State Rep. Mike Bell (R-Riceville) announced last night he will be a candidate for the Tennessee Senate after current state Sen. Dewayne Bunch said he has decided not to seek re-election.

Attempts to contact Bunch for comments on his reasons for not running again were unsuccessful.

Bell is seeking election to the Senate seat for the Ninth District, which is made up of Bradley, McMinn, Meigs and Polk counties.

"Three years ago, the people of McMinn and Monroe County elected me and gave me the privilege of serving them in the state House of Representatives," Bell said. "Now I am asking the people of Bradley, McMinn, Meigs and Polk counties to give me the opportunity to represent them in the state Senate."

Bell said running for the state Senate is something he has considered for a long time, and because he and his wife both grew up and went to public school in Bradley County, which contains a large portion of the total population of the four-county district, he believes he fits the position well.

Bell said one thing he will bring to the state Senate that he believes he might be unique is accessibility. Bell frequently attends public functions and provides his cell phone number on literature he and his office staff hand out.

"I'm here to be contacted by the people," he said.

As far as his replacement, Bell said because the announcement was so new it was impossible to get a feel on who might run for the seat he's vacating.

"Who knows? You might get one person or you might get six ... from both parties," he said.

Bell will continue to serve as representative for McMinn and Monroe counties until after the election.

Bell represents the eastern most portion of Monroe County in the House.

A small businessman, farmer and volunteer firefighter, Bell was elected to the state House in 2006. In his first term, his peers elected him as freshman leader and assistant floor leader for the Republican Caucus. Bell is currently the Republican Caucus secretary.

Bell has served on the Agriculture Committee, Children and Family Committee, Conservation and Environment Committee, Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee, and Government Operations Committee.

Bell is the current chairman of the House Family Justice Subcommittee of the Children and Family Committee.

"I am looking forward to seeing the faces and hearing the voices of this district," Bell said. "I want to continue the tradition of having a principled, conservative voice in the state Senate."