Ramsey works to settle into role as Senate speaker

By ERIK SCHELZIG, WKRN.com
January 11, 2007

Newly elected Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said Wednesday that it may be several weeks before Republicans are able to settle into their new roles in charge of the Legislature's upper chamber.

Ramsey, of Blountville, on Tuesday became the first Republican Senate speaker since Reconstruction, and the first new speaker in more than three decades. His Democratic predecessor, Sen. John Wilder of Mason, had been speaker since 1971.

Ramsey said the 24 hours following his election to the Senate's top post have been filled with learning about the nuances of being speaker, including the slew of commissions he will serve on, and the numerous appointments he will have to make.

As lieutenant governor, he also becomes next in line of succession if the governor dies or resigns.

The appointments of the most immediate concern for the legislative session will be the members _ and most importantly the chairmen _ of the powerful committees that control the flow of bills through the Senate.

Ramsey has pledged to name some Democrats to chairmanships, just as Wilder had.

But Ramsey did not hide his ambition to see more conservative and pro-business legislation be pushed through the Senate, and is unlikely to appoint anything but Republican majorities to each committee.

"I think the people elected a Republican majority, they expect us to act like a Republican majority," he said.

Ramsey said he favors limits on damages from medical malpractice lawsuits and wants to improve the state's education system.

Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, said he will keep a close eye on whom Ramsey appoints to lead committees.

Bredesen said he's had a strong working relationship with Ramsey over years and "found him a man of his word." But the governor said he's still waiting to see "whether the committee chairs want to govern _ or use it as a platform for other purposes."

Ramsey shrugged off those concerns Wednesday.

"That's not different than it was when Democrats had control," Ramsey said. "There were committee chairmen there that liked to grandstand. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but that's small potatoes and we'll work through that."

Ramsey said he hopes to make his appointments by the end of next week, and said he will consult with his caucus about whether Republicans should relocate from their remote offices on the third floor of the War Memorial Building to the ground-floor offices of the Legislative Plaza currently held by Democrats.

Caucus members could not decide late Wednesday whether it would send a stronger symbolic message to take over the offices on the main drag of the legislative complex, or that they had the ability to move _ but didn't.

Republicans elected Sen. Mark Norris of Germantown to succeed Ramsey as Senate majority leader and Sen. Diane Black of Gallatin was elected caucus chairwoman.