Promising "dedicated service and absolute integrity," Randy Winter announces his bid for Cocke County Trustee in the May 4 Republican primary.

Winter credits his many years of experience as a math teacher, business owner/operator, church leader, and pro-active educator in preparing him for the responsibilities of County Trustee.

"I have great respect for people who are honest, work hard, and exhibit good judgment.  Before making important decisions I always seek the advice of others to learn from their experience.  I believe that government accomplishes most when people work together to attain reasonable goals.

"I recognize that everyone deserves to be treated fairly, with courtesy and respect. And I believe that any job worth doing is worth doing well, a principle I have always followed," Winter said.

"If I am elected, I will owe an obligation to the public who elected me, and I will repay that trust through honesty, integrity, and hard work," he said.

Winter and his wife, Julie, operate their family farm in the Long Creek community where Winter was reared by his parents, the late Fred and Louise Winter.

Married for 32 years, Randy and Julie Winter have two children.  Their son, Gavin, was a 2002 Cocke County High School valedictorian, and Alison was the 2004 salutatorian.

Julie Winter, a graduate of Tusculum College, is a Medical Technologist at Laughlin Hospital in Greeneville, where she has been employed for 28 years.

As a participant in an accelerated student program, Randy Winter entered East Tennessee State University in 1968 after completing his junior year at Parrottsville High School.  He was graduated from Parrottsville High School in 1969 and from ETSU in 1972. 

Employed as a teacher in the Cocke County School System since 1972, Winter has taught students at Parrottsville, Del Rio, Smoky Mountain, and West End elementary schools during 30 years of regular service.

After retiring from fulltime teaching in May 2002, Winter was offered a position as an instructor at Cocke County Adult High School, where he works with adults seeking to complete their high school education.

At the adult education center, he also tutors students in completing state required exit exams and in the Graduation Assistance Program, which helps at-risk Cocke County and Cosby High School students complete graduation requirements.

Under the guidance of the late Jesse Denton, director of Cocke County's Talented and Gifted Students Program, Winter helped establish the county schools' elementary science fair and the elementary schools' Scholars Bowl.  Winter  later served as the director for the elementary science fair and as co-director of the elementary language fair.

"As a presenter for the Tennessee State Facilitator Project, I introduced nationally recognized teaching programs to educators in local and regional conferences," Winter said.

"As a classroom teacher, I wrote, developed, and implemented a grant which provided instructional  materials to improve hands-on science instruction for our county elementary schools. After its implementation in Cocke County, I presented this program to a statewide conference of middle-grades educators," he said.

Invited by the  Tennessee Department of Education, Winter helped write the Tennessee State Science Framework, a document that guides educators from kindergarten through college in planning science instruction.

"I later served on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Science Teachers' Association, a state-wide organization of educators which works to promote superior science instruction across the state," Winter said.

In 1984, Winter was Cocke County's only participant in NASA's "Teacher In Space" program, in which New Hampshire's Christa McAuliffe was eventually chosen to make a trip on the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle.

"In 1997 I was one of 30 teachers from across the state selected by the University of Tennessee for an intensive three-week field trip studying Earth science from Virginia to Wyoming. I also participated in the Civil Air Patrol summer program for educators in which our flight to Cape Canaveral landed on the space shuttle runway," Winter said.

Winter has received numerous local awards as well as being recognized as an Outstanding Teacher by the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts.  

"In 1985 then-Governor Lamar Alexander visited Cocke County to promote his Better Schools Program," Winter said. "My classroom was selected to host that visit.  As a result, I was one of three Tennessee teachers  recognized in a film aired on statewide television during the Governor's State of Education address.

"It was a great honor to be recognized by the governor, but an even greater honor to know that local administrators respected my ability to represent our school system and our county." 

In addition to teaching and operating his family farm, Winter has been an ardent church member.  "We are still active in the same church, Saint James Lutheran Church, that my ancestors helped establish in 1811," Winter said.

"I have been lay-chair of the church council twice and am the current co-chair, with my wife, of the church community center committee. Serving on the finance committee, I have helped establish church budgets.  When the church received a major bequest, I acted as the agent for the church renovation project that resulted.  I received, held, and disbursed  funds and worked with the architect and contractor, acting as the church's representative," he said.

 "Since my father's death in 1984 I have operated and managed a family livestock business, making the purchasing, marketing, and management decisions.  I oversee all the record keeping and tax work required for that business, staying current with yearly changes in tax law," Winter said.

 "I have visited the trustee's office a number of times to discuss the duties of the office with Mr. Hogan and the employees of the trustee's office," said Winter. "I was introduced to a very competent team of people dedicated to ensuring that the responsibilities of the office of trustee are conducted accurately and efficiently."

Winter said, "I have learned much about voter expectations over the past few months.  As I visit with voters, I sense that most of their concerns regarding a prospective trustee focus upon qualifications, integrity, ability, and service.   If I am elected, these are the qualities I will practice to fulfill the duties of this office.

"As a life-long resident, I understand and share the pride that our citizens hold for their communities.  As both a parent and an educator, I also recognize the importance of preparing our children for the future.  I have worked hard at the local, county, regional, and state level to prepare our young people to compete with students anywhere in our country.  If I am elected, I promise to bring this same level of commitment to the performance of my duties as Cocke County Trustee," said the candidate.  "I will be honored to have your vote and support."