Herron Politics in Dickson for Tanner's Seat on Jobs Tour

By D. Frank Smith
The Dickson Herald
February 17, 2010

Sen. Roy Herron dropped by Dickson County last week, bringing with him his jobs listening tour.

Herron is on the trail for Congressman John Tanner's seat in the upcoming November state election. However, he's also taking time to gather ideas for how to improve rural life in Tennessee - specifically, what can be done about the economy.

"It's unparalleled in my memory, and probably in the memory of most of you here, the times we're going through today," Herron said, noting Dickson County's unemployment rate of 10.3 percent.

Herron said if he took office, his top priority would be "jobs, jobs, jobs." He took questions from the audience about what their ideas are to create more jobs.

Jimmy Duke, a farmer from Dickson, said agriculture is a dying tradition in Tennessee, but a vital one. If you ask them where food comes from, they'd say Kroger or Walmart, said Duke.

"The average age of a farmer is 58. But we're not teaching any children to farm, because we can't afford to. And everybody wants to move out to see the pretty country life, but, 'Oh, that smell! Oh, that dust!'", he joked. "We're laughing, but it's serious."

Duke said to spur agricultural growth, government restrictions should be loosened.

Herron responded that agriculture had grown very efficient over the past few years, with fewer people being able to do the work of many. He said he would do what he could to aid farmers.

But more and more, Herron said higher paying jobs will require "more of a strong mind than a strong back." Industrial growth will provide more jobs to the next generation, and education should be supported to encourage the growth of that market.

When asked if there was a specific industry that was missing from the region, Herron said alternative energy could be a successful venture if approached in the right way.