Meet the lawmaker candidates for TN House District 13

Voters will choose between Republican Robert Stevens and Democrat Jeff Crum to represent Rutherford County's added District 13 seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Fast-growing Rutherford gained a lawmaker seat after going from a U.S. Census count of 262,604 in 2010 to 341,486 by 2020.

Early voting for the Nov. 8 election that began Oct. 19 will continue at nine polling locations through Thursday (Nov. 3). The county has 206,083 registered voters, and 3,654 had voted by 9:45 a.m. Friday (Oct. 28).

The winner of the District 13 race will provide the county with at least one new state lawmaker. Stevens won the Aug. 4 GOP primary against Gabriel Fancher while Crum ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

District 13 runs north to south on the fast-growing western side of Rutherford, said Alan Farley, administrator of elections for the county. The district covers most of La Vergne and parts of Smyrna. The boundary includes all or much of the Burnt Knob, Stewarts Creek, Almaville, Blackman, Rockvale and Eagleville areas down to state Route 99 (Salem Pike).

The added state house district joins four others in Rutherford to serve Districts 34, 37, 48 and 49. The county also has two Tennessee Senate Districts: 13 and 14.

Stevens is an attorney from Smyrna. The Republican nominee is running for the state seat after retiring at the end of August from 12 years of serving as an elected member of the Rutherford County Commission.

Crum works as a business associate for CarMax in Nashville and resides in La Vergne. A lifelong Democrat, Crum campaigned unsuccessfully to serve as the Davidson County Juvenile Court clerk.

The Daily News Journal asked both candidates to respond to the same questions.

Where to early vote:Early voting begins Oct. 19 for Eagleville, La Vergne and Smyrna at 9 locations

What motivates the candidates

Why are you running?

Stevens: “I believe that we should be doing everything we can at the state level to push back against the out-of-control Biden administration. I have a proven record on the county commission of standing up for our conservative principles even when no one else would.”

Crum: “There’s a lack of representation for the individuals within the community. This is a very diverse district, and all the individuals within the district need to be represented. I want everyone to be represented equally.”

What are your goals if you win a two-year term for the seat?

Stevens: “I want to look for ways to reduce taxes. The state has had a billion-dollar surplus for the past few years, which tells me some people are paying too much in taxes. I want to focus on cracking down on violent criminal offenders and also do everything we can to fight illegal immigration.”

Crum:. “I want to do everything I can to influence the increased educational opportunities for our students and develop economic avenues for growth within the district.”

Growth leads to added TN lawmaker seat: One candidate so far jumps into race for Rutherford County's added state lawmaker seat

Where they stand on education issues

What is your position on the government providing tax dollars to fund charter schools that operate independent of school districts or vouchers to families to help pay for private school tuition?

Stevens: “I believe that parents should be able to have choices for what is best for their children. As always, the devils in the details about how it all works. Charter schools that meet county and state standards for a successful business plan can help the county relieve overcrowding at the public schools.”

Crum: “I am for anything that improves the educational opportunities of the students. I believe that to do it right we have to look at the history of charter schools. I believe in public education. I’m a product of public education. I’m for anything you can do to alleviate the aspect of overcrowding. But I’m not for one person or one group dictating the path the charter schools are going to take. I think some of the strength of the charter schools is they are diverse. I believe that one of the strong points of the charter schools is the ability to adapt to their students’ diverse learning styles.”

What’s your position on the state supporting higher education, such as Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Motlow State Community campus in Smyrna and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses in Murfreesboro and Smyrna?

Stevens: “We have numerous higher education opportunities here in Rutherford County. I want to make sure they receive fair funding for their continued growth and expansion.”

Crum: “I am totally for the state’s support of higher education. I’m a product of both the large university and junior college. I see the diversity of both those types of institutions, and I’m pro community college. I believe in the goals that the governor has set aside about giving a free ride for the first two years if you maintain the academic standards. Also, I believe that the growth in technical schools is a positive for our workforce development in our future.”

Backers of American Classical Education:Charter schools public hearing speaker slots limited, all went to supporters

What they say about road projects, ethical government

What’s your position on the state funding road projects in Rutherford County, including proposed Interstate 24 interchanges at Rocky Fork Road in Smynra or Blackman Road in Murfreesboro, or road widening projects for state Routes 96 (Franklin Road), 99 (Salem Road) and 102 (Almaville Road)?

Stevens: “Roads are critical for economic development and also alleviating our traffic issues. So we again have to push and make sure Rutherford County receives our fair share of funding for our projects.”

Crum: “I am for any expansion or growth in infrastructure due to the population and industrial growth within the state and county and our district. I’m an advocate for long-term planning. Let’s not be reactionary. Let’s anticipate. With regard to the growth of this county and the state of Tennessee and in District 13, we need to be thinking about that 20-year plan.”

What would you do to ensure ethical government as a lawmaker?

Stevens: “The people elected to represent us need to act in the public interest, and I want to be sure that we do. I have a very consistent history of asking questions and taking a stand if needed.” Stevens was known to question his fellow county commissioners about their conflicts of interest and opposed any of them being hired by the mayor to lead a government department. He also requested that the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance audit the campaign accounts of former Republican Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron. The audits showed 474 violations and led to $135,000 in civil penalties.

Crum: “I believe as an elected official you have to maintain standards that are above reproach. And if monitoring the involvement of lobbyists or outside interests is needed to govern the influences that are placed upon the legislature, I’m all for that. I think there should be checks and balances with regard to outside lobbyists’ influences. As a representative of the people of our district, we must maintain both ethical and moral standards in our everyday and professional lives.”

Ethical government:Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron penalized $135,000 for 474 violations of campaign finance laws

Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription for all dnj.com stories.

District 13 candidate backgrounds

Republican Party nominee

Robert Stevens

Age: 37

Residence: Smyrna

Education: graduated from Middle Tennessee Christian School; earned bachelor’s degree in political science from Lipscomb University in Nashville and law degree from University of Memphis

Career: attorney with Smyrna office with 13 years experience

Political experience: 12-year member of the Rutherford County Commission from 2010 until retiring after third four-year term August 2022

Family: single; sister, Smyrna Town Judge Brittany Stevens; mom, Sherri Stevens, a nursing professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro; father, Larry Stevens, a systems analysist for Zycron Inc.

Community involvement: Past president and member of Smyrna Rotary Club; served eight years on the Motlow College Foundation Board of Trustees; member of Smyrna Church of Christ, the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Rutherford and Cannon County Bar Association (for lawyers);

Democratic Party nominee

Jeff Crum

Age: 62

Residence: La Vergne

Education: graduate of Peabody High School in Trenton in West Tennessee; bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Tennessee at Martin; completed 41 hours of graduate courses in industrial organizational psychology at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro

Career: management for 20 years; currently a business associate with CarMax in Nashville; 20 years of experience in private investigation and insurance claims work

Political experience: Lifetime supporter of the Democratic Party and a prior unsuccessful candidate for the Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk seat

Family: single; daughter, Taylor Grace Crum; son, Dalton Crum

Community involvement: past parent supporter of Donelson Christian Academy; coached youth baseball and soccer in the La Vergne and Smyrna areas

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Republican Robert Stevens, Democrat Jeff Crum seek TN lawmaker seat