Friday, January 5, 2018 4:37 am

Tre Hargett, TN Secretary of State and Mark Pody, State Senator District 17.

NASHVILLE - The special election results for State Senate District 17 were certified Thursday by Governor Bill Haslam and Secretary of State Tre Hargett, making Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) the official State Senator to represent Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Smith and Wilson Counties.

The special election took place on December 19, 2017.

"Receiving a certificate of election today was a great honor," said Senator Pody. "I want to thank the people of Senate District 17 for giving the opportunity to represent them in Nashville."

Pody will take a seat among the state's 33 state senators in the Capitol on Tuesday as lawmakers reconvene the 2018 session of the 110th General Assembly. He formerly served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing House District 46, for the past seven years.

"I am eager to get down to official business in the Senate next week as we craft legislation to address important issues such as opioid abuse, education and job creation, among other issues," Pody concluded.