(MURFREESBORO) - The Rutherford County Democratic Party (RCDP) made a request today of freshman Representative Joe Carr (R-Lascassas) to return thousands of dollars he recently told the Tennessean he “inadvertently” took from state tax payers. The money he said “he didn’t know” he took was in the form of numerous daily $171 bogus meal and hotel expense claims.

Rep. Carr has made more requests for meal and hotel expenses than any other lawmaker in the state House of Representatives, more than Memphis and Knoxville lawmakers with legitimate travel expenses. Rep. Carr lives in a neighboring county to the state Capitol, and it is unclear why he made so many requests for money he never spent on meals and hotel rooms.

“If Rep. Carr ‘inadvertently’ made over $18,000 in bogus expense requests, it’s hard to believe he then ‘inadvertently’ signed for the checks and ‘inadvertently’ drove himself to the bank to ‘inadvertently’ deposit the taxpayers’ money in his personal bank account,” said RCDP Chairman Jonathon Fagan. “Rep. Carr can easily fix this mess by coming clean and returning that money to the taxpayers.”

In the last legislative session, Rep. Carr pushed legislation demanding Gov. Bredesen deny his own constituents unemployment benefits (HJR - 0150). His efforts thankfully failed, while at the same time Rep. Carr was stuffing his bank account with thousands of dollars of his own private stimulus checks compliments of the very taxpayers who now find themselves without a job.

“Rep. Carr represents the brand of Republican that America sent packing to the hills in 2008 after plundering record surpluses of the Clinton years through historic record deficit spending. Unfortunately the hills they fled to are right here in Tennessee,” Fagan said. “And in 2010, it’s time Tennesseans finish the job and rid our state and our country from these tax and spend Republicans. It’s time to move Tennessee forward.”

Murfreesboro Tennessee is the birthplace of today’s modern Democratic Party, born in 1822 in what was then the State Capitol on Vine Street when Andrew Jackson declared his candidacy for President of the United States and was nominated by the Tennessee Legislature. The Democratic Party that was born then is now the oldest surviving political party in the world. Visit the Rutherford County Democratic Party website at www.rutherfordcountydemocrats.org.

MURFREESBORO – To have productive conversations and obtain advice from residents of Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District, U.S. Representative Bart Gordon has scheduled several discussion opportunities over the next two weeks – two district-wide Telephone Town Halls, three Face-to-Face office hour events, and two in-person Town Hall meetings, as well as a seniors-focused Telephone Town Hall and other possible call-in events. Each event will allow constituents to share concerns, ask questions, and communicate directly with Gordon.

“I scheduled each of these events in order to accommodate and hear from as many Sixth District residents as possible,” explained Gordon.

Gordon’s August schedule follows (note: additional events may be added):

· August 21: Two Telephone Town Halls – one at 11 a.m. CDT and another at 5:30 p.m. CDT (to register, visit www.gordon.house.gov or call 615-896-1986).
· August 24: Face-to-Face office hours, starting at 9:00 a.m. CDT, at the Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd., Murfreesboro, 37130).
· August 24: Town Hall meeting, moderated by the Daily News Journal, at 7:00 p.m. CDT in Murfreesboro (location, to be determined).
· August 25: Face-to-Face office hours, starting at 9:00 a.m. CDT, at the Putnam County Courthouse (300 E. Spring St., Cookeville, 38501).
· August 26: Face-to-Face office hours, starting at 9:00 a.m. CDT, at the Sumner County Courthouse (100 Public Sq., Room B-100, Gallatin, 37066).
· August 26: Town Hall meeting, moderated by Mike Toole of The News-Examiner at 7:00 p.m. CDT in Gallatin (location, to be determined).

“These call-ins, one-on-one discussion events and Town Hall meetings are just part of my efforts to better understand the concerns of the more than 700,000 constituents across the 15 counties I represent in the Sixth District,” added Gordon.

The two Telephone Town Hall events require no travel, and participation is toll free and easy. Registered constituents will be able to communicate with Gordon, ask questions live, and leave messages from the comfort of their homes.

Each Face-to-Face office hour event will offer constituents an opportunity to individually meet with Gordon and discuss any questions and concerns they may have. Gordon will meet with Sixth District residents on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The in-person Town Hall meetings will be moderated by Murfreesboro’s Daily News Journal and Gallatin’s News-Examiner, respectively. The moderators will call on attendees to ask questions or give advice to Gordon, as well as ensure that a constructive dialogue takes place over the course of each event.

In addition to these events, constituents are always welcome to stop by Gordon’s district offices. The Murfreesboro office is located at 305 W. Main Street; the Gallatin office is located at 100 Public Sq., Room B-100; and the Cookeville office is located at 15 S. Jefferson Avenue.

Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District includes the following counties: Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, and part of Wilson.