Former Tenn. Insurance Department Worker to Replace Fined Senator

The Warren County Commission has appointed attorney Steve Roller to replace state Sen. Jerry Cooper who announced his resignation earlier this month.

Roller, who once worked for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, was appointed Tuesday night on a vote of 12-10 on the ninth ballot.

Roller, a Democrat, beat out Commissioner Bill Zechman.

His appointment means the partisan makeup of the Senate won’t be changed. Democrats and Republicans both have 16 seats in the General Assembly’s upper chamber, with one independent member.

Cooper resigned from the Senate after the Registry of Election Finance issued him a record $120,000 fine for transferring campaign money into his personal account.

Cooper, a Morrison Democrat, had represented Senate District 14 in the Senate since 1985. The district includes Bledsoe, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren and Warren counties.