the problems that are plaguing working and middle class families — instead of ideological agendas.”
Education, COVID marked Lee’s first-term priorities
Education and the coronavirus pandemic largely defined Lee’s first term. The governor helped pass legislation that allowed school vouchers, strengthened charter schools and changed the state’s public education funding formula.
“We overhauled the way we fund public schools for the first time in 30 years, which means, instead of an old and broken system, a million Tennessee children are now funded based on their own individual needs,” Lee said Saturday.
Throughout the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee tried to balance the ideological views of many of the Republicans in his party while also trying not to dismiss the medical community’s advice.
Lee’s first term:Inside Gov. Bill Lee’s first-term, and the reelection fight ahead
Lee only briefly mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic in his speech and spent more time reflecting on the natural disasters and the Nashville bombing over the last four years.
The governor took time to recognize the Waverly community, which was devastated by catastrophic flooding in 2021, citing his visits shortly after the flooding and again a year later, as the community rebuilt.
“We also recognized the remarkable transformation that occurred in that community over the past year,” Lee said. “It was a stark picture of redemption and hope. Quite frankly, it’s a picture of Tennessee since our founding. It’s a reminder, once again, that in this life there are only a few things that really matter, and Maria and I want our lives to be about those things.”
Lee on Saturday also cited increased workforce development in rural Tennessee as a hallmark of his first term, praising what he called the “fastest growing” economy in the U.S.
Infrastructure top priority of second term
As much as Lee reflected on his first four years in office, he also looked ahead to his final term. Lee has already
Lee has touted infrastructure as a top priority in his second term, and has already introduced a plan to study the feasibility of toll lanes, or as his administration called them, “choice lanes.”
“We need a transportation strategy and an energy strategy designed for one of the fastest growing states in America,” Lee said.
Lee is also likely to continue to butt heads with lawmakers over criminal justice reform. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, led the charge to walk back several of Lee’s criminal justice reforms last year and have pushed new legislation to strengthen sentencing around certain violent crimes. The issue is expected to play a major role in this year’s legislative session.
Longstanding issues at the Department of Children’s Services have boiled over in recent months, with Lee replacing the department head last fall and pledging to address the ongoing crisis. Low worker pay, a critical shortage of foster parents and a DCS computer system that requires an expensive overhaul rank among the top concerns cited by DCS.
Legislative Democrats, among other critics, have argued Tennessee’s historic reticence to proactively fund state services has led to the current crisis.
“We need to protect children in our custody and in our state with a better foster care and adoption process,” Lee said Saturday.
Still, Lee circled back to “fiscal responsibility” in his speech.
“We need to do these things and many more, but we can never abandon the standard of fiscal responsibility that makes our success possible,” Lee said.
“We have been given much, and I believe that we have, together, responded to these gifts. But much isexpected.”
Second term victory:Republican Gov. Bill Lee wins reelection in Tennessee
Gov. Bill Lee’s rise
The day’s celebrations capped a remarkable rise in Republican politics for Lee, who trailed a significantly more experienced pack of candidates in the party’s primary race for governor just five years ago.
In a bruising and expensive first primary, Lee rose above a fray of negative advertising that wore down his opponents’ leads. The former businessman and chairman of the Lee Company aided his campaign with a personal $5 million investment.
Lee ran unopposed in this year’s Republican primary and defeated Democrat Dr. Jason Martin in the November general election, winning nearly 65% of the vote.
The governor’s reluctance to engage in political mudslinging extended to his speech on Saturday, where he cited bipartisan work with both the Trump and Biden administrations, in addition to calling for increased civility in public discourse.
“We can disagree and stand firm for our beliefs and our principles, but we should never forget the dignity of the other human being, ” Lee said. “We should never believe differences are a platform for demonization, or that one man has any greater value than another. Civility is not a weakness. In fact, it has been and it should always be the American way. And I know it can be the way in Tennessee.”
This will be Lee’s final term as governor, as state law prevents him from serving a third. Lee’s term-limited status is likely to play a significant factor in the second term, as speculation on the governor’s potential next political move ramps up and other politicians look to position themselves for a gubernatorial run in 2026.
Lee also faces an increasingly powerful General Assembly, with a Republican supermajority unafraid to challenge the governor on certain issues, such as criminal justice reform.
Adam Friedman and Melissa Brown are The Tennessean’s state government and politics reporters. Reach them by email at afriedman@tennessean.com and mabrown@tennessean.com.
