District 96 candidates are Scott McCormick and Patricia Possel
Republican candidates Scott McCormick and Patricia Possel are running for the District 96 Tennessee House of Representatives seat in the Aug. 2 primary election.
The winner will face incumbent Democrat Dwayne Thompson in the Nov. 6 general election.
McCormick has his sights set on helping small businesses thrive and maintaining Tennessee’s position among states with lowest tax and debt in the U.S.
Possel wants to continue her push for de-annexation locally and in the Tennessee General Assembly.
An East Memphis native, McCormick, 58, plans to represent District 96 by advocating for economic development for West Tennessee. He said the largest problem Shelby County faces is poverty.
“We need to work on creating and providing jobs and improving our education system if we are ever going to lower our poverty levels,” he said.
McCormick serves as the District 5 representative on the Shelby County Board of Education. He was elected to the Memphis City Council and served from 2004 to 2008 as chairman of the Parks Committee until being elected as chairman of the council in 2007. He also served as director of the Memphis Botanic Garden from February 2015 to May 2016.
“I want to take the experience I have gained as a member of the council and school board to Nashville,” he said.
McCormick experienced first-hand how governments can become a burden to small businesses and said he wants to be the voice in Nashville to help fix those issues.
“One of my goals is to make Tennessee a business-friendly state and try to help streamline businesses,” he added.
Possel, 56, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but found her home in Cordova in 2000 after moving to 13 cities around the nation. She is an educator and professional photographer. In her district, Possel is known for her de-annexation efforts.
She said the city has a history of using annexation to make up for declining population numbers without consent from the residents. As representative, she wants to help Cordova residents regain those rights.
“They want to be empowered to make their own decisions,” she said.
Possel’s involvement in the movement to reverse annexation began in 2012. Since then, she has concentrated on learning about Tennessee’s annexation law by traveling to Nashville to attend meetings with local politicians.
Another change she wants to advocate for is the reform of TNReady. “That whole thing needs to be revamped,” she said.
She said she believes the program is unfair for both teachers and students because there are many factors that could determine low performance on an exam.
Possel has not held an elected position in Tennessee government but said her experience as a small business owner, an educator and an informed citizen and advocate for de-annexation have prepared her for the role.
“Democracy was never meant to be a career path,” she said. “It’s really meant to serve your community.”