Boyd visits Elizabethton on campaign trail for governor’s race
Published 6:03 pm Friday, April 20, 2018
Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd, at right, speaks with Junior Stanley, left, and Deacon Bowers, center, during a visit to Elizabethton on Friday.
Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye Randy Boyd, at right, poses for a photo with employees of The Coffee Company during a campaign stop on Friday morning.
Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd visited Elizabethton on Friday to meet with voters and tour the area with local leaders.
Friday morning, Boyd hosted a meet-and-greet session for voters at The Coffee Company in downtown Elizabethton. Several individuals came out to speak with the candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor, including local elected officials.
During the session, Boyd shared his dream of making Tennessee a place full of “opportunity.”
Boyd said he believes all Tennesseans deserve the opportunity for a better education and the opportunity for a better job.
Prior to launching his campaign for governor, Boyd served in current Governor Bill Haslam’s cabinet as director of economic development for the state. He is also a business owner and a seventh generation Tennessean who was raised in Knoxville.
“As a candidate, I’ve traveled to all 95 counties,” Boyd said. “The reason I like to come out and visit is because the people know what they need.”
In visiting all of the counties in the state, Boyd said he has learned about many of the issues facing the different communities. If elected, Boyd said he wants to use his office to help support local governments in addressing their unique needs. “Government governs best closest to home,” Boyd said.
Currently, the governor appoints a deputy governor who mainly deals with issues of policy and legislation, Boyd said.
“I plan to hire a second deputy governor, a deputy governor of local government,” Boyd said. “Their focus will be on supporting local government.”
After his event for voters at the restaurant, Boyd spent part of his morning on Friday meeting with local leaders.
State Sen. Rusty Crowe and Sen. Jon Lundberg met with Judy Reed, Bill Carter, Junior Stanley, and Deacon Bowers to take Boyd on a tour of the Veterans War Memorial and Veterans Walk of Honor in downtown.
During the tour, Bowers and Carter discussed the project to establish the two memorials to the citizens of Carter County who served in the military and the special honor for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
