Matt Fitterer, an alderman on the mayoral board in Spring Hill, announced Monday his petition for the Tennessee House of Representatives. His name will be listed on the ballot in the 2022 GOP primary for District 92.
The 92nd District includes Williamson and Marshall Counties, previously also including Marion, Lincoln and parts of Franklin County prior to the redistricting plan of 2021. At present, it is represented by Chapel Hill Republican Todd Warner.
“We took the last several weeks to measure support, both in terms of expected votes and financial contributions,” Fitterer said. “I was blown away by overwhelming wave of encouragement, it exceeded my expectations. Voters want to see Conservative Tennessee values, integrity, and common sense in District 92. As a result, they’ve been vocal in their support for our campaign.”
Fitterer announced Mike Stalnaker as his campaign treasurer. Stalnaker pastors Community Baptist Church in Spring Hill. Described by Fitterer as a fixture in the community, he is well known for his trustworthiness, and Fitterer told Home Page how important that is for District 92’s next representative.
“Mike’s got a reputation of being very high character and just a very principled man, and given the history of financial discrepancies in the district, I thought it would be appropriate to get someone who was very trustworthy to help oversee the campaign finances and could help voters rest assured that the troubles others have had are not going to be present in my campaign,” Fitterer told Home Page.
Warner, whom Fitterer aims to replace, was one of several state legislators whose homes and offices were raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with GOP State Reps. Glen Casada, Kent Calfee and Robin Smith. Casada has since retired from the General Assembly where he served as the 82nd speaker of the House and majority leader. He is now running to unseat the Williamson County Clerk.
Fitterer’s campaign will celebrate its launch with an event in the weeks to come on a date yet to be determined. He said he “easily exceeded the number of signatures required” to petition for candidacy with the support of other elected officials, community leaders and small business owners. Fitterer’s team has already reached beyond 40 percent of their overall fundraising goal according to a press release.
“But the most exciting thing about this is that people I don’t know have reached out and offered to sign my petition,” Fitterer added in a campaign video online. “And that is the kind of grass-roots level of support that’s going to win this campaign for us.”
In a few short years, Fitterer has shown prolific contribution to Spring Hill in his political career. Fitterer has served Spring Hill from his BOMA seat since 2015, being re-elected in 2019 amid no opposition. He now chairs the city’s Budget and Finance Committee and also sits on its Planning Commission. Fitterer last chaired the Transportation Advisory Committee.
Fitterer’s quick ascent through the Spring Hill political scene yields 40 pieces of legislation to show for his authored work so far, and they include restricting property taxes to certain capital improvement projects and automatically mitigating taxes thereafter.
He is also known for having helped implement and eventually increase traffic impact fees on new development projects that come to Spring Hill. He created the city’s only special assessment district concentrated on such projects, and he helped secure the $25 million BUILD grant for the city’s current construction of the I-65 interchange at Buckner Lane.
Fitterer was also instrumental in establishing the Industrial Development Board in Spring Hill and facilitating the necessary fundraising for the historic preservation of Rippavilla.
He operates in a leadership capacity for the country’s biggest pediatric oral healthcare provider, which treats over 1 million children across 14 states every year. He and his wife Joy — a public school teacher — have two young daughters. They attend The Bridge Church in Spring Hill.
Fitterer holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in health-related fields in addition to an MBA. He is a member of the National Rifle Association, the Tennessee Republican Party and the Tennessee Right to Life. He is also a graduate of both the Spring Hill Citizens Police Academy and the Transit Leadership Academy.