About Eric
Born December 6, 1971 to Richard and Sandra Stewart, Eric is a lifelong resident of Franklin County, Tennessee. Being the son of public school teachers and business owners, Eric was taught the value of education and hard work at a very young age. “Growing up at my house - two things were a given. You worked hard and you studied hard to make a better life for yourself.”
At the age of 12, Eric and his father would wake up early every Saturday morning and go to work installing central heating and air conditioning. At this early age, Eric was the third generation to begin this type of work. “I can’t tell you I liked it very much at the ripe old age of 12 or 13 or even 18 for that matter, but it did teach me a lot of lessons that have helped me throughout my life. Lessons like: hard work, service, commitment, honor and integrity. All great lessons that we should all teach our children.”
After graduating from Franklin County High School, Eric attended Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he majored in Political Science.
“I left for college in August of 1990. This was when troops from Fort Campbell, Kentucky were being deployed to Iraq for Operation Desert Storm. Heading West on I-24 was a steady line of military vehicles going East. It was at that point I realized that we live in a dangerous world and - although I had always held our fighting men and women in very high esteem - I began to develop a new respect for those who volunteer to keep the world safe from tyranny, terrorism and injustice. My classmates and I followed the events of Desert Storm in a living classroom. We all learned a lot about terrorism, war and the politics of the world - both good and bad. Little did we know that our children would, unfortunately, have the same classroom to study 18 years later.”
After leaving Austin Peay, Eric returned home to Franklin County and began managing his father’s home improvement business, which by then had expanded to several crews and into other areas of the remodeling industry. “Everyone should work for the public at some point in life. There really is nothing like it. Sure, it isn’t always a bed of roses, but it truly is gratifying to know that someone has a need and you can be there to fill it. That personal service is what I have always strived for in my business and political life. Serving and helping people is what life, to me, is really all about.”
In 1994, after a short engagement, Eric married Judy Holt, a public school teacher in Franklin County. “Judy and I knew each other for 33 days before we got married. Just about every one of our friends and even some of our family said there was no way it was going to last. But we were both taught that when the right person comes along, you will know. We knew! It hasn’t always been easy, but we made a commitment to each other - a commitment we take very seriously. She has been a blessing in my life and I love her more and more everyday.”
In 1999, Eric and Judy welcomed their first child, Ashley, to the family. Then in 2002, their second child, Holt, completed the family portrait. “Children really are God’s greatest gifts. And with them come the gifts of patience, caring and that heartfelt, tear-jerking love that only a parent knows.” Both Ashley and Holt attend Broadview Elementary School in the Franklin County School System. Ashley is currently a second grader and Holt in kindergarten. “We have great public schools in our State and the best teachers anywhere. Like all parents, I have a vested interest in the success of our schools because of my children. I truly believe that, other than parents, no one touches the life of a child more than the teachers. It is time that the decision makers started listening more to the difference makers…..teachers. We must give them the tools and resources they need to prepare our children for productive, prosperous futures.”
In 1998, Eric received his insurance license and in August of 1999 opened his own insurance agency, Eric Stewart Insurance, in Fayetteville, Tennessee. The business is still in operation today in Winchester, Tennessee as The Stewart Insurance Agency. Eric has received many awards for his outstanding ethics, service and productivity. In 2000, Eric was recognized as the Cotton States Insurance New Agent of the Year. The Stewart Insurance Agency now has 3 full-time licensed agents and services 1200 households in a two-county area. “Talk about a leap of faith. I went to a new town and opened the doors to a new office and the only thing I had was a desk, a phone and an empty filing cabinet. But the work ethic and customer service principles I had been taught helped me and my great staff put together a game plan. We worked through our plan and devoted ourselves to providing the best service to our clients. We truly have been blessed with great friends who trust us to help protect their families from financial and catastrophic loss.”
From a very early age, Eric has been interested in government and politics. Eric’s father, Richard Stewart, has served on the Winchester City Council, on the Franklin County School Board, as Mayor of Winchester and is now the current Mayor of Franklin County. “I remember my dad’s first Winchester City Council campaign. We all worked really hard, going door to door, calling our friends, putting up yard signs. I remember where I was when we found out he had won the election. I was 11 years old, playing shortstop for my little league baseball team. We were losing pretty badly, but when I looked up in the stands and saw my mom and dad jumping up and down and folks around them congratulating them, I knew we had won the election and couldn’t have been happier. I loved it. Campaigning is a lot of fun. You get to meet so many people and develop lifelong friendships, no matter what the outcome of the election might be.”
In 2002, Eric made the decision to enter into the political realm himself and ran for a seat on the Franklin County Commission. As relatively unknown in his rural district of Franklin County, Eric worked extremely hard to show people how much he wanted to serve them and be their voice at the Courthouse. This hard work paid off and Eric was able to unseat a 12-year incumbent. “I had a lot of great folks helping me in that campaign, just like I do in this one. It is humbling and motivating to see the outpouring of support I received both then and now. It tells me that we all want the same thing from government and our leaders. We want a government that exists to serve the people, not itself. We want leaders who will listen to the people and base their decisions on what is in the best interest of the whole. These are ideals I strongly believe in and will take with me to the State Senate.”
While on the Franklin County Commission, Eric served on many important committees. Always at the forefront were the impact programs, services, and projects affecting local property tax payers. “I have always tried to find ways to make government run more effectively and efficiently. During my first budget proceedings with Franklin County, the Commission was asking all departments to try and cut ten percent from their proposed budgets. I made a motion that the commission cut its own compensation by one third. I received a second to my motion and the Commission’s proposal was defeated 14-2. This really got some of the other commissioners upset and made them a little uneasy, but I felt very strongly that if we were going to ask other departments to cut their budgets, we should be willing to sacrifice a little as well.”
Eric also fought hard for improvements to the rural roads in Franklin County by co-sponsoring a $6 million bond proposal that would allow the Franklin County Highway Department to upgrade nearly 100 miles of roads in Franklin County. “This project was another hard fought battle. Franklin County has almost 400 miles of roads and our highway department was falling behind on the maintenance and upkeep of these roads. This project allowed them to do the needed upgrades and put in place a maintenance program so that we could move forward.”
Education was always an issue at the local level when Eric served on the Franklin County Commission. He worked diligently to help ensure that money was spent in a manner that best impacted the education of the students. “We must make sure that the funds spent on education are spent in a way that will help our children succeed. That is something I worked very hard at doing while on the Commission.”
After serving one term on the Franklin County Commission, Eric decided to not seek re-election when his father decided to run for Franklin County Mayor. “I loved the work I did on the Commission, but felt my dad would do an excellent job as County Mayor. I decided not to run so that I could help him serve Franklin County and because I believed that I didn’t need to serve as a Commissioner while he was serving as Mayor.”
Eric is and has been very involved in his community. He was a former Rotary officer in the Fayetteville/Lincoln County Rotary Club. He has been a member of Oaklawn Baptist Church in Winchester for almost 30 years. He is a member of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Franklin County Drug Court Advisory Team. He is a Mason, Kappa Sigma, a former board member for Winchester Little League and a former executive board member for the Franklin County Democratic Party. “Being involved in the community is very important to me. I really enjoy being around people and listening to their ideas. Every time I hear a new idea, it gives me a new perspective on a problem and thereby allows me to look at situations from many different sides. This is extremely helpful when making decisions that will benefit us all.”
When asked why he is running for the State Senate, Eric always says, “I just enjoy helping people and believe my experience, background and work ethic will help me help the people of Bledsoe, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren and Warren Counties. I don’t have all the answers; I don’t even know all of the questions yet. But I do know that I am committed to working hard during and after this election to listen to the issues that are important to us all.
“I want to be the people’s voice in the Tennessee State Senate and work together with our government and the people to build a better Tennessee.”