“After careful and prayerful consideration, I have decided not to seek the office of State Representative for the 42nd District.

This decision has been very difficult because of my sincere desire to serve and make a difference for the citizens of this community.

To serve our citizens in such a capacity has always been a dream of mine and one that I’m sure I will pursue again in the future.

Although I have labored over this decision for several months, I feel like this is the best decision for my family and me at this time.

For the past 8 years as a Cookeville city councilman, I have had the honor and privilege of serving the community I call home.

It has been a humbling experience that I will always cherish. I hope my contributions to our growing city, its future, its people and its services will be viewed favorably by anyone who has come in contact with me, shared concerns with me, or has helped me and/or encouraged me along the way.

Our quality of life has never been better in Cookeville.

But by the same token, it has never been more threatened.

In my opinion, whoever represents the 42nd District needs to have a clear mandate to help spur economic growth and strengthen the private sector’s ability to create new high-quality jobs.

We must promote entrepreneurship and innovation so Tennessee can better compete rather than piling on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kills jobs and hurts our citizens who are primarily middle class folks just trying to make a living.

To help our community, state and nation thrive; we need bold leadership and clear commitments from all our elected leaders.

That includes restoring the proper limited role of government at every level, broad-based tax cuts for families and businesses, high quality education for our children, as well as, lower spending and conservative management so we can get and keep our fiscal house in order.

These are many of the reasons I considered seeking the 42nd District State Representative position.

That being said, I have decided that the timing just isn’t right for my wife, Shannon, and our six children.

Our families, especially those with children demand and deserve a great deal of time, and mine is no exception. Therefore, the commitment I have to my family does not allow me to go forward at this time. I want everyone to know that I truly appreciate the hundreds of calls, texts, and emails of support and encouragement for my consideration of running for this office…

Thank you for making this choice so difficult and so humbling.

I hope that everyone can understand this decision and know that I will remain active in business and community initiatives and I may run for office again in the future.

In some respect or another, I will always strive to be a servant of the people, especially the people of this community and this district that I love and that I’m proud to call home.”