Friends, When you put together a teacher, entrepreneur, corporate leader, active volunteer, Mom and Grandmother you get Joni Cochran, a common sense gun-owning well-rounded, thoughtful and friendly candidate for House District 46. Wilson County could not be any luckier than to have the chance to vote for Joni.
I spent a pleasant afternoon in Wilson County talking with Joni about why she is running for state office, what local residents are telling her about their priorities for the State, concerns they have about proposed gun and voucher policies, worries about women’s freedom and protection of public education. It is clear Joni listens carefully to the concerns of local residents, studies issues deeply to reach an educated opinion based upon facts, and responds from a caring place - wonderful attributes to take into the governance of Tennessee and the representation of Wilson County.
Among her Endorsements are: •Change TN •TN Advocates for Planned Parenthood • TN Women’s Political Caucus • National Women’s Political Caucus • Wilson County Democratic Party • Wilson County Young Democrats • Tennessee Families for Vaccines • TNDP Faith Caucus • Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
Joni is also a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Distinction candidate and a graduate of Demand A Seat, and Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund program.
You can reach Joni at her website: joni4tn46.com. She can also be contacted via Facebook and Instagram.
Please pass on this Substack to your friends and relatives who may know folks who live in the Wilson County area. We have a real chance to turn this seat BLUE in November!! Let’s do it!!!
In kind regards, Michele
QUESTIONS
Question 1: When asking Joni to say something about herself and her trajectory that got her to the place to run for office, Joni first referenced the challenges of being female in this country, which “hasn’t always been a great experience.” As a professional, a Mom, a Grandmother, and a teacher, she concluded “It’s not easy for women.”
Joni has been an informed voter her whole life, beginning with the 1980 election and every election going forward. She’s paid attention to what’s going on with candidates and in the country generally. “I finally all came to a head last spring, with Covenant.” Joni said the Dobbs decision was raging enough, but, “when our state legislature failed to do anything other than exacerbate the issue… I decided to run.”
Although Joni had been planning to retire from her teaching position, she realized “I want to protect these children… there are things we can do but they are not being done…Somebody had to do something and I looked around and decided well, it must be me.”
Question 2: Regarding her career path, Joni shared that she began working in the retail tax business in the early 1980’s, which in 1992 brought her to Tennessee for the first time. After 3 years here, she was transferred to California where she lived for 4 years until she decided to leave the corporate world and chose to return to Tennessee and opened a UPS franchise business in Mt. Juliet. After 8 years she sold the business, took a year off to volunteer at her grandchild’s Montessori school which she fell in love with and decided to seek an early childhood education degree and then began working as a full time Montessori teacher and “just loved it.”
Question 3: In her Ballotpedia questionnaire, Joni referenced an interest in serving, but when asked about this she commented that many people in state government are not there to serve the people who elected them, but rather “to feed their own interest.”
Joni shared that she benefitted from numerous leadership development opportunities while working in the corporate world and that “servant leadership” resonated with her. Her leadership style has been one of removing barriers and “making it possible for them (her team) to succeed” so they could all succeed.
One assurance Joni is offering people in District 46 is that if they vote for her they will get someone who will champion them and help them to be successful. As a responsive representative, she plans to ask two questions: “What do you need and how can I help… I really want to do something that will help people thrive and be successful.”
Question 4. When asked about her main legislative priorities, Joni said that education will be her first priority. “In my view the TN General Assembly is actively working to destroy public education… I cannot sit idly by and let that happen.” She went on to say that public education was key to her development and success in life and that her teachers “lit me up academically.”
Joni said that the voucher bill “would do nothing but starve public education” so “I can’t sit by and let public money go to private interests.” Although she applauded families who are able to send their children to private school, “You don’t need to do that on my dime.” Joni pointed to the scores of children who, like her, need the opportunities that a public education can give them, to be free and enjoy economic success.
Joni concluded that her first goal if elected would be to “fully fund public education, get vouchers out of our vocabulary and recognize the value and importance that teachers have to our society, because nothing happens without education. You have to learn something, somewhere, sometime, to do something, right? …if you’re lucky you’ll have a lot of teachers along the way that help you get there.”
Question 5: Among the other issues that Joni is concerned about, she first talked about guns. She confirmed she is a gun owner and has a gun permit. “I am not about wanting to take anybody’s guns away from them wholesale but I do believe gun owners should exercise responsibility, particularly around handling and storage so that we keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them… we should not live in constant fear of gun violence.”
Joni went on to talk about the regressive tax system in Tennessee, “…that favors the ultra-rich at the expense of the poor and working families.” She questioned her opponent and the other Super-Majority Republicans who talk about how fiscally responsible the State of Tennessee is and yet billionaires and large corporations pay a lower tax than nurses and teachers. Joni also questioned why the State would give “almost $2 billion in corporate handouts” when Tennessee has the second highest rate of inflation in the country, record traffic congestion and ranks 45th in student funding. Joni declared, “There’s something wrong with that picture.”
Regarding reproductive justice, Joni said, “We all deserve to have the same rights that everybody enjoys… We’ve got the 14th Amendment that says we’re equal, and the 19th Amendment that says we get to enforce our equality, but statutes and decisions such as Dobbs cramps us.” In Tennessee, following Dobbs and the trigger ban going into effect “women were stripped of their rights.”
There has also seen a “push to restrict the LGBTQI+ community, transgender people and children.” Republicans talk about “parent’s rights” but parents have the right to be a parent and raise their children right now. “It just is.” But they are taking away the right of parents to make medical decisions about their children and women the right to make decision about their own body.
“Pregnancy isn’t full-proof but extremists seem to think its as easy as stepping off a log and they have no regard for the gut-wrenching decisions a woman has to make when a pregnancy goes terribly wrong. They’ve got to get out of the way.”
Question 6: Clark Boyd, the Republican incumbent Joni is running against, lost to Mae Beavers in the 2014 Republican Primary for the District 17 Senate seat. When Beavers subsequently stepped down in 2017 to run for Governor, Mark Pody won her House seat by only 307 votes. The Wilson County Commissioners then appointed Boyd to fill Pody’s remaining House term, a seat he won in the 2018 general election and which is now being sought by Joni.
Joni said Boyd “has only ever carried water for the GOP power structure.” She went on to say that he never debates or asks any questions about a bill and “you rarely see him in the community.” He seems, “extremely disinterested in what the voters in the district need and want.” In contrast, Joni attends community events, “because that’s where people are, what they do, that’s how they live and spend their time and engage in community. I’ll be there.”
Question 7: Asked about her civic engagement, Joni began volunteering locally when she was running her UPS franchise and began working with the Chamber of Commerce as an Ambassador after which she joined the Mt. Juliet Board of Directors for a few years. That led to her participation in the 2013 Leadership Wilson class and she served for a few years on their Board. She also served on the Wilson County Habitat for Humanity Board and volunteered with the Adult Learning Center where she tutored GED candidates.
“I have actively looked for opportunities to give back and plug in, find something that feels right, where my skills can best be used and actually, again, watch people succeed and do well.”
In 2016 Joni joined the Wilson County Democratic Women and served as their President until she decided to run in this House race. She was the Vice-Chair of the Wilson County Democratic Party, again until she ran for this office. Joni is a member of the National Women’s Political Caucus, again to help “lift people up and push them forward, giving them wings so they can go out and be successful on their own.”
Question 8: When meeting with local residents, Joni said the concerns that people are raising up about the challenges in their lives link to potential legislation that she might carry forward. Joni said people have complained about the roads, a bias against black people in the court system and policing. “They feel like they need relief there, and I agree.”
People have talked about taxes being too high and “I agree, that needs to change. That’s part of my platform.” Families who have relatives in law enforcement are concerned about guns “because it compromises their loved one’s safety in doing their job… They would appreciate some common sense things around gun safety.”
People have complained that their property taxes are too high. People have told Joni that “the General Assembly is out of control” and “the fact we have a Super Majority means we have no checks or balances on them. We need that.”
When asked if people are responding positively to the positions that she has taken on these issues Joni said, “Absolutely!”
“Overall, they like the general message I have… particularly around guns, when they hear me say, ‘I don’t want to take your guns away from you, that’s not what I’m about.’ Laws are there for those who don’t act responsibly… If you are a hunter and you bag one and bring it home to feed your family, God love you for that… If you want a gun for defensive purposes, that’s what the Second Amendment is all about… We’re talking about people who are using guns to be offensive, not defensive. That’s a fine distinction. When we have that conversation with others they seem to relax.”
Question 9: Joni responded to the question whether the Republican supermajority is in step with the common people in Wilson County by saying, “Based upon the folks that I’ve talked to, absolutely not… the General Assembly has an agenda they are trying to achieve regardless of what the voters want.”
Joni went on to say that most people understand that abortion is health care and addressed the myth that abortion is used for indiscriminate behavior. Since the Dobbs decision women have not been able to get the care they need to save their lives or their ability to have children in the future. “The Republicans are out of step in not understanding there are times when this is necessary. “
The gun industry has given way too much money to politicians who have become accustomed to it. “You don’t need to spray somebody with 50 bullets in under a minute and you certainly don’t need that kind of weapon to shoot deer.” There’s a difference between defensive and offensive weapons, and “offensive weapons are best in the hands of the military and the national guard.”
Regarding vouchers, Joni said it seems that the Super Majority attack on public education involves “making school an undesirable place to be” by bringing weapons in without informing parents of who will be carrying them. Safe storage is the way to keep children safe so they don’t accidentally come across a gun. In Tennessee, gun violence has risen because of the theft of guns from unlocked vehicles. “Safe storage is a common sense thing.”
Joni then addressed her concern about restricting what teachers can say and teach. For example, not allowing them to teach the whole truth about slavery will only lead to repeating the mistakes of the past, including, “What we did, why we did it, where it went wrong and why it was wrong… That’s what education is all about.”
In talking about over testing and retention of 3rd and 4th graders, Joni said, “Our children are fine and are going to be fine. Our parents are fine and are going to be fine. We just need to give them the support they need and then get out of the way and let them do what they can do.”
Question 10: Joni then responded to the inquiry about her strategy to stop the Voucher bill from becoming law in Tennessee, if she were elected. Joni said she planned to build on what was successful during the last session, including helping everyone in the district to understand how it will hurt the schools, children and community and get them involved in pushing back against the Governor and his allies around this “awful, awful thing… It’s a voucher scam. That’s all it is.”
Joni stated vouchers will take taxes from local people and divert it to people who already have means so they don’t need it. “It will only lead to more economic discrimination and racial discrimination and discriminate against children who have learning needs…” because those private schools “are not obligated to take everybody the way a public school is.” She also worries about rejection of gay students.
“If our public schools close because there’s no money to fund them and I can’t get my kids into a private school, now what am I gonna do? There’s no answer for that.”
Question 11: Joni talked about the bills introduced by Democrats during the last session that resonated with her and the kinds of bills that she would be bringing forward. She first talked about Aftyn Behn’s bill to repeal the grocery tax, saying “I love it. We should do that… It’s not fair to people who have limited means… We need to take that burden off families.”
Gloria Johnson and some other Legislators were involved in a bill codifying a right to contraception. “Absolutely, I’m all about that. We have a right to plan our families… but the Supermajority seems to disagree with us.”
QUOTES
(NOTE: The following quotes are from Southern Cultures-Center for the Study of the American South: The Rhetoric and the Reality of the New Southern Strategy . This was a conversation between Courtland Cox (1960s SNCC leader), Nsé Ufot (New Georgia Project) and Charles V. Taylor (NAACP-Mississippi leader), then edited by Emilye Crosby (SNCC Legacy Project).)
Quote 1: “How can millions of voters beat billions of dollars?”
Joni immediately said, “By showing up to the ballot box. That’s it.” Joni continued that all the things candidates spend money on, “Those things don’t vote. People do… It’s like a muscle. If you don’t use it you lose it.” Joni also encouraged people to be informed voters by researching the candidates.
“They can throw money to the wind, if they want. At the end of the day, that’s not what’s gonna mark the ballot box or elect somebody who will be on your side.”
Quote 2: “If we play by the House rules, the House will always win.”
Joni began by saying, “I have been to Los Vegas and the rules are rigged to benefit the House.” She continued, “The rules in our state legislature are rigged to benefit the party in power. We understand that, but like many things that are manmade, they are fallible so it’s a matter of just being smart. Don’t work hard, work smart.”
Joni continued, “It is possible to win in Las Vegas, in spite of the fact that the rules are rigged for the House’s benefit…. And we can do it here, too. Part of the strategy is to get more Democrats elected so we can negate the Supermajority as fast as we can… part of beating them at their game is simply to win more seats.”
When asked how will she will interface with members of the Republican supermajority, Jonis said, “My thought on that is to approach every one of them from a point of compassion.” Joni quoted Stephen Covey’s Habit number 5 that she practices, “Seek first to understand and then be understood. I generally try to understand first, but once I landed on a plan of action I won’t be moved off of it and I won’t let anybody bully me.'“
Quote 3: “The Co-Governance Model is how we win in the New Southern Strategy”
Joni began by saying she has thought a lot about civic engagement. “We have rights and we hear a lot about our rights but we need to acknowlege and own the responsibilities we have.” Joni suggested these include voting, being an informed voter, and finding ways to be involved in the community. “
It’s more than just showing up every 4 years to cast a ballot. You need to stay informed and hold them accountable… In a democracy we’re the boss and if the boss is asleep or not paying any attention, what happens? Chaos… We’re the voters. We’re the boss. They’re there to serve us. It’s not the other way around.”
SUPPORT
How can people support Joni’s campaign? Her website is joni4tn46.com, where people can sign up to volunteer, make a donation and offer feedback. Joni is also on Facebook and Instagram.
Endorsements
Joni’s early endorsements were from: Wilson County Young Democrats, Change TN, Planned Parenthood, the National Women’s Political Caucus and Tennessee Families for Vaccines. Joni is also a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Distinction candidate. These and additional endorsements since the interview are listed at the beginning of this post.
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