Congressman Ford To Speak At Tennessee Picnic Banquet

Congressman Harold Ford Jr. will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Tennessee Picnic Heritage Banquet, which is set for 6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 8, at the Holiday Inn of Newport.

Congressman Ford was sworn in to represent the Ninth District of Tennessee in 1996 at age 26, and is now serving his fifth term in the House of Representatives. Ford is a member of the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Financial Services. Ford has built a reputation as a solutions-oriented lawmaker who seeks to replace partisan politics with fresh ideas and a pragmatic approach to the challenges of the 21st century. He has worked with members on both sides of the aisle to fashion solutions that work for the American people.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Ford is a “lawmaker of influence [who has] exerted himself on issues beyond the reach of his committees.”

With American troops fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the global war on terror, Congressman Ford has made national security issues a top priority.

In Sept. 2004, Ford was appointed by the Joint Forces Command to serve on the Transformation Advisory Group (TAG). The TAG is a group of political, military, and academic leaders who are working with the Department of Defense’s civilian and military leadership to transform the armed forces to meet existing and new national security threats.

Ford is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats that has built a reputation for promoting positions that bridge the gap between ideological extremes.

Ford also co-chairs the Community Solutions and Initiatives Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers that seeks to help faith and community based groups solve social challenges, and the Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus, a bi-partisan coalition dedicated to advancing policies to build savings and assets for all Americans, and low-income Americans in particular.

He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. Born in Memphis on May 11, 1970, Congressman Ford is the eldest son of former U.S. Representative Harold E. Ford and Dorothy Ford. He has two brothers, Jake and Isaac Ford.

Congressman Ford is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator Bill Frist. Sen. Frist has said that he will not seek re-election in 2006.

Tickets are still available for the banquet. Tickets are $25 each and are available by calling Delores Branner at (423) 623-3287 or Dion Dykes Sr. at (423) 623-2679.

From: Cocke County Online