Govenor

Dave Seeman

Dave Seeman

Independent

Tell us about your campaign.

Before running for office, I was a climate advocate and engineer who earned my bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tennessee. Most of my career was spent at my first product design firm where I helped turn people’s ideas into realities. It grew slowly by doing good work and hiring good people until it became an award winning firm. I never claim that success was self-made, it was made by the people who gave me a chance, supported my causes, and cared for me while I cared for them. The highlights I'm proud of from my career are having zero employee turnover and consistent rave reviews from my clients, signs that I paid attention to other people's experiences and prioritized them. But I am most proud of the culture I built where everyone was welcome, supported, and encouraged to be themselves, learn, and grow. My superpower is building a culture where people feel safe, and when people feel safe they also do their best work. I think that's what leadership really is: beyond technical competence, it is competence with people and care for them, something that is lacking in politics today. I look forward to bringing that perspective to the office of the governor. Outside of work, I am a musician, a reader, a dancer, and a devoted friend, family member, and neighbor. I'm a lifelong Tennessean who chose to run for this office to offer a vision for Tennessee's future rooted in what we can build today and for generations to come, and I hope to earn your vote.

In your own words, describe the responsibilities of the office you are seeking.

No response provided

What are your priorities for this office?

- The primary message of my campaign is that we all share this state and the experience of issues like weakening public schools and hospital systems, that the solutions exist, and that all we lack is the political will to implement them. I'm running as an Independent, endorsed by The Green Party of Tennessee, because I believe it's time we build pragmatic politics beyond the two-party system to represent us. That's why my platform, The Volunteer Plan, is built on policies that already draw at least 50% support from Democrats and Republicans and Independents, and in many cases more than 80%. It may not feel like our system is serving us today, but we can change that, because we are the future of Tennessee. - My second message is that there is a concept I champion in my platform that moves beyond mere affordability: wellbeing. A Wellbeing Economy is the next evolution of our current economy, one that raises the floor for all people. A theme you'll find throughout my platform is not just addressing needs like wages, housing, and healthcare in the moment, but building future-looking systems like The Future Families Fund that will care for all Tennesseans for generations to come. To get there, we need politicians who will steward our resources to bear fruit for us today, and who will plant trees whose shade we may never sit in. - My last message to you is that we all deserve a government that works for us, and does so with transparency and accountability baked into the system. Accountability makes us better, and if we don't get public accountability right, then the problems we solve today can be undone or exploited in future administrations. That's why my plan has an entire commitment devoted to Public Accountability, with policies like the creation of The Office of Civic Design. This office requires the Legislature to hear the concerns of Tennesseans and publicly respond within 90 days, creating a cycle of feedback the public can use to hold politicians to their word.

Describe your qualifications for this office.

I'm running to challenge the systems that sustain political division, not to partake in that system. Tennessee is where I was raised, became an engineer, started my small business, and invested in my community. I want to leave it better than I found it. I want to build better government, by design.