The Dean with a nice one on the rivalry between the state's two teachers' unions:

In recent commentary distributed to media, J.C. Bowman, executive director of the Professional Educators of Tennessee, criticizes the Tennessee Education Association's new chief lobbyist, Jim Wrye, as a Democratic "partisan from Alabama with no obvious connection to the state."

This, Bowman wrote, is "surprising for a union with rapidly declining membership and in a state with a supermajority of Republican legislators" and "certainly bodes well for continued partisanship from the union."

Wrye said he was "really amazed" at the "strangely personal" attack, which wildly exaggerates his past Democratic ties and ignores his other experiences - including eight months working under a Republican governor in Alabama and duties as
a teacher and online school administrator. He is basically apolitical, Wrye said.

"They're pretty angry folks. I think they're angry because we're successful and, frankly, they are not," said Wrye, hired this year to replace longtime TEA lobbyist Jerry Winers, who retired.