KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A report by the independent newsletter Popular Information said House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) bought a house in Nashville, raising questions about whether the Speaker spends most of his time in his own district and the legality of him owning a home in another district.
The report said Sexton purchased a nearly $600,000 home in Nashville in September 2021.
Property records from the Tennessee Comptroller's Office show Sexton sold a 3,832-square-foot home in Crossville in October 2020 for $420,000. He purchased a smaller townhome in Crossville in July 2020.
Lawmakers who travel to Nashville from out of town get "per diems" for each day they're working in Nashville, which are effectively meant to cover travel expenses and other kinds of costs associated with working in Nashville. Between Dec. 1, 2021, and Nov. 30, 2022, Speaker Sexton took the "per diem" 115 total days — about one out of every three days.
However, Speaker Sexton did not take a mileage reimbursement for his travel from Crossville to Nashville.
Knoxville Attorney T. Scott Jones tried a similar case in Loudon County in 2021. County Commissioner Julia Hurley moved out of her district, and the state of Tennessee sued to try to remove Hurley from her seat.
The Chancellor in that case ruled Tennessee law allows elected officials to live outside of their district, as long as it is temporary.
"I think it's going to be very difficult to say that this lawmaker moved out of his district, or didn't intend to continue to have the district in which he was elected to be his primary residence," said Jones.
Records from the Cumberland County Trustee's office show the property taxes in Sexton's townhome were unpaid in 2021. The property taxes were paid for 2022, after the Popular Information report.
10News reached out to Speaker Sexton, asking how he splits his time between Crossville and Nashville, why the Speaker accepted the per diem if he may live in Nashville, and why he hadn't paid his property taxes. Through a spokesperson, Speaker Sexton declined to comment.