NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's 50th governor was sworn in on Saturday.
Bill Lee, a Middle Tennessee businessman and farmer, took the oath of office inside the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville Saturday morning.
Ten News anchor Robin Wilhoit recently sat down with Lee to discuss a wide range of issues he plans to focus on during his administration.
"It's a high honor and a great deal of responsibility attached to that honor. I feel very inspired and excited about the opportunity to wake up and serve six-and-a-half-million people every day," he says.
He says his goal is to improve the lives of Tennesseans by focusing on jobs, education and healthcare without raising taxes.
“I am not one who believes in bigger government,” says Lee. “Limited government provides unlimited opportunity for ‘we the people’ to operate.”
Lee also says criminal justice reform is another priority. He hopes to put programs in place to help those incarcerated transition successfully into society and keep them from ending up back behind bars.
"The other thing I want to look at early on is strengthening the intake side of incarceration, mental health courts, drug courts, veterans courts, alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders," he says. "We know what works there. It just needs strengthening."
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