NASHVILLE – When Sen. Thelma Harper, D-Nashville, leaves Thursday afternoon for the winter meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures executive committee, she won’t be going just as a state senator.
She’ll be a salesperson for Nashville, too, as she leads a team to Savannah, Ga., to try to bring the convention to the Music City in 2013.
“The Convention and Visitors Bureau is going to be there promoting Nashville, Tennessee, and I am, too,” said Sen. Harper, who is an NCSL executive committee member.
The convention draws legislators and government officials from across the country, and usually attracts between 7,000 and 10,000 attendees, Sen. Harper said. The Metro Council recently approved plans for a new convention center.
The convention, which runs through Sunday, is widely recognized as a key development tool for state government officials. National issues and major legislation ideas typically originate in NCSL meetings, Sen. Harper said.
NCSL held a convention in Nashville previously to overwhelmingly positive reviews, Sen. Harper said. She will remind fellow members of that experience this weekend.
“They were enthralled with the Wildhorse Saloon and the lights and glitter of Lower Broadway,” Sen. Harper said. “We need to get those loaded buses back to Nashville.”
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Senator Thelma Harper represents portions of Davidson County. Contact her at sen.thelma.harper@capitol.tn.gov or (615) 741-2453 or 303 War Memorial Building, Nashville, TN 37243-0219
