After 12 years serving as the state representative for the 21st
House District, Jimmy Matlock is stepping way from an elected
position but not from community service.
“I have a servant’s heart,” Matlock said. “I want to keep myself
available.”
Matlock was first elected to serve Loudon County and much of
Monroe County in the Tennessee General Assembly in 2006. He
stepped down from the Tennessee House to run for U.S. Congress
to replace Congressman Jimmy Duncan but lost in the August
primary. That meant his time in elected office would come to a
close.
“It’s humbling to have spent 12 years representing about
62,000 people,” he told The Advocate & Democrat. “It’s a
privilege I will forever be grateful for.”
He is proud of his time in the General Assembly not only
working with John Forgety, who also has retired from the
Tennessee House, and State Sen. Mike Bell, but also all the
other legislators on both sides of the political aisle.
Matlock said legislators were able to work collectively to
keep the ball of progress rolling for Tennessee. To him,
that meant keeping taxes lows and government small with as
much of the decision making left in the hands of the local
people as possible. Matlock said Tennessee has been able to
pay for road work as it goes and was also able to move the
state’s national education ranking up some 20 places.
Matlock said Lowell Russell in one sense technically became
the state representative for the 21st District right after
the November election. Matlock said there is some gray area
with state laws as to who would actually represent the
district on the small chance a special legislative session
was called before the new election winners are sworn in next
month.
However, Matlock said he and Russell are keeping to the
time-honored tradition of the new representative taking over
right after the election and he has been working with
Russell to make the transition smooth. Matlock said he feels
Russell is going to do a great job representing the
district.
Matlock also stays busy with his tire stores located in
several areas in East Tennessee. Though he ran for the
U.S. Congress, Matlock said he has no box to check off
and does not necessarily have to seek office again.
However, he also does not rule that out either.
Matlock said the main thing for him is to continue to
help people and he still plans to keep in touch with the
many Monroe County friends he has made over the years.
“Gosh, I love this country,” he said. “And if I can
serve in any way, I will.”