Who is Gayle Ray? She grew up in Murfreesboro, has an MBA from Belmont, and taught at Tennessee State University. She married Norman Ray and while their children were in Nashville’s public schools Gayle was a volunteer for Project PENCIL and Parents for Public Education. She was elected to Metro Council on the platform that she would focus her time and energy on improving the schools and as a result of her leadership an additional $240 million was pumped into Metro schools for improvements.
She has been Sheriff of Davidson County for two terms because she said she would implement sound management practices in what has been a very political office. Today she wants to be the first woman elected to serve the fifth congressional district She is running in the August 1 Democratic primary. Since no Republicans are running, the person who wins that primary will replace Bob Clement who is the Democratic nominee to replace U.S. Senator Fred Thompson.
Gayle Ray is extremely popular with civic groups everywhere and is in special demand as a speaker by women’s groups across the state. Because of leadership skills, she was also presented with the Nashville ATHENA Award. However, it doesn’t matter how popular or well liked you are when it comes to running for public office. What matters is where you stand on the issues and today serving in Congress means dealing not only with daily threats from the terrorists but also providing the best constituent services possible. Where does Gayle Ray stand on issues that are important to women in Middle Tennessee?
Gayle Ray provided the following answers to what I think are critical issues facing America today.
1. As a member of Congress will you support President Bush’s
Proposal to reorganize the Homeland Security Department? Why or why not?
Ray, “I want to see more details about this proposal, but it’s a good idea to give some real authority to the Office of Homeland Security in order to get meaningful cooperation from the departments that are affected. It’s too easy for disparate departments to ignore requests or inquiries otherwise.”
2. Would you support transferring the responsibilities of the FBI and CIA to the Department of Homeland Security? Why or why not?
Ray, “The main issue is that our intelligence, investigative, and law enforcement agencies share data and work collaboratively without the age-old problem of turf protection and lack of trust. I would want to see how the Office of Homeland Security works out before transferring that responsibility. I’m more concerned about the numbers of information systems that do not share information and the inability of certain agencies or departments to communicate with one another electronically or on radio.”
3. Would you have voted in 2001 for President Bush’s tax cut? Why or why not. If yes, how would the country fund the tax cut?
Ray, “I am in favor of Americans receiving tax cuts as long as there are real surpluses and as long as there are not urgent needs on the domestic or international agendas. However, I could not have voted for the Bush tax cuts because the projections of a surplus were too optimistic and because the tax cuts were weighted too heavily toward the wealthiest Americans. I would have favored a more modest and balanced tax cut that was proposed by Al Gore.”
4. In light of today’s economic and war problems, should we rescind the Bush tax cut? Why or why not?
Ray, “I do not favor extending the Bush tax cuts primarily because they are forcing us to rob the Social Security Trust Fund to balance the budget. In addition, we still do not know what the price tag is going to be on the war on terrorism.”
5. In Congress will you vote to spend or protect the social security surplus?
Ray, “Social Security is projected to be solvent until 2045 if we leave it alone. It could be solvent well beyond that date with some minor tweaking. I will always vote to protect Social Security.”
6. What rules should Congress mandate to protect the investing public from the accounting and financial problems evident in the Enron scandal?
Ray, “The way several corporations have behaved is tantamount to the fox watching the hen house. I favor a number of measures to protect Americans from losing their retirement or pension funds. Some of these include 1)prohibiting the majority of a person’s retirement fund being invested in a single company, 2) placing employees on Boards of Directors, 3)requiring full disclosure of the real financial status of companies, 4)prohibiting accounting firms from providing both accounting and consulting functions for the same company, and 5)closing offshore loopholes.”
7. What measures should Congress take to put price caps on the cost of prescription drugs?
Ray, “Seniors should not have to choose between the kitchen cabinet and the medicine cabinet. Priority one is getting a prescription drug benefit in the Medicare Program. In addition, we need to make sure that drug manufacturers charge reasonable prices for drugs developed through tax-payer funded research and we need mechanisms for groups or small businesses to band together to negotiate for lower prices. The cost of advertising is another aspect that needs investigation. Barring these measures, it may be necessary to mandate that the cost cannot be higher in this country than for the average cost in other countries.”
8. As a member of Congress what will you propose to raise Tennessee’s standings in the national rankings for educational resources and performance (you know we are almost tied with Mississippi for #50)
Ray, “I was a teacher, I am a mother, and I believe strongly that every child can learn and achieve. I will fight hard to make sure the Fifth District receives the highest federal funding possible to reduce class size, fix worn-out schools, and hire and train an additional two million teachers before the end of the decade.”
9. What reforms will you support in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and what impact will that have for TennCare?
Ray, “We must cover prescription drugs under Medicare, and we should also explore allowing persons over 55 who do not have insurance coverage to buy into Medicare and pay its full cost if they have no other options. TennCare is a Medicaid waiver program and would therefore be unaffected by changes to Medicare or Medicaid except perhaps the expansion of Medicare to include people over 55 might reduce the number of people on TennCare.”
10. What about your background makes you qualified to be a member of Congress and what is unique about you compared to the other candidates in the race.
Ray, “As a mother, teacher, community leader, Metro Council Member, and Sheriff, I have taken on tough problems during my 30 years of service. When I saw that our schools were crumbling and that our kids were not getting the education they deserved, I ran for the Metro Council, chaired the Education Committee, and led the way for over $200 million of funding to repair and build schools. When I saw that our jails were in a mess, I ran for Sheriff and used my Belmont MBA to bring good management to the office, put inmates to work, and start low-cost substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence programs to help lower crime. I’ve been right here getting things done, I know the values of faith, family, and community that we share, and I am ready to take those values with me to work for Tennesseans in Washington.”
On her website at www.GayleRay.com she says, “ I know how to recognize problems and have the tools to fix them. As a Metro Council member and as Sheriff I’ve used these tools effectively to get things done and improve people’s lives. I will keep getting things done as your CongressWoman.”
Don’t forget to vote August 1, 2002 for the candidate of your choice and make sure you know whether or not you are in the fifth or seventh congressional district. Some Nashvillians who live in Oak Hill, Forest Hills, off Harding Place and Nolensville Road will not have the chance to vote in the Fifth Congressional District race due to the redistricting by the state legislature. Nashvillians who find themselves in the Seventh Congressional District will select a party nominee (Marsha Blackburn is running in a highly contested race for the Republican nomination) and then the new Congressperson from the Seventh District will be elected in November 2002.
Saralee Terry Woods is President of BookMan/BookWoman Used Books, an author and President of bookmanbookwoman.com. Her email is saraleewoods@bookmanbookwoman.com
