Commerce recently sat down with former State Senator Ben Atchley to solicit his advice on the best ways for businesspeople to make their voices heard in the halls of the General Assembly. Atchley began his career in the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 1973. He later served in the State Senate for 28 years until his retirement in 2004. Atchley was the Senate Republican leader for 18 of those years. Among his numerous accomplishments, Atchley worked with the Josephson Institute of Ethics to improve the quality of government decision making. The new veteran’s home in Knox County that opened in 2006, was named in his honor.

Commerce: You were in the General Assembly for 32 years and Senate Republican leader for 18 years. What is the most important lesson that you learned over the span of your career?

Atchley: The most important lesson I learned is that you can make a difference. Even one person who is committed to a goal can make a huge difference in making the world a better place.

Commerce: What is the best way for a citizen to contact or approach their legislators with a request or idea or concern?

Atchley: A face-to-face meeting is always the best option. Building a relationship with your representative is important. Not only is it a great way to convey your concerns, but you can become a resource for your representative when he or she is considering a piece of legislation.
Everyone has a representative and everyone has a senator. It is critical to get to know them on a first-name basis and be able to say, “Can I call you when I have something on my mind?”

Commerce: In your opinion, how do legislators work to give their constituents the best possible representation?

Atchley: By trying to learn as much as they can about the issues and making the best possible decision based on the facts. You don’t know how many times I have faced tough decisions and voted based on the facts and what I felt was best for my constituents. My decisions did not always follow the popular opinion.

Commerce: The Chamber is an advocate for business and makes periodic visits to Nashville and Washington, D.C., to make its voice heard. The organization even employs a full-time lobbyist. Talk about the relationship between government and business and how it benefits citizens.

Atchley: It is important for businesses to make their voices heard in order for government to know exactly how their decisions affect and impact communities. The more business makes its positions known, the more information government will have when considering laws.
We [U.S. citizens] have the best government and system in the world. It’s not perfect, but when everyone is working together for the good of everyone, all citizens will benefit.

Commerce: What will be the biggest issue facing the General Assembly in the 2008 legislative session?

Atchley: I think that ethics and healthcare will always remain big issues that need to be addressed and constantly worked on. The matter of ethics always held special importance to me and I served on several councils and advisory boards to make certain that ethics and honor were always considered important.

We must always hold ourselves to the highest standard to make certain that the best system in the world runs smoothly and effectively.

Commerce: How do legislators feel about organizations and citizens approaching them with their opinions and ideas on legislation?

Atchley: Communication is so important. I think every representative likes to think he or she has an open door policy and is willing to hear what people have to say.

By talking to as many people and organizations as you can you are able to get a better feel for what issues are most important. The more knowledge you have, the better decisions you are able to make.

Commerce: Are legislators sometimes overwhelmed by the number of calls and requests they receive? What should constituents do to get their voices heard without simply contributing to the “noise?”


Atchley: A lot of information is received in the form of calls and emails. Sometimes that can be very overwhelming. The more information you receive, the more time you have to spend researching the information and addressing it. My staff came up with an organized way to sort and categorize all of the information I received to make it easier to keep track of and respond to it. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue to try and communicate and rise above the “noise.”

I’ll go back to my earlier advice. Building a relationship with your senator and representative is really important. That way, even when the volume of calls and emails gets turned up, your voice will always be heard.

Commerce: What made you decide to become a public servant?

Atchley: I worked on several campaigns for other people. Although I had never considered running for office myself, when I was approached I guess you could say my ego kicked in a little (laughing) and I decided to give it a try. I like to make a positive difference and becoming a public servant was the perfect way to accomplish that.

We need more good people to run for office.

Commerce: What accomplishment as a state senator are you most proud of?

Atchley: Being able to work together with others in a bipartisan manner to solve problems. The experience of being a senator was better than I could have ever imagined because of the wonderful people that I was able to meet and rub elbows with.