LAWRENCEBURG, TN — With the election behind us, Lawrence County is preparing to begin a new four-year chapter of county government.
Some familiar faces will return to the County Commission, and some new commissioners will take their seats for the first time. Each has been chosen by the citizens of his or her district and entrusted with an important responsibility: to represent their neighbors and help make decisions that affect the future of our entire county.
– 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐦, District 1
– 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐦𝐚𝐧, District 2
– 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐞, District 3
– 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧, District 4
– 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬, District 5
– 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, District 6
– 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐬, District 7
– 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧, District 8
– 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝 ‘𝐁𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐚’ 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝, 𝐉𝐫., District 9
– 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝, District 10
– 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬, District 11
– 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛𝐬, District 12
– 𝐑𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫, District 13
– 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭𝐨𝐧, District 14
– 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦, District 15
– 𝐉.𝐃. 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬, District 16
– 𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧, District 17
– 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭, District 18
I want to congratulate each of our commissioners and thank them for their willingness to serve.
Elections determine who gets the opportunity to lead. 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡.
As I begin my second term as County Executive, one of my greatest priorities is strengthening the working relationship between my office, the County Commission, our other elected officials, department heads, employees, municipalities, schools, and community partners.
We don’t have to agree on everything to work together.
In fact, we won’t agree on everything—and we shouldn’t expect to. Eighteen commissioners looking at an issue from different backgrounds, communities, occupations, and experiences will naturally see some things differently.
That’s not a weakness.
Handled correctly, it’s one of our greatest strengths.
Good government isn’t produced by everyone thinking alike. It is produced when good people are willing to sit around the same table, listen to one another, debate honestly, find common ground, and then move forward together.
That is the kind of county government I want us to build over the next four years.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍
As we prepare to organize for this new term, I am also considering offering myself to serve once again as Chairman of the Lawrence County Commission.
I don’t view the chairmanship as another title to hold. I view it as another opportunity to serve.
The Chairman has an important responsibility in establishing the tone of the Commission, facilitating orderly meetings, ensuring every commissioner has an opportunity to be heard, and helping move county business forward in a productive way.
But I believe there is something even more important.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.
The person holding the gavel shouldn’t use it to silence disagreement. The Chairman should make certain disagreement has a fair place at the table while keeping the Commission focused on the work the citizens elected us to do.
We can disagree without becoming disagreeable.
We can debate without becoming divided.
And after the vote is taken, we can walk out of the room still respecting one another and ready to work together on the next issue.
That kind of culture doesn’t happen accidentally. Leaders have to protect it.
𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍: 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒
There is also an important distinction in Tennessee county government between the role of County Executive and the role of Chairman of the County Commission.
As County Executive, I am responsible for the executive and administrative side of county government. I work every day with our departments, budgets, personnel, projects, other elected officials, state and federal partners, and the many responsibilities involved in carrying out the policies and priorities established through county government.
The County Commission serves a different role. Commissioners represent the people of their respective districts and collectively exercise the legislative authority entrusted to the Commission.
Those responsibilities are intentionally different.
When the County Executive also serves as Chairman of the County Commission, however, there is an opportunity to create an important bridge between those two sides of county government.
The person working every day to execute the decisions of the Commission is also sitting at the table helping facilitate the meetings where those decisions are made.
To me, that can create better communication, greater understanding, and stronger continuity between policy and execution.
It also requires trust.
And I am willing to demonstrate that trust.
𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐎
One significant difference when the County Executive serves as Chairman of the County Commission involves veto authority.
If given the opportunity to serve as Chairman again, I am willing to give up that power.
Why?
Because I trust the people Lawrence County elected.
Every commissioner sitting around that table was sent there by the citizens of a district to exercise judgment, ask questions, study issues, and cast votes.
If we are doing county government correctly, major issues shouldn’t suddenly appear on the Commission floor without discussion.
They should be studied.
Questions should be asked.
Committees should do their work.
Commissioners should receive good information.
My office should communicate openly.
Other elected officials and department heads should have opportunities to provide their expertise.
And the public should always have an opportunity to be heard.
By the time eighteen elected commissioners cast their votes, I believe the process should have worked well enough that a veto should never even need to be considered.
I don’t want to build a county government around how much authority one person can possess.
𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.
To me, voluntarily giving up veto authority to serve as Chairman isn’t surrendering leadership.
It’s an expression of trust.
𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘
Over the last four years, we have seen what is possible when people work together.
We’ve faced difficult decisions. We’ve disagreed. We’ve debated. We’ve had successes, learned lessons, and undoubtedly had moments we could have handled better.
That’s leadership.
But now we have another four years in front of us, and the opportunities are tremendous.
Education. Infrastructure. Economic development. Public safety. Fiscal responsibility. Quality of life. Agriculture. Roads. Utilities. Workforce development. Responsible growth.
None of those belong to one elected official.
They belong to Lawrence County.
And none of us can accomplish what needs to be accomplished alone.
The County Executive can’t do it without the Commission.
The Commission can’t do it without our other elected officials and employees.
County government can’t do it without our cities, schools, businesses, nonprofits, churches, civic organizations, and citizens.
𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.
That may be one of the simplest lessons of leadership, but I believe it is also one of the most important.
As this new Commission begins its work, I want every commissioner to know that my door will be open. I want their ideas. I want their questions. I want their concerns. I even want their constructive criticism.
We will disagree sometimes.
That’s okay.
What matters is that we never allow disagreement over an issue to become disrespect for one another.
Because at the end of the meeting, we aren’t Republicans and Democrats, city and county, incumbents and newcomers, administration and Commission.
𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬.
We have been entrusted with a remarkable county at an important moment in its history.
My father’s words have stayed with me throughout my life:
“𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥.”
Change will certainly come during these next four years.
Our responsibility is to make sure that change becomes progress.
That will require humility. It will require communication. It will require trust. And sometimes it will require putting aside personal preferences for the good of the whole.
Most of all, it will require teamwork.
The voters have chosen their team.
Now it’s our responsibility to work together and deliver for the people who sent us here.
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.
