State Representative Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) is seeking re-election in the 61st District covering key sections of Williamson County, with a focus on continuing to cut taxes for families and supporting small business owners. As the chair of the House Finance, Ways & Means Committee, Sargent is considered an expert on the state’s budget, and the architect of plans that have eliminated state taxes on gifts and inheritance and are currently phasing out the Hall Income Tax on investment dividends and interest.
“We probably take for granted how well managed this state is financially, but we shouldn’t. The fact that we have someone with such a brilliant financial mind working with our budget is a gift to our children and grandchildren,” said House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) at Rep. Sargent’s recent campaign kickoff in the home of Linda and Franklin Mayor Ken Moore, M.D. “We’re the third lowest-taxed state in the nation, the lowest debt state in America, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Charles Sargent as chair of Finance, Ways & Means has meticulously worked to balance our budget, create a surplus and cut taxes for families, and he’s done it in a fiscally responsible way.”
A Franklin resident of more than 35 years, Sargent served in the U.S. Navy before embarking on a career as an insurance broker, ultimately establishing a State Farm agency here with his wife, Nancy. Together, they have contributed greatly to their community, with Charles having cofounded the Grassland Athletic Association, served on the boards of the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, the Williamson Medical Foundation, and Williamson County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), among others. Over the last three years, he helped lead the effort to secure funding for the new campus of Columbia State Community College, set to open in May, and as a member of the Williamson Medical Foundation Board of Trustees was central to the fundraising and construction of the new Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt at Williamson Medical Center, which opened last July.
Legislatively, he also serves as vice-chair of the Joint Pensions and Insurance Committee, where he developed a strategy for fully funding the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System pension plan for state employees, and he is a member of the House Insurance and Banking Committee, the House Calendar and Rules Committee, and the Joint Fiscal Review Committee. In 2014, he was named the Champion of Commerce Award winner by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Legislator of the Year by the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, as well as 2013’s Traffic Champion by AAA and winner of the Community Action Partnership Award, among other honors over his distinguished time in the Tennessee General Assembly. Earlier this month, he was honored with the American Conservative Union’s Conservative Award for Excellence.
Rep. Sargent is seeking another term to see the initiative to phase out the Hall Income Tax completed, and to ensure that the state’s budget is sound in times of global financial uncertainty. These are the issues that District 61 find most important, he says.
“Look at surrounding states, our country and other parts of the world, and you’ll find that Tennessee is in very good financial standing,” Sargent said. “That is the result of many years of the legislative and executive branches working together, through various administrations, to manage the state’s resources smartly and effectively while helping families and small business be in a position to win at home and on Main Street. That’s what Tennessee is about, and I am looking forward to working with Governor Haslam and the General Assembly to continue that tradition of conservative fiscal policy to preserve our way of life for future generations. The results are clear, and I am proud to be seeking re-election.”
The Republican Primary is set for later this summer, with early voting starting July 15 and Election Day to be held August 4.
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