Gov. Lee names voucher proponent as an adviser
NASHVILLE — Former Tennessee state Rep. John DeBerry, a socially conservative lawmaker who lost his Nov. 3 re-election bid after being barred by the state Democratic Party from running again under the party’s label, has joined Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet as a senior adviser.
In a Monday news release, Lee called DeBerry, who voted in support of anti-abortion measures as well as Lee’s 2019 school voucher law, “a respected leader and man of faith who has served our state with integrity for decades as both a legislator and civil rights champion.
“John has fought to protect life, provide better education options for Tennessee students and to reform our criminal justice system, and I’m honored to have his counsel within the cabinet,” Lee added.
DeBerry, a 26-year Capitol veteran from Memphis, will be paid $165,000 a year, as have previous senior advisers to the governor, Lee spokesman Gillum Ferguson told the Times Free Press. Ferguson said DeBerry “will be advising the governor on education, criminal justice reform and other issues.”
DeBerry, whose first day is Tuesday, will serve on Lee’s executive leadership team, and his office will be in the Tennessee State Capitol.
Calling it an “honor to serve my constituents for the last 26 years,” DeBerry said in a statement, “I am proud of the work accomplished throughout my time with the Tennessee General Assembly, and I look forward to serving Tennesseans in this statewide role.”
DeBerry represented the 90th House District of Tennessee from 1995 until Election Day Nov. 3.
A longtime school voucher supporter, DeBerry cast a pivotal yes vote in 2019 for Lee’s education savings account bill. That bill implemented a voucher-like program that as passed allowed lowincome families in Shelby and Davidson counties to use tax dollars to pay for private school tuition.
The bill, which needed a minimum of 50 votes for passage, passed the House 50- 48. It has since been ruled unconstitutional, but the state is appealing.
The Tennessee Democratic Party in April 2020 voted 41 to 18 — over the objections of some Memphis Democratic legislators — to bar DeBerry from running again as a Democrat. Hoping to retain his seat, DeBerry ran as an independent.
But without the party label, DeBerry lost overwhelmingly on Nov. 3 to Democratic nominee Torrey Harris, a progressive community activist. DeBerry won 23% of the vote compared to Harris’ 77%. DeBerry didn’t tap the $ 192,000 in his campaign account.
He follows former House Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn, a Knoxville Republican, who joined the Lee administration earlier this month. Dunn, who fought for years for school vouchers, was the key sponsor of Lee’s education savings account bill in 2019. He is now a senior adviser to state Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn.