Mixed feelings on Bill Haslam.

I admit I have mixed feelings on Bill Haslam. Bill is the current mayor of Knoxville Tennessee who is running for the governorship. He has a clear lead over his Democratic contender, Mike McWhorter, son of a previous governor. Bill's father founded the chain of Pilot Travelcenters aka "truckstops" that are so prevalent along the interstates now.

I think that Bill should be Tennessee's next governor. I see this battle as east Tennessee versus west Tennessee, and I think Bill could bring some much needed development to the eastern portion of the state. (Knoxville is in eastern Tennesse, for those who are rusty on their geography.) Bill has strong ties to the area, including Chattanooga.

Also, Bill went to school in Georgia, at Emory in fact. That's where he met his wife. That's yet another tie to Georgia. My thoughts are that Bill will understand southeastern Tennessee's strong links with North Georgia and understand that the region is very much interconnected. He may also be a governor that could see the potential of a passenger railway between Knoxville-Chattanooga-Atlanta. A rail system has long been talked about between Atlanta and Chattanooga leaders, but has never really gained traction.

Bill is a candidate that North Georgians can root for. We are, after all, affected by Nashville just as much as by Atlanta, as many of us work and shop in Chattanooga. (Also UGA fans must cross into Tennessee every other year, and the same goes for UTK.) I think Bill will work to make ties between the two states much stronger.

Having said all those nice things about Bill, here are a few complaints: Why doesn't he just show his income tax statements? His opponent has done so, and Bill has a clear edge. Not disclosing them sends out a message that Bill is worried about something in the statements. Show them Bill! What could you possibly have to hide?

Also, I'd like to point out as others have that growing a company via mergers is not job creation. When two companies merge, although the new company may be bigger, nobody new was actually given a job. Creating a Pilot station in a rural community where there wasn't really anything before can create jobs. Taking over somebody else's truck stop doesn't create any more jobs, although it might have saved existing ones. Keep that in mind, Bill.