Conflict of Interest: Wife Of State Senator To Lobby For More Corporate Welfare
Nicole Osborne Watson, Wife Of Senator Bo Watson, Will Be Lobbying For Major League Baseball And A Potential New Partially Taxpayer-Funded Stadium To Come To Nashville. Critics Fear A Repeat Of Tennessee Taxpayers Being On The Hook Again For Millions In Corporate Welfare As With The Titans Stadium, Which She Also Lobbied For. In Addition, Lobbying Fees Received By N. Watson Will Go Directly Into The Watson Family’s Bank Account, Making Senator Watson Receive Personal Benefit From The Passage Of Any Deals Given To The MLB.
Image Credit: Holland & Knight, capitol.tn.gov & apardavila / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
The office of Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has compiled a group of five lobbyists in Nashville. It is assumed that they will be working to push for a possible expansion team to be brought into Music City.
One of those team members is Nicole Oborne Watson (pictured above 2nd from right), wife of State Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11). Nicole Watson works with the Holland & Knight lobbying team as a partner and senior policy advisor.
Previously, Nicole Watson was a part of the lobbying team that successfully pushed for $500 million worth of state bonds to fund a new domed stadium for the Tennessee Titans. The use of taxpayer dollars to bankroll the stadium continues to be wildly unpopular among most Tennesseans. With the push for the MLB to come to Nashville, and the potential of a stadium that will likely be partially funded by taxpayer dollars, conservatives are concerned about a repeat of last year’s Titans Stadium situation.
Senator Watson currently chairs the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee. All legislation that involves state money must pass this committee before going before the full Senate for a vote. This means the senator would have had an inside hand in helping to push through the move to fund the stadium and/or any future stadium that requires a substantial amount of taxpayer dollars.
Watson is also a member of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
Following a Senate session last year, NewsChannel5 grilled Senator Watson about the potential conflict of interest with his wife being a powerful lobbyist and him being one of the most powerful lawmakers on the hill. NewsChannel5 Investigates stated this connection, “reveals how the lines between public interest and personal interest can get blurred on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill.”
Watson told NewsChannel5 that there are rules in place that govern relationships such as this and said, “I follow all of them.”
He continued, “We go above and beyond the rules to be sure that we are complying with everything that’s required of us,” also noting that his wife has an agreement with her firm that she cannot lobby him.
Critics believe that, even though she may not lobby the senator, other legislators are aware of their connection and this relationship may give her more powerful influence over others and more access.
Another concern raised by critics is that lobbying fees received by Senator Watson’s wife will go straight into the bank account of the Watson family, making the passage of another corporate welfare deal personally beneficial to the Senator.
Nicole Watson’s current lobbying deal with the MLB program is part of an effort by former Oakland A’s pitcher Dave Stewart to build a baseball stadium near Tennessee State University and bring in a franchise.
Bringing in Watson may give an added advantage to Stewart’s group as they have yet to secure a high-dollar investor to cover costs and will need to garner state support and state funding to pull off a deal.
Nonpartisan watchdog group, Common Cause, was quoted last year as stating, “Situations like this can further erode faith and confidence in the government.”
The group states that this form of nepotism, if not always illegal, certainly “looks and smells bad to the public.”
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
I’m sure Sen. Watson follows every line of law as it is written. It’s always the between the lines deals that cause the problems. Watson should step down from this committee if his wife will have a lobbying presence in Nashville.