Contact the Attorney General’s Office and Gov. Lee’s Office TODAY.
According to reliable sources the board of Watkins College of Art intends to avoid our recent legal action, a Senator’s request to suspend talks with Belmont, and a New York-based investment firm’s purchase and leaseback offer. They hope to finalize the Watkins/Belmont “deal” as early as this week. The Attorney General is the final signature needed to approve the agreement. We must act now! We need to flood their phone lines, fill their email inboxes, and overwhelm their social media accounts immediately. Demand a public hearing. Insist that the Attorney General does not carelessly approve this disaster of a plan.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Contact BOTH Attorney General, Herbert Slatery, III and Governor Bill Lee’s Office.
- Call them. Leave a message if you cannot speak to them directly. (Phone calls are harder to avoid and make a big impact.)
- Send an email. We have prepared text for you to cut and paste in this document.
- Contact them through social media. Direct message them, comment on one of their images, or tag them in a post of your own (This is a strategic way to speak to them, as well as your followers.)
Film/Document your calls and post on social media. Tag @SaveWatkins (Insta/Twitter/FB) #SaveWatkinsCallToAction #SaveWatkins #PauseTheDeal
Office of the Attorney General and Reporter
Herbert Slatery III
Telephone: (615) 741-3491
Email: herbert.slatery@tn.gov, tnattygen@ag.tn.gov
Facebook: @TnAttyGen
Governor's Office
Bill Lee, Governor
(615) 741-2001
Email: bill.lee@tn.gov
Twitter: @GovBillLee
Facebook: @GovBillLee
Instagram: @GovBillLee
WHAT SHOULD I SAY WHEN I MAKE CONTACT?
- Watkins is a public entity. We believe the “deal” with Belmont (a private entity) should not move forward without a public hearing.
- The Watkins Board, the Attorney General, and the State of Tennessee have not fulfilled their fiduciary responsibilities according to the will of Samuel Watkins.
- This process has occurred entirely behind closed doors with no public involvement. The board has ignored all requests for transparency and failed at communicating with stakeholders, community members, and government officials.
- We know that the “deal” is headed to the desk of the Attorney General for final approval. He must not ignore the public voice in the matter. He must hold off on signing and not approve the document without a public hearing.
View Full Call to Action Details and Resources here.