Tennessee governor appoints lottery directors

Tom Sharp

Friday, July 11, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The first board of directors of the Tennessee Lottery Corporation was appointed last week by Gov. Phil Bredesen, who said he culled through dozens of potential appointees looking for "a good sense of stewardship."

"I wasn't worried about getting any particular expertise," Bredesen said. "I tried to get a group I felt could work well together and bring a mix of skills to the job. There are some grayer heads in there and some younger ones. I believe these people will do a good job."

The Lottery Corporation board members have to be confirmed by the Legislature, but will run the lottery independently of state government. The lottery law passed recently by the General Assembly gives the board maximum flexibility to assess the market and react quickly to it.

"A lot of the decisions that will determine how the lottery is run for years to come will be made in that first six months," Bredesen said, adding that he went through "50 to 60" names of possible members.

The board will elect its own chairman.

The appointees are:

Denny Bottorff, 58, chairman of a Nashville venture capital firm and former bank chairman.

Morris Fair, 73, public finance consultant for an investment banking company in Memphis.

Jim Hill, 67, former CEO of the Lupton Co. LLC in Chattanooga and a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army.

Marvell Mitchell, 48, of Memphis, managing partner of Mitchell Technology Group LLC, which installs computer networks for businesses and distributes computer hardware and software.

Jim Ripley, 46, attorney in Sevierville.

Deborah Story, 51, president of a Nashville human resources consulting firm.

Claire Tucker, 50, the Nashville president of First Bank, of Lexington.

Bredesen said three of the members will serve three-year terms, two will serve one-year terms and two will serve five-year terms. After those initial terms are filled, all appointments will be for five years.

Which members of the initial board will serve for how long has not been decided, Bredesen said.

Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, and Rep. Chris Newton, R-Benton, the lottery's two main sponsors in the Legislature, both said they were satisfied with Bredesen's selections.

Who would select the board's members was one of the stickiest points of debate over the lottery legislation. The governor was given the power to appoint them all, with legislative confirmation required.

"From the backgrounds of the individuals it looks like you've got a pretty diverse group," Newton said. "It seems to be pretty fair in terms of geographical distribution, and in terms of gender and racial equity as well. The governor has met the law right down to the dotting of the I's and crossing of the T's."

Hill, Mitchell and Story are black. Story and Tucker are women. Two board members are from West Tennessee, three are from Middle Tennessee and two are from East Tennessee.

Cohen said he knows three of the appointees -- Bottorff, Fair and Mitchell.

"I think Denny Bottorff will do an excellent job. I have a lot of respect for his ability and talents. He's a marvelous choice," said Cohen, who clashed publicly with the governor over who would appoint the board. "The people from Memphis I know are people of rectitude. The others I don't know.

"The governor has named a diverse, representative group of people who all seem to have had successful careers, and obviously, after the TBI checks, have unblemished backgrounds."

The board is expected to hold its first meeting sometime in July to begin the process of setting up the lottery.

Among the first orders of business will be to hire a chief executive officer to run it. By law, that person has to have experience in a state lottery.