Congressman Phil Roe
Tennessee First District United States Congressman Phil Roe this week said he would support a plan to reunify the Kingsport and Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Roe told The Business Journal of Tri-Cities, TN/VA and the Johnson City News & Neighbor, “I wouldn’t know why we wouldn’t do it.”
“It has never made any sense to me to have Kingsport – a nine-iron from here – to be in a different MSA than we are sitting here in Washington, Carter or Unicoi County. I would be all for it.”
The chairs of the Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol Chambers of Commerce have all stated the reunification would be something their organizations will be working toward. “I have not heard from them directly,” Roe said, “but I will be vocally supporting it.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget makes updates to MSA definitions based on US Census Bureau population estimates. Nick Mulvaney is director of the OMB. “I know Nick Mulvaney very well,” Roe said. “I would be glad to call him up and talk to him.”
