News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Tennessee Historical Commission is undergoing a total restructure, after the board was vacated June 30.
Tech History Professor Kent Dollar served on the commission, which will go from 29 to 20 members. Appointees will be chosen by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Head of the Senate. Dollar said the governor used to appoint all available positions.
“So I think it began in the wake of the Forrest bust issue in the capital, but I think it began to gain momentum because it just kind of made sense that all of those should not be appointed by the governor,” Dollar said. “It should be also appointed by the general assembly.”
Following a controversy, the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust was removed from the capitol building in 2021.
“I know that there were some members of the general assembly who were not happy with the commission,” Dollar said. “I spoke to some. I know there were some members of the general assembly who were not happy with the governor’s stand on that issue.”
Dollar said the new structure should not have any meaningful impact on the work the commission is able to do. He said the staff working for the commission will remain as it was and the new commission will still be filled with history experts looking to serve the state as they have for over one hundred years.
“The commission members that I served with were knowledgeable and they were professional people, both the commission members and the staff,” Dollar said. “The staff is superb and that part has not been affected by the law.”
Dollar said he believes the subject has come up before every general assembly session since it first came up, but it took several years to gain enough support for any changes to take place.
“I also think maybe some of the assemblymen began to think, you know, ‘It kind of makes sense that we should have some say in who’s a member of the commission,'” Jones said. “So I think it began in the wake of the Forrest bust issue in the capital, but I think it began to gain momentum because it just kind of made sense that all of those should not be appointed by the governor.”
Dollar said he has declined to have his name resubmitted as a possible candidate for the new commission. He said he’s hopeful the region will be represented.
