The sad truth is that if people in administrative positions at Warren County High School and the central office had performed their jobs properly, Sable Winfree would still be on the WCHS Lady Pioneer basketball team. The purpose of educational athletics (high school sports) is to use teamwork that contributes to a common goal. Ideally, coaches use sports to transform lives.
Joe Ehermann is an author and former professional football player. He has been a high school coach, and has spoken about the power of being a positive coach versus a negative, transactional coach who only focuses on his/her own agenda. The TSSAA worked with Ehrmann in conjunction with a grant from the NFL for approximately three years. His book, InSideOut COACHING has been used to inspire coaches. Ehermann described a coach in the book:
An InSideOut coach resists the transactional impulse and asserts that the right way, indeed the only way, to coach young people is to seek to transform their sense of their own worth, talents and value.
What could have been an educational and transformative experience for Sable Winfree became an unnecessary tragedy.
Cannot Write Everything That I Have Heard
There are many things that I have learned about Mendy Stotts and certain members of the administration that I have not reported in this newsletter. Some people do not want to go on the record because they do not want to deal with the complexities of being confrontational. Some people are afraid of retaliation by the head coach and members of the administration. Consequently, I cannot write everything I believe to be true involving the dismissal of Sable Winfree from the Warren County High School Lady Pioneer basketball team.
The First Administrative Mistake
Based on what I have been told and learned, the first mistake was not properly vetting Mendy Stotts before she was hired. The hiring process at the high school involves the head principal, Chris Hobbs making a recommendation to Dr. Grant Swallows, who actually makes the hire. Todd Willmore was the athletic director when Stotts was hired.
Two factors make me wonder why Mendy Stotts was hired. One is a rumor that keeps swirling around McMinnville that Stotts exhibited some strange behavior after being dismissed from Anthony Lippe’s staff in 2019. The other factor is the number of parents who have complained about how Stotts treated their daughters at the middle school. The present administration has to know that several of those complaints have been echoed by parents at the high school.
I have heard from a parent who took a daughter out of the Warren County School system after Stotts was named head coach at WCHS. I believe there are other parents who made changes after Stotts was named head coach. Several high school parents met with Stotts before the season started to express concerns about her behavior toward their daughters. Several parents have also met with WCHS administrators to express their concerns during the season.
As recently as last Monday, December 4, a principal went into the Lady Pioneers’ locker room after the loss to York. Allegedly, Stotts was screaming at players in the locker room. Stotts was not present afterwards for an interview that Jay Walker conducts on the radio.
Apparently, Mendy Stotts was not the first choice to become the new WCHS Lady Pioneer head coach this past spring. If that is true, maybe the administration believed that they had no other choice but to hire Stotts. How has that worked out for the Lady Pioneers?
Another Administrative Mistake
A clear sign of the administration’s attempt to bury and whitewash the dismissal of Sable Winfree from the team is the investigation of a formal complaint. Soon after Sable Winfree’s dismissal, her mother filed a complaint against Mendy Stotts with the new Human Resource Director for Warren County, Todd Willmore. Conducting a professional investigation for a novice HR Director must be challenging. The report, whether by design or from a lack of training and experience, is not credible.
For example, Mr. Willmore reported, “We were unable to find any derogatory statements made by coach Stotts about Sable…” Was Chris Hobbs questioned during the investigation? Mr. Hobbs clearly heard coach Stotts make “unsubstantiated” derogatory statements about Sable during the meeting in which Sable was dismissed from the team.
Trying to Control the Narrative
One school board member told a citizen to go complete a form and get on the December 4, school board agenda regarding Sable Winfree’s dismissal from the team. The citizen completed the form as suggested, and was kept off the agenda, allegedly by the Director of Schools.
The funny thing is that the day after the meeting, the Director of Schools, Dr. Grant Swallows called that citizen to discuss the dismissal of Sable Winfree. That citizen was in the school board meeting, but none of the school board members, the Director or school attorney chose to discuss the dismissal of Sable Winfree during the meeting. Yet, comments have been made outside of the board meeting.
Leaks from the Administration and Central Office Staff
Meanwhile, what keeps leaking out of the high school and central office are comments such as these, “We cannot comment on the reasons Sable Winfree was dismissed from the team. We are trying to protect her. Some parents are happy she is not on the team. If we mentioned what she has done, she would never play basketball again.” These statements are either false or half-truths to deflect from the real issue – the administration is trying to support Mendy Stotts’ strange decision to dismiss Sable from the team.
An Abundance of Disregard for Sable Winfree
Instead of working collectively to transform Sable Winfree’s sense of self-worth, talents and value, the people entrusted with the responsibility of mentoring Sable have trashed her reputation. The assault on Sable’s character is also an attempt to diminish her achievements as a high caliber basketball player. During the past three years, Sable was “Freshman of the Year” in the district and All-District her sophomore and junior years.
Mendy Stotts, Chris Hobbs, Todd Willmore and Dr. Grant Swallows all knew that Sable Winfree had been offered a college scholarship to play basketball. They also knew that Sable Winfree decided to stay at Warren County High School and not move to Sparta with her mother this summer. Everyone knew that Sable’s senior year was her year to play basketball and work to expand her college offers. Because of the mindless dismissal of Sable from the team, she has no college scholarships.
There are so many different ways the head coach could have handled her problems with Sable. Incredibly, Stotts is a school counselor at the high school. It is beyond comprehension that the coach, athletic directors, principals and Director of Schools could not have put all their brain power together to find a better solution for Sable Winfree and the Lady Pioneer basketball team, which is now 1-8.
Lack of Courage
Someone inside the Warren County School System should have had the courage to stand up for Sable Winfree. Principals, athletic directors, school board members, coaches and the Director of Schools may have good hearts and an authentic desire to help students. Nonetheless, when the time came to stand up for Sable Winfree, they became deaf, dumb and blind. They failed her.
I started the BD NEWSLETTER to try and stay connected to McMinnville. When I went away to high school, college and lived in Los Angeles and Boston, McMinnville was always my hometown. Writing about sports for the local newspaper for two years during COVID (2020-2021) helped me see another side of our small town. Covering high school sports is where I met Sable Winfree and some members of her family.
Sable Winfree stood out as a freshman basketball player the same year that C.J. Taylor stood out during his senior year in football and basketball. It was fun to watch them play sports and write about them. I wrote a profile on the Winfree family playing basketball in January of 2021 (ARTICLE). I have written about Sable a few times in my newsletter.
What has made the past few weeks challenging are some of the statements people have made to me. People have told me that writing about Sable is “none of my business,” “Dangerous.” “I am spreading venom and don’t know the whole story.” “Kids think you are a creeper.” “If the truth comes out, Sable will never play basketball again.” “You are going to destroy her future.”
I do not believe that I am in danger, spreading venom, or destroying Sable Winfree’s basketball career. Could I have been persistent and obnoxious in my attempts to get interviews with students and coaches? Yes. But any other “creepy” innuendos, appear to tarnish and distract from my work. I have worked with high school coaches and students for the past 24 years in my fundraising business. My reputation with coaches and students is important to me.
The last time I was on a school campus in McMinnville covering local sports was two years ago. Therefore, I am not sure why those “creeper” comments have recently been circulated.
Oh, wait a minute. I questioned the decision-making of the high school administration and central office of the Warren County school system. Maybe that is why certain people are repeating those things about me now. I am flawed and imperfect. Sable Winfree deserves a better advocate, and I am confident there are many good people who are supporting her. This is something I chose to write about because I believe Sable has been treated unjustly without mercy.
I am doing my best to write about what I know. I refuse to be motivated by fear or to be intimidated. I cannot control the outcome or what people say about me, but I wish I could control what people are saying about Sable.
Members of the administration and central office have made innuendos and comments about Sable Winfree. Sable is off the team, but she did not commit any crime. There was not a good reason to dismiss the best player from the team. I believe that I know the entire story, and none of it makes any sense.
The past few weeks have made me reflect and go to my major influences. One major belief is that connection is very important. Brene Brown helped me understand this concept when I first watched her TED talk, and then in her books that I read. Her TED talk is worth 20 minutes of your time.
Brene Brown says that connection is why we are here. We are neurobiologically wired for connection. She says vulnerability is the gateway to connection. She says shame is the fear of disconnection – if other people know or see the real me, then I will not be worthy of connection. Shame unravels connection.
Sable was told that she was not good enough to be on the team. She was made to feel shame, to be disconnected. No one in authority has helped keep Sable on the team, which is something that gave Sable a connection, a sense of worthiness.
I will never understand why no one interceded on Sable’s behalf before November 17, and offered her alternatives to staying on the team. That is why I am writing about something that may not be my business. Writing about it in my newsletter may cost me some local business, but that is a small price to pay when one considers what Jesus said about helping someone.
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
PREFACE: A head coach has the authority to dismiss a player from a team. Too many parts of what happened to Sable Winfree do not make sense. Shouldn’t Warren County citizens ask questions?
I am asking each board member (via email) to follow the Roberts Rules of Order and make a motion to learn why Sable Winfreehas been dismissed from the team during her senior year after being a starter on the high school team since her freshman year. Sable Winfree had played on Warren County School System’s teams since the fourth grade and had never been dismissed from a team until recently.Furthermore, why did the head coach play Sable in the fourth quarter of the first game after Sable was suspended by a principal on the day of the game? Was Sable put into the game to burn her high school eligibility and prevent Sable from playing at another TSSAA school?
Roberts Rules of Order:
1. Motion: To introduce a new piece of business or propose a decision or action, a motion must be made by a group member (“I move that……”) A second motion must then also be made (raise your hand and say, “I second it.”) After limited discussion the group then votes on the motion. A majority vote is required for the motion to pass (or quorum as specified in your bylaws.)
Please support Sable Winfree and ask a school board member to make a motion as new business — to learn why Sable Winfree was dismissed from the team — and put into a game on the same day Sable was suspended by a principal at Warren County High School.If you know a school board member personally, please ask him/her to make the motion.
These are the Warren County School Board Members:
Left to right, top to bottom: Chris Cope, Tanya Bess, James Bennett, Tommy Culwell, Larry Judkins, Bill Zechman.
Sable Winfree: It means everything. I have played it since I was in the fourth grade. I put in work up to my senior year. It cost us a lot of money. I have been on travel teams in the summer. I dropped all the other sports. I played soccer and track, and I focused only on basketball.
BD NEWSLETTER: Are there highlights in the past three years of high school basketball that stand out to you?
Sable Winfree: The first thing was getting Freshman of the Year. I was up against a lot of other good freshmen like Celeste Reed from White County. That showed me that my work was showing up. My sophomore year, I was named All-District, and that helped a lot. Junior year, I was All-District again. Last year playing with all those girls…Kyra, Shelby, Mia, and Savannah. It was great getting to play with my sister, Savannah. We did as well as we could, and went as far as we could in the postseason tournament. I think we made a big impact for Warren County.
BD NEWSLETTER: Where do you live now?
Sable Winfree: I live with my grandparents – my dad’s parents.
BD NEWSLETTER: Why do you live there?
Sable Winfree: My mom moved to White County this summer. (Sable’s parents are divorced.) I still get to see my dad and all of my family…my mom and siblings. I did not want to move to White County. I wanted to finish my senior year here. I had played here since elementary and middle school. My sisters graduated from Warren County. I wanted to achieve a 1,000 points over my high school career at Warren County.
BD NEWSLETTER: When did you know that you were dismissed from the team?
Sable Winfree: I knew that day she kicked me out of practice that I was going to be off the team. I could tell just by the way she said it.
BD NEWSLETTER: Have you snapchatted with a sixth-grade boy in the past three to four weeks?
Sable Winfree: No. Absolutely not! (Sable turned 18 this past summer.)
BD NEWSLETTER: What is your dream for the future?
Sable Winfree: I want to get a good education. I did see basketball in my future. I did want to play it, and I also wanted to coach it. I like being around it too much to just go away from it. I referee at the Civic Center. I don’t call everything the way the parents want me to call it, and they get mad. I see the referee’s point of view now. Laughs.
I have not decided what I want to major in yet. I have options.
But I did want to stay here. I wanted to live here, and have my kids go to school here one day. My perspective on everything has kind of changed though.
BD NEWSLETTER: Is there anything else you want to share about what you are going through right now?
Sable Winfree: I feel like I put in three years at the high school under a different coach. I put in three years at the middle school. I played at Eastside. I have played on AAU teams. I was never told on any of those teams that I was not coachable.
That is how some people look at me now, “she is not coachable, she got kicked off the team and she has all these allegations on her.”
It just doesn’t make sense that I have played on all of these teams all these years and now…it hurts because I have spent my whole life focusing on one sport. One person made all that go away for me.
It has made me mad. I am the only one getting punished for something that there is no proof of and that never happened. There are plenty of people who will sit there and tell you it never happened. But because of one person, it has all been taken away from me.
Really, I trusted so many people who work at the high school. I have no trust in them anymore. They let me down. I trusted Warren County High School. I would tell anybody that I was from Warren County High School. Now it is embarrassing how much I put into them, and in return, nothing.
We got plaques for them. Trophies. They told us how proud they were. Then they go and support someone in her first year (of coaching at a high school level) with no proof. They have her back.
I was right behind their back. If anyone ever said anything about Coach Lippe, I would go to bat for him. I loved the principals. Not one of them had my back. It really does hurt. I don’t understand it.
It is hard to keep your head up. Everybody says, “Keep your head up, keep on going.” It is hard to do that when you feel like it is the place that you wanted your whole family to go to. I wanted to keep the Winfree and Simpson legacy going at Warren County. (Sable’s grandmother played on the Lady Pioneers team in the 1970s.)
I feel like I broke that legacy because of one person. It wasn’t my choice.
I am used to the 24/7 schedule of going to practice, playing, school and working. Now it has all changed. I have to figure everything else out now. I never thought that I would lose basketball.
BD NEWSLETTER: Did you think that you would get more exposure your senior year and receive more looks from colleges?
Sable Winfree: My goal this year was to try and get D1 looks. Tech or MTSU for example. I had talked to MTSU and I know that they were looking at me. My focus was to get a Tech or MTSU look. Now I don’t think that will happen even if I get on another team. You cannot miss three games and expect to get all those points. I needed the whole season. That was taken away from me.
BD NEWSLETTER: Did Mendy Stotts call you into her office in the spring and ask you to not move to Sparta?
Sable Winfree: I told her that I was between moving to Sparta with my mother and staying here. My family was moving to White County, and the team there was going to be young with a good coach.
She said, “Stay here. I promise that we will build the team around you, and we will have a good team. We have some middle schoolers who are coming in who are fast, and you have Lexi and Bri and all of them. We will have a good team if you stay.”
I decided to stay. These are the girls I have played with since I was in fourth grade. My sisters, aunts and uncles had graduated from Warren County. I felt like it was the place for me to be.
I am grateful for people allowing me to interview them and share some of their views and stories. The McMinnville Introspection series taught me a lot about the town I was born and raised in during my early youth. There are many things to like about McMinnville. There are a lot of good people in McMinnville.
The most viewed letter that I posted this year was the story about Sable Winfree’s dismissal from the Warren County High School Lady Pioneer basketball team. The story has received 11,400 views on my website. Apparently, many people in McMinnville are interested in what happened to Sable Winfree last week. This letter has received over 10 times as many views as my previous most-viewed letter.
How does a coach and principal suspend Sable Winfree on a Monday afternoon, and then the coach plays her in the fourth quarter of a game that night? Every coach knows that when you play a player in a game that you effectively burn that player’s eligibility. Was that something that was done intentionally — to burn Winfree’s eligibility so that she could not transfer and finish her senior year of basketball elsewhere?
When I was in high school (Middlesex School, Concord, MA) , the Dean, Brad Kingman, told me in November of my senior year that I should get off campus. He told me that he had been doing his job for a long time, and that if I stayed on campus the next semester, I would get in trouble and expelled. He said that I would destroy my chances of getting into the college I wanted to attend. He told me to do an independent study somewhere else, and graduate in May.
Me and a fellow page with Senator Howard Baker, 1975.Me and Congressman Joe L. Evins, 1975.
I respected the Dean. He was my math teacher, assistant football coach, and I had babysat his kids. I went to D.C. the next semester and was a page for Congressman Joe L. Evins and an intern for Senator Howard Baker. Although it was tough to leave friends and not play sports, I had great experiences in D.C. I am still grateful to this day that the Dean cared enough about me to push me to make a change. He also wanted to get me out of his hair, but he cared about me and my future. He had a heart-to-heart talk with me.
Why didn’t someone at Warren County High School care enough about Sable Winfree to intercede and give her positive alternatives? And why would a coach play a player while she was suspended? Were there sufficient grounds to kick Sable Winfree off the team? I do not believe so…
I am grateful for the mentors, friends and experiences I have had in my life. I am grateful to live in McMinnville, Tennessee. I am also grateful that I got to watch Sable Winfree play basketball the past three years, and I hope that I get to see her play again in the near future.
Preface: Mendy Stotts, Chris Hobbs, and Director of Schools Dr. Grant Swallows were asked for a response to this letter in a group text. Dr. Swallows texted: “This was a meeting between the administration, coaches and family. There’s nothing that can be commented on for the public.”
3-Time ALL District Sable Winfree
Sable Winfree was informed by text from the Warren County High School girls head basketball coach Mendy Stotts on Thursday to not attend practice. Furthermore, Winfree was directed to attend a meeting on Friday about the future of playing with WC Lady Pioneers Basketball.
On Friday, November 17, 2023, Sable Winfree was dismissed from the Warren County High School Lady Pioneer basketball team by the head coach, Mendy Stotts. Four people present in the meeting reported the following conversation:
WCHS principal Chris Hobbs said, “We are not going to argue about this. You’ve already made your decision. What is your decision?” Mendy Stotts replied, “I’m done.”
A distraught Sable Winfree shared her response to the meeting and being dismissed from the team. Sable said, “I’m mad. Sad. And Mendy Stotts lied about me using the f-word in practice and snapchatting with a sixth-grade boy in an inappropriate way.”
First and foremost, I am an advocate for Sable Winfree. Sable Winfree has been an All-District player during her first three years at WCHS. Information from other sources have provided some disturbing stories and first-hand accounts of misconduct by the Lady Pioneers head coach.
I do not think Mendy Stotts should have the authority to dismiss or reprimand any more players on the team until she is investigated. Therefore, I believe she should be suspended.
The scope of the investigation should include and go beyond what is mentioned below:
Why was Sable Winfree dismissed from the team? Given at least one extreme accusation by the head coach, the veracity of the head coach’s statements must be proven or disproven by a professional investigator.
Did head coach Stotts tell several other players that she was going to run them off the team, one by one?
According to players and parents, the Lady Pioneer head coach has yelled and screamed in girls faces, intimidating and shaming them without just cause. Was this a breach of the contract the head coach made with the team?
Several parents met with coach Stotts this past Sunday about their concerns of the head coach’s behavior, none of which involved playing time. Some parents left thinking Stotts was on drugs or high. Why did the parents leave the meeting with such doubts about the head coach’s well-being?
A few of the same parents went to WCHS on Wednesday asking for a meeting with the administration. They met separately with AD and assistant principal, Phillip King. What is the WCHS administration doing about what was shared? Is there a coverup talking place to protect the head coach?
Sable was forced to sit three quarters in the first game this past Monday and scored 12 points in the 4th quarter. Coach Stotts told Sable afterwards that Sable lost the game. Is this acceptable coaching behavior? Does this behavior fit a pattern of bullying?
Several players and parents feel as though their kids are being targeted by Stotts because they played for the previous coach, Anthony Lippe. Has this been investigated?
Many players and parents feel as though the trust has been broken between the players and present head coach, in addition to members of the coaching staff. What is the administration doing to restore that trust?
Mendy Stotts has been accused of telling players and parents that she is conducting therapy with other players. Given the fact that Stotts is a school counselor, if true, this is a breach.
A middle school student allegedly heard Stotts’s middle school son say that Sable Winfree was going to end up pregnant or in jail before the school year is over. The son allegedly stated that his mother made those comments about Sable Winfree. If true, a head coach talking about a player in this fashion to her family at home is a breach and potentially grounds for dismissal.
There are sufficient grounds to believe that Sable Winfree confronting the head coach about what her son said motivated the head coach to dismiss Winfree from the team.
Several of the present members of the WCHS Lady Pioneers played for Coach Lippe for three years and never had trust issues with him. Their parents never requested a meeting with Lippe to discuss his inappropriate behavior. Why are there problems now with the head coach, Mendy Stotts?
Ironically, Lippe is an AD and administrator who was Sable Winfree’s head coach for the past three years. Lippe knows many of the present players on the team and their parents better than any administrator in the building. Lippe dismissed Stotts as an assistant coach years ago when he became head coach at WCHS. Because of his complicated history with Stotts, Lippe has not been involved in the conflict between Stotts and Sable — and the other players’ parents. Shouldn’t Lippe have been involved to help resolve the conflict between Mendy Stotts Sable Winfree?
Sable Winfree and the other players deserve to have a positive mentor, teacher and head coach. There are sufficient grounds to investigate Mendy Stotts for unprofessional and inappropriate conduct.
Senior Aiden Miller, No. 70Senior Alex van Vuuren, No. 9Head Coach Matt TurnerJunior Gage HarrisJunior Zander McCormick No. 71Sophomore Adrian Harris
The 2023 Warren County High School Pioneers football team’s season (1-9) came to an end at Father Ryan High School Friday night in Nashville. Father Ryan (4-6) extends their season next week in the Division II Class AAA State Playoffs. For the Pioneers, it was not the season the team had envisioned back in August, but even when the scoreboard was not in their favor, they refused to quit. The final score was 49-16.
All 16 of Warren County’s points came in the second half, and both touchdowns were setup by turnovers created by the Pioneer defense. Gage Harris made an interception that led to a 10-play, 89-yard drive. Senior Alex van Vuuren completed a 34-yard pass to sophomore Adrian Harris on that drive. Junior Creed Adams rushed for 36 yards over six plays to finish the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
The second Pioneer score was setup by senior Aiden Miller’s fumble recovery. The Pioneers offense went on a 79-yard drive in three plays that ended on a 67-yard touchdown run by Adrian Harris. Warren County converted 2-point conversions after both touchdowns to create the total of 16 points. The Pioneers were outscored in the first half by six Father Ryan touchdowns — 42 points.
Father Ryan’s offense benefited from generous field position and turnovers in the opening half. Father Ryan started their first drive for a touchdown from Warren County’s 35-yard line. The Irish blocked a Warren County field goal, and returned it 80-yards for their second touchdown. Father Ryan intercepted a pass and then mounted a drive for their third touchdown. Father Ryan blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown for their fourth touchdown. Warren County faked a punt on fourth down from its own 34-yard line, and failed to make the first down. Father Ryan took possession, and six plays later on a reverse run, the Irish went up 35-0. Next, a bad Warren County punt of 15-yards gave Father Ryan the ball on Warren County’s 33-yard line. The Irish scored three plays later to go up 42-0. Father Ryan’s final score came on the opening drive of the second half. Their second-string put together an 8-play, 67-yard drive that resulted in a 49-0 lead.
After a devastating first half and an opening score in the second half, a major let down by the Pioneers would not have been unexpected. Yet, to the team and coaching staff’s credit, the Pioneers bounced back. After the game, head coach Matt Turner thanked the team for responding to his challenge at halftime to finish strong in the final two quarters. The Pioneers showed determination, which provided a positive response to a blistering first half.
Before leaving the field at the end of the game, defensive coordinator Camron Bond challenged the team to hit the weight room after taking a break from the season. Bond said, “I encourage you to play other sports, but you still need to hit the weight room. If you do not commit to the weight room in the offseason, you have to question your commitment to this program.”
PLAYER COMMENTS
Junior Creed Adams had a gutsy game on both offense and defense. Adams showed some power as a running back. After the game Adams said, “We obviously have to go to work in the offseason. That is my main focus right now. I like playing running back. I asked them if I could, and they let me play there. That touchdown run and drive felt great.”
Junior lineman Xander McCormick has started since his freshman year. He has been a force on defense and has made stops in opponents’ backfields all season. After the game, McCormick said, “That was a strong team. We have to get better and hit the weight room. I have visited some colleges….Kentucky, EKU (Eastern Kentucky), MTSU, and I go to Louisville this weekend.”
FINAL COMMENTS
Father Ryan was what head coach Matt Turner called a “higher caliber” private school team. They did not make mistakes, and Warren County hurt themselves by committing penalties and turning the ball over in the first half. The Pioneers were down by 14 points very quickly in the game.
There are juniors and sophomores who showed grit against Father Ryan and throughout Warren County’s season. Some injured players will heal and be back for next season. The Pioneer faithful owe this year’s seniors a lot of gratitude for continuing to show up and keeping the Pioneer football program alive.
Late one night, I was scratching my head, searching for what defines a team, what value does a team have for its team members, coaches, administrators, student body and community. I was watching a video of the legendary coach Vince Lombardi, and he walked right out of the video into my office. The following is what transpired.
VINCE LOMBARDI: What the hell is going on here? (Laughs) I know why I am here!
BD NEWSLETTER: Coach Lombardi. Wow! I was watching you on the video and wishing that I could ask you some questions about a football team. Can you answer some questions?
VINCE LOMBARDI: I am here to answer your questions.
BD NEWSLETTER: What makes a team valuable to everyone?
VINCE LOMBARDI: So, you want to know why a football team is valuable to everyone? I am not sure it is valuable to everyone, but I will tell you why I think a team, any team is important.
BD NEWSLETTER: Thank you! Is it okay if I write all this down as you speak?
VINCE LOMBARDI: Sure, why not. A football team, or any team, is a collection of individuals, and they may be from different places, different races and different backgrounds. They have come together as a team by some design to work together to achieve a common goal. Each member of that team, regardless of their role, must be dedicated and committed to excellence. If the team is to reach its goal, the team must work together. Each team member must fulfill his or her individual assignment. A team is led by a coach who shares and teaches his or her philosophy and principles. A coach is a teacher first and foremost.
Does that answer your question?
BD NEWSLETTER: Yes, that is a great answer!You once stated that winning is not everything, it is the only thing. What if the team is not winning?
VINCE LOMBARDI: Okay, I said that, but that statement has been used in the wrong fashion. There is a context to that statement, that philosophy. What I wish I had said more clearly is that winning isn’t everything, it’sthe only thing worth striving for, or winning isn’t everything, but making the effort to win is.
David Maraniss wrote a book about me, WHEN PRIDE STILL MATTERED, and he cleaned up that quote well. Ha! In fact, I just quoted his rewrites of that statement because I see how people have abused my statement and philosophy over the years.
BD NEWSLETTER: Coach Lombardi, I get what you are saying. Winning is a philosophy and a discipline. The reason I am searching for answers about the meaning and value of a team is because my hometown high school football team has experienced only two (2) winning seasons in the past 33 years. And it gets worse. The team has achieved only 11 winning seasons out of 55 seasons since the school started in 1969. 80% of the teams have experienced losing seasons.
What would you tell a team, coaches, administrators, students and a community to do about a team that has experienced such an extraordinary amount of losing?
VINCE LOMBARDI: First thing I would say is what I said in that video you just played of me. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?
Do you want to win or lose — at anything you do?
Since it takes place in a high school, I would ask everyone, “what would you do if 80% of your students in math classes were failing? What if 80% of the students in English classes were failing?”
How long would the community accept that type of losing in the classroom? And when I say “accept,” I mean accept losing as a “standard” and not making the pursuit of excellence the standard.
Tell me about your football coach. How long has he been the head coach?
BD NEWSLETTER: The head coach is Matt Turner. He grew up here and played football in high school. Never had a winning season as a high school student in football. Walked onto UTC in college, and he earned a scholarship. Came back home to help his father take care of his mother who was ill and eventually died. He started as an assistant coach. He has been a head coach for five years.
Matt Turner led the 2020 Pioneer team that broke the 29-year losing streak in his second year as a head coach. The school’s previous winning season was in 1990. He kept a team together and persuaded more athletes in the school to join the team. The previous head coach predicted that unless something changed, Warren County may not have a team. He resigned because he saw the team dropping to 40 players, possibly as few as 24 players.
I would say that Matt Turner not only broke the losing streak, he saved the team.
VINCE LOMBARDI: How many head coaches have there been in the past 33 years?
BD NEWSLETTER: By my count there have been nine (9) head coaches. I may be missing one or two.
VINCE LOMBARDI: That is about a new coach every four years, roughly speaking. Only two of those coaches had a winning season, and they were 29-30 years apart. That is a lot of losing. Seven (7) coaches before Turner had losing seasons, right?
BD NEWSLETTER: That is my count…
VINCE LOMBARDI: Turner won in his second season, and then has won only one (1) game per season in the following three years, right?
BD NEWSLETTER: Correct.
VINCE LOMBARDI: What is a reason you hear most often from the community about why the team is losing?
BD NEWSLETTER: We are a small town but we are the 26th-largest high school in the state. Therefore, we have to play against large school teams. Therefore, a lot of people say we should be playing smaller schools, but when we play the smaller schools, we often lose…
VINCE LOMBARDI: That is a bunch of hogwash! When I went to Green Bay, it was the smallest town in the NFL, and it still is. It was my first job as a head coach, and I inherited a losing team.
I know the NFL has revenue-sharing and a draft to help create parity. But if the people of Green Bay had not supported the team and gone way out of the ordinary, there would not have been a team in Green Bay. Do you know that Green Bay is not privately-owned? It is a publicly held nonprofit corporation that was established in 1923.
On a scale of 1-10, with one (1) being no commitment and 10 being the highest commitment, how would you rate the Warren County community’s commitment to high school football?
BD NEWSLETTER: That is a tough one. The team was 10-0 in the regular season of 1973, but the school “board of commissioners” tried to fire the head coach before the 1973 season started. The two captains on the team met with members of the school board and said they would not play if their head coach was fired.
Photo from a 1973 SOUTHERN STANDARD publication.
The school board made a deal with the coach which allowed him to coach the 1973 season with the stipulation that he had to resign at the end of the season.
I would say over the past 50 years the community’s commitment has wavered from a 1 to a 10. Right now, I would say it may be a seven (7).
VINCE LOMBARDI: Politics. Parents. Administrators. I would say they are what have changed the most over the years, not the players, not the kids.
There are lots of high school teams in Tennessee with winning records, right?
BD NEWSLETTER: Of course!
VINCE LOMBARDI: I know the game is different now. Better conditioned athletes. Stronger. Faster. But not to toot my own horn, but did you hear John Madden say that I could have coached 50 years before my time and 50 years after my time? I would make changes, but the will to win has to be there. And the community has to maintain and project a standard of excellence.
Accepting losing is like having a disease and never going to the doctor. There are cures, but not everyone wants to take the medicine.
I saw where you called Matt Turner the antidote to losing a few years ago. Good one. I like how you said that during COVID. Don’t get me started on how America crumbled under the pressure of the pandemic. Let’s stay focused on Warren County High School football.
Does Matt Turner have the administrative support from his principal and Director of Schools?
BD NEWSLETTER: I asked for an interview with both men. The principal, Chris Hobbs, declined via email: “Unfortunately, no I do not have time right now. Thanks.”
The Director of Schools met recently for an interview on Friday morning of the last game of the season.
VINCE LOMBARDI: What did he say?
BD NEWSLETTER:Dr. Grant Swallows said, “It is easy to say that Matt Turner has my support, and I can speak for Chris Hobbs. Both Mr. Hobbs and myself last winter said to Coach Turner, “go find some assistant coaches, and we will do whatever we need to do to try and bring them in.”
Swallows continued, “Not that anything was wrong with the assistant coaches that we had…in today’s game there are coaches on one side of the ball (offense or defense), one position group. When I first started coaching, we were coaching both sides of the ball, and that was 20 years ago. It doesn’t have to be that everyone only coaches one side of the ball, but you are seeing big programs have freshmen, JV and varsity teams. That is where assistant coaches come into play.”
“The support has been there. I think you are asking the question does Matt have support going forward. That’s a question that is simply answered at the end of the season. I would say that about any coach of any sport. At the end of the season, the ADs, the principals need to be sitting down and saying – here is what happened last year and here is what needs to happen next year.”
“I anticipate that happening between Mr. Hobbs and coach Turner. I try to not get too involved in those situations. I certainly got myself more involved in Warren County football this season, but I felt as though I brought a unique skill set that could help the team. I promised the school board that it would not interfere with my responsibilities as Director, and I do not believe it has been a problem. However, I hope someone will work me out of being a coach next year.”
“I think to answer your original question, if coach Turner did not have support, we would not be doing whatever we could to try and help the kids. To finish that question for me, it is not just about the coaches. How many coaches have we had in the past 33 years? That could be as much of the problem as anything else. With the turnover of coaches, you are starting over every time. Every person brings their own stamp on the program.”
“The thing that has been pressing on me as a leader this year is that we are such a product-oriented society. We are asking for winning seasons. Championships. The process is the most important thing. When the process is right, it will lead to those things you want in the product.”
“It is just as important to me that the players are being good young men and good students.”
“One thing that I appreciate that coach Turner has done over the years is helping make our players the best men they can be. And in turn, when that process takes hold, we are going to get better at what we do in football. Youth football and middle school football are all working together at this point. That will only benefit us.”
“There is another part that the public does not see. That is something Mr. Hobbs has to be involved in. Are we having discipline problems with football players? They just don’t wear Pioneers across their jerseys simply on the football field. They also wear them (figuratively) in the halls of the school. Is Mr. Hobbs saying that some players are out of control? That is something that reflects on the head coach as well.”
“There are several things that go into the decision. I don’t know if Matt Turner wants to come back next year. We have not had that conversation. I suspect anyone who works as hard as he does wants to come back. He has given his life to this program.”
“We have not had any conversations about next year yet.”
VINCE LOMBARDI: Those were very thoughtful comments from Grant Swallows. He has been a head coach, and understands the coaching profession well. But it is premature to speculate about what the administration is going to decide about the head coach. Let’s think positively and assume Matt Turner is going to be the head coach next season. He’s earned a longterm contract in my opinion, but I am not part of the decision-making process, am I? (Laughs)
VINCE LOMBARDI: Is the community supporting Matt Turner?
BD NEWSLETTER: I am assuming the answer is yes. There were 70 players on the middle school team this year, and that is the most in memory. Ben Matheney is the head coach, and in many ways a right-hand man of Matt Turner’s.
Matt Turner recruited Tony Solomon and others to relaunch the youth program, and this year there were over 200 kids playing in three youth divisions.
VINCE LOMBARDI: I am assuming that it is tough to create enthusiasm for football when there have been only two (2) winning seasons in 33 years. I tip my hat to Matt Turner for keeping the community involved.
BD NEWSLETTER: What would you do to turnaround this high school team?
VINCE LOMBARDI: Based on what you have told me about the current head coach, Matt Turner, he appears to be doing the right things. He did something that the other seven (7) coaches who preceded him did not accomplish – a winning season. I know that the Jimmys and Joes make a big difference, but come on! We’re talking about winning 6 out of 10 games in a season.
You told me the number of kids playing football in Warren County are up this year. That is a positive.
The first thing I would do is check on the commitment level of the players. Are they dedicated to being their best?
I had to trade some players. Cut several off the team. I was my own GM. Some of the historians say that I was a workaholic, that I was so immersed in football that other parts of my life suffered. I can agree with some of that analysis, but I loved working in football.
So, I am not suggesting that a head coach do all the things I did. Language is different today. I would not say to high school students what I said to professional football players.
But football is a collision sport. It is tough. The head coach has to do the things to make his players fearless, to play the game with reckless abandon. And at the same time, a coach has to be a teacher first and foremost. The fundamentals cannot be overlooked. Players have to be taught how to perform their assignments, and they have to practice it until they reach their best level of execution.
Everyone knew our plays. I laugh about people getting all hyped up about Jim Harbaugh stealing signs at Michigan. I like what Deion Sanders said. You still have to stop them!
It is about execution. We became champions at Green Bay with essentially the same players that had been losing there. You want to tell me Paul Hornung was not a Hall of Fame football player! But Hornung was not getting into that Hall before we got there. He obviously had the talent, but he was not performing at his highest level.
I am not patting myself on the back, but I am making the point that the head coach has to be a leader. He has to teach his philosophy, his principles. The team has to learn those principles and execute them.
BD NEWSLETTER: You know Jerry Kramer helped make you an American icon with his book, INSTANT REPLAY. He said in this video that your philosophy, your principles, your beliefs, your concepts were relevant 4,000 years ago and will be relevant 4,000 years from now.
Watch this video, Coach!
Jerry Kramer, Green Bay Packer and NFL Football Hall of Fame member.
VINCE LOMBARDI: Jerry might have gone a little overboard there, but he did an excellent job of documenting in his books what we accomplished in Green Bay.
I hope that the administration, students, and community will support your head coach. I hope that Matt Turner will stick to his guns, stay true to his beliefs and lead his team to more victories.
It is not all about winning, but a team has to make the effort to win. That is the real accomplishment – individuals sacrificing to achieve a common goal. And that goal must be excellence. There is no substitute for that vision, that commitment.
BD NEWSLETTER: Coach Lombardi, thank you for dropping by and spending time talking about Warren County High School football.
VINCE LOMBARDI: You’re very welcome, and I encourage you and any of your readers to support Matt Turner. There has to be faith in the team’s philosophy. If everyone works together for the greatest good, there will be positive outcomes. My Jesuit teachers at Fordham really drilled those ideals into me during college. Those lessons changed my life.
And the lessons football players learn at every level of competition can change their lives. We all should be learning and growing every day.
May the Lord be with you and all of Warren County!
POSTSCRIPT: Darrin Donnelly has created Sports for the Soul and written books that motivate, inspire and empower. Donnelly uses the greatest minds in sports to offer life advice. His books inspired this interview with Vince Lombardi. The following is Donnelly’s definition of a team:
I view a team as a group of people working towards a common goal, one that cannot be achieved individually and one that usually requires individual sacrifices made for the good of the team. That is, it often requires an individual to do something he/she may not personally want to do, but it is for the good of the team that he/she must do it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There have been up and down years in the history of Warren County Football. The decades of losing and turnover of coaches can make one dazed and confused.
One man cannot do it all by himself, but head coach Matt Turner has done way more than his share. This past season (2023) alone, he mowed the middle and high school football fields — and the high school soccer field. Not only did he mow them, he also painted the lines for those fields. After an away game on a Friday night, he came back to McMinnville and repainted the field at Nunley Stadium at midnight for a band competition on Saturday. He washes the team’s uniforms after games. He attends as many football games on all levels in Warren County as possible. Following football, Turner transitions into wrestling as head coach.
Faith can move mountains, and faith in Matt Turner as head coach can move the football program forward. Everyone can do something. The coaches and team need the community’s support to produce winning teams.
Schools have football teams to teach valuable lessons and help young students work together to accomplish a common goal. The purpose may not be to win games, but putting forth the effort to win is. Faith without actions is dead. Everyone can do something to help support Pioneer football.
Head Coach Matt Turner speaking to the Pioneer team after the game at Green Hill. 9-29-23.
WARREN COUNTY PIONEER LAUREN SLATTON, 2023 TSSAA STATE CHAMPION.
By Brad Durham
Anyone following Lauren Slatton’s recent golf activity, knows that she has experienced a series of accomplishments during the past couple of months. She has played in different tournaments, inside and outside of the TSSAA. In addition to playing for Warren County High School, Lauren has been very active in the Junior Pro Golf circuit. She keeps climbing to the top, and on Tuesday, she climbed to the top of the TSSAA Class AA State Championship Tournament in Sevierville. Lauren Slatton became the second state champion golfer for Warren County High School.
Lauren Slatton won the state championship by seven strokes and tied the record for the eighth-best championship total in TSSAA history. For the record, Lauren Slatton shot 137, 3 under par. She shot 68 during Monday’s first round, and 69 in the final round on Tuesday. Slatton was the only golfer out of the state’s top 45 female high school golfers to shoot under par on either day. This happened a week after she won the region by 10 strokes.
Warren County High School girls’ golf teams won the state championship in 1990 and 1992. Scott Haile won the boys individual state championship in 1981, and his banner hangs in the WCHS gym. Lauren Slatton told a friend one day in the gym a couple of years ago, “I am going to get a banner up there too.” She mentioned that Haile has provided inspiration and motivation for her golf game.
Scott Haile, a friend of Lauren Slatton’s mother and father, Jay and Elbia Slatton, conveyed by text, “I am so excited for Lauren and her family. They made the commitment many years ago to be best they can be, and today was testament of that journey. I know how bad she wanted to win this title, and had been close last year. This is one of many big wins in Lauren’s path to be her best. The sky is the limit for this golfer. She has all the attributes of a true Champion!!!”
WCHS GOLF COACH, J.W. HOLT AND JUNION LAUREN SLATTON
PROGRESSION WITH POSITIVE THINKING
There is no questioning Lauren Slatton’s progression as a golfer. This was the fourth year in-a-row that she has competed in the TSSAA tournament. Four years ago, she was in the top 11 or 12. Three years ago, Lauren was in the top six. Last year, as Scott Haile alluded to, Lauren was second in the championship tournament. This year she finished in first place. It is the type of progress that gets a banner raised in a high school gym.
Her father, Jay Slatton commented on how her progression has been the result of excellent coaching and many hours of competition. As Lauren was playing during the second round, Jay said, “I told her to remember what your coaches have told you. Relax. You know how to play.”
Lauren Slatton said, “I am a very positive person. I do not let anything get me down or distract me during a tournament. If a negative thought about a shot comes into my head, I immediately think about something else outside of golf. I do not focus on what anyone I play with is doing. All of my coaches have told me to do that – do not pay attention to how your competitors are playing.”
Obviously, Lauren Slatton has had several coaches over the years, and she has applied what she has been taught. Knowledge is useless if it cannot be executed. Lauren was recently a MVP for the East in the Junior Cup tournament. She has won many awards and benefited from hours of private coaching and practicing as well. She did not have a golf shot in the TSSAA Championship tournament this week that she hadn’t experienced previously. She is a very confident golfer – for good reason.
Another part of Lauren Slatton’s golfing development has been the love of the game her grandmother, Flo Slatton has passed onto her. Flo Slatton has won the Ladies Championship at the McMinnville Country Club at least twice, and she was considered one of the best, if not the best female golfer in Warren County for decades.
FLO SLATTON AND A YOUNGER LAUREN SLATTON (FROM FLO SLATTON’S FACEBOOK PAGE)
LAUREN SLATTON’S FUTURE
When asked about her future plans, Lauren said, “I am definitely going to play golf in college. Academics is number one, and I am presently taking three AP courses and two Dual Enrollment courses. I will be working hard preparing for my ACT and SAT tests. We are looking at a small college in Florida this week, and I am confident that I will make a commitment to a college by the beginning of the next school year.”
Lauren Slatton is a junior, and played four years of high school golf which included a gap year (a homeschool year). She has made sacrifices and decisions to excel at both golf and her academics. She plans on a major in engineering or math. And who knows, if she keeps climbing to the top in college competition, maybe there will be more golf in her future after college.
It has been 42 years since Warren County High School has had an individual golf champion. It was worth the wait to have another one. There is not a more deserving and better example of a dedicated athlete and student than Lauren Slatton. .
OTHER TSSAA CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Lauren Slatton played her final round with two competitors. McKenzie Hauk of Dobyns Bennett, who was tied for second with a final score of 144 (+4) and Brooke Bennett of Page who was fourth with a final score of 146 (+6). Sophie Christopher of Houston, pictured below, was 4 over and tied for second.
LEFT TO RIGHT, MCKENZIE HULK, LAUREN SLATTON, SOPHIE CHRISTOPHER AND BROOKE BENNET
Dobyns Bennett was the first-place girls team. Page was second.
In the boys individual tournament, Parker Elkins of Clarksville was champion with a total score of 137 (-7).
Brentwood was the first-place boys team. Clarksville was second.
INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN SLATTON AT THE TSSAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
The BD Newsletter interviewed Lauren Slatton after she won the state championship on Tuesday.
I will be providing live updates tomorrow from the course during the final round of the championship.
My updates during the round will be on X. Brad Durham @BDMan. I will also make occasional posts on my personal Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/brad412
Sophomore Pioneer quarterback, Brady Swallows, No. 12, is being pursued by senior Tullahoma defender Jalen Hill as sophomore Pioneer lineman Xavier Simmons attempts to extend his block.
The Warren County High School Pioneers traveled to Tullahoma Friday night and lost 37-0. The Pioneers were down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, but fell behind 30-0 by halftime. After receiving the opening kickoff to start the second half, Tullahoma started on their 47-yard line and marched 53 yards in two minutes to go up 37-0. Tullahoma’s second-string played the rest of the game.
Going over the numbers can become like rubbing salt in the wounds. For example, the Pioneers have been outscored by 30 points or more in the last five games. The Pioneers need a break, and fortunately, Warren County’s fall break has officially started.
Commenting about a high school team in this situation purely on a football level misses the central theme of high school athletics. What is the central theme, you may ask? Grant Swallows, the Director of Warren County Schools and the quarterback coach for the Pioneers, articulated the central theme to the team after the game.
Coach Grant Swallows said, “I do want to say something. I love each of you, and I am glad you all put on a Warren County uniform and play for this team. Losing is tough, but you are not defined by this game. Do not walk off this field trying to define yourself by the score tonight. We care about you. We are here to encourage you, and we will continue to push you to work hard. But please remember that we are in this because we want you to be good men and to have good memories.”
Head coach Matt Turner followed Swallows by saying, “Of course you know that I love you, and I want this to be positive for you. I want us all to work hard to give our seniors a good sendoff at home in two weeks. The stands will be full, and our job is to keep those fans in the stands for four quarters. We will keep working on the basics.”
Tullahoma head coach, Coy Sisk said, “Matt Turner and that staff are doing a great job. I know they are playing a lot of young guys. Those guys are doing the best they can. What we have to do is make ourselves better every week. We had 53 records in the weight room this week. We continue to get stronger. I think our scout team did a good job of preparing us this week. That is why we were able to do some of the things we were able to do tonight.”
Tullahoma (6-2) controls their own destiny in terms of their final regional standings. They have a week off as does Warren County, and they end their season with two road games against region opponents, Spring Hill and Shelbyville. If Tullahoma wins out, they will be region champions.
Warren County (1-7) will practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during the fall break. The Pioneers play Wilson Central (3-4) at Nunley Stadium on October 20, which will double as homecoming and senior night. Wilson Central was off this week, and has not won a region game. They play Gallatin on Friday the 13th before coming to McMinnville.
LOOKING GLASS SELF – WHAT WE THINK AND SAY ABOUT PIONEER FOOTBALL COULD BE POSITIVE OR HARMFUL
One day, many years ago when I was in a college sociology class, the professor started talking about the Looking Glass Self theory. It is a theory about how a self-image is shaped that popped into my mind as I was leaving the Tullahoma game.
The concept was Charles Horton Cooley’s theory. The following is an excerpt from one of his books:
A self-idea of this sort seems to have three principal elements: the imagination of our appearance to the other person; the imagination of his judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification.
— Charles Cooley, Human Nature and the Social Order, p. 152
Losing is tough. I have to remind myself that the Pioneers are high school students. The head coach and the majority of the present staff led the Pioneers to a winning season in 2020. Coaching is not the reason they are losing.
We all want the team to feel the love. When the team is losing, I have to double down and support them. My actions and words may influence how the team feels about themselves as people, not merely as football players and coaches.
The team is young. They will grow and mature. 70 players recently finished playing football at the middle school. Over 200 kids have played youth football in Warren County this fall. The troops are coming, and a turnaround is both possible and probable. Keep the dream of Warren County football alive with faith and love. Love is patient and kind.
The Pioneer football team entering the field to start the game at Green Hill Friday night.
The Warren County High School Pioneer football team traveled to Green Hill High School in Mt. Juliet Friday night and lost 35-0. The Pioneers gave up all 35 points to the Hawks in the second quarter, which set off a series of flashing lights in the stadium after each touchdown. The continuous strobe lights in the stadium after each Green Hill touchdown highlighted the Hawks’ momentum..
Both teams stalled on offense during the first quarter, and Green Hill receivers dropped several passes that could have led to at least one score. After 12 minutes of football, the game was tied 0-0. Considering the past few lopsided losses the Pioneers have experienced, holding Green Hill scoreless during the opening quarter was progress. For a moment, it felt like Warren County had a chance to win the game if they could get some positive yardage and sustain a drive.
P.J Traux, No. 35 and Xander McCormick No. 71 making a sure tackle of Green Hill running back, Ethan Choate.Isaiah Robledo breaking two tackles against Green Hill.
A combination of missed tackles by the Pioneers and sure-handed receptions by Green Hills’ receivers turned the Hawks into a scoring machine in the second quarter. The game turned quickly in the Hawks favor. Another fast clock in a Pioneer game started with 1:07 left in the first half when Green Hill went up 35-0. For the record, it was the fourth fast clock in-a-row for the Pioneers which starts when a team is down by 35 points.
Although it was Green Hills’ second unit on the field throughout most of the second half, Warren County held the Hawks scoreless. Footnote:as all Pioneer fans should know by now, many of Warren County’s starters are doing double time as starters on the varsity and JV teams — because they are sophomores. Therefore, holding Green Hill scoreless in the second half should not be dismissed as a meaningless achievement.
Warren County threatened to score near the end of the game, but the drive ended with Green Hill intercepting a Pioneer pass in the end zone. Green Hill ran out the remaining 1:48 running plays as time quickly expired.
Yes, the Pioneers experienced adversity with another lopsided defeat, but as a Green Hill assistant coach said after the game, the Pioneers gave effort to the very end. The young, inexperienced Pioneer players played with intensity.
Coach Turner told his team after the game that facing adversity is making the players better young men. Turner said, “Life without adversity is not worth living. The trials and tribulations you are facing right now are going to make you one heck of a father, one heck of a business leader, one heck of a role model, one heck of a ball coach one day. I believe that in my heart and know that is true. You have to keep it together and stay the course. I have been exactly where you are, and I have spent a lifetime trying to change it. Stay the course! Stay the course! We just have to grow and mature a little bit. As long as we stay the course, we are changing it. You may not believe it. I know we lost 35-0, but we are getting better. If we can put four quarters together next week, we can win. You have to believe that!”
Head coach Matt Turner addressing the team after Friday night’s game at Green Hill High School.
Head coach Matt Turner experienced losing seasons as a high school Pioneer football player. Turner has burned his ship to stay and fight to change Warren County’s 30-plus years of losing football. He helped break the streak in his second year (2020) as a head coach with an 8-4 season. Most of his assistants are former Pioneer football players, and they and the other coaches are in the battle with him.
The high school students playing on the team right now are undoubtedly experiencing the most adversity. They have only seen one Pioneer high school football team achieve a winning season record in their lifetime. None of these players are playing football because they like losing games.
Warren County has three games left. The Pioneers will overcome adversity if they give their best effort. Coach Turner told his team that they all have to look in the mirror and be satisfied with their own individual performance. That not only goes for the players, but for the coaches as well.
If the team is looking for a silver lining in Friday night’s game, they can remember how the first quarter ended 0-0. Next week they travel to Tullahoma (5-2) who is gaining momentum with a three-game winning streak. Playing the best that they can play against Tullahoma will be a significant achievement for the Pioneers after losing six games in-a-row for a 1-6 season record.
Stay the course. Give your best effort. Consistency. Effort. These are virtues that can change the Pioneers’ football history.
Postscript: When Matt Turner talks about facing adversity making you a better person, he is predominantly alluding to his childhood and how his mother’s battle with ALS changed his life — in a positive way. I wrote about Matt Turner’s story that was published in the local newspaper on October 1, 2020. You can read it for free at the Magness Public Library in downtown McMinnville or by clicking on this link which may require a subscription: Matt Turner story.
If Matt Turner had not come back home after completing his football career and graduating from UTC, no one would have blamed him. He came back to help his dad take care of his mother. Turner embraced adversity and turned it into a positive outcome — taking care of his mother. Now he needs all the help and patience he can get to help Pioneer football grow in all three areas…youth football, middle school football and high school football. Stay the course and the positive outcomes will evolve. That is Matt Turner’s sermon to the football faithful in Warren County.
Brady SwallowsConnor WilliamsBrady Swallows receiving plays from Alex van Vuuren.
After seeing Cookeville beat Warren County (49-7) this past Friday night, I was stunned and searching for answers. Eating popcorn in the stands does not give one a true perspective of what transpires on the football field. Unless you are highly educated in the elements of football, know the plays that are called, know the individual assignments, and observe the team in practice and on film, you are most likely clueless about the particular reasons a team is losing by over 35 points. Clearly, Warren County was not matching up well with their opposition, but the knot in my gut sent me searching for more definitive answers.
I made three choices on Monday and Tuesday to better inform myself. First, I went to watch Warren County’s JV and Freshman games Monday evening against Cookeville at Nunley Stadium. On Tuesday morning, I asked John Olive, former Tullahoma football head coach and current AD questions. The last stop on my search for information was Warren County’s practice on Tuesday, and I interviewed two sophomores and head coach Matt Turner.
There were three revelations in my search for answers. Number one, four JV linemen and the complete JV backfield were all sophomores who started for the varsity on Friday night. Number two, Coach Olive told me that Tullahoma’s varsity once lost on Friday nights and won on Monday nights during JV games with young, inexperienced sophomores. This occurred during Tullahoma’s losing seasons before they won their state championship in 2021. The third revelation was that head coach Matt Turner has faith in his sophomores and offensive line.
Varsity linemen at practice on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
As I look back 50 years to the Pioneers’ undefeated 1973 schedule, there is a win over Riverdale, 14-0 that pops off the page. That Warren County team was loaded with seniors who had gone 3-6-1 and 4-4-2 the previous two seasons as sophomores and juniors. A turnaround happened when the young kids became seniors.
Both John Olive and Matt Turner were explicitly clear about the difference in a 14-to-15-year-old body and that of a senior who is 17-to-18 years old. It is extremely difficult to win games with a team dominated by young, inexperienced players.
Conclusion: There is a silver lining in the Pioneer’s present losing streak that should continue throughout the season. Sophomores and freshmen are gaining valuable experience and maturing. Yes, the losing is shaking their self-confidence, but they are doing well against peers their own age in JV games. The young players hard work and suffering on Friday nights should produce positive outcomes once they become juniors and seniors.
A transformation to a competitive, winning season in the future is possible. Head coach Matt Turner has faith in his young players. They are learning and growing every week, although the scoreboard may not be in their favor. Significant learning is happening each day in practice and twice a week in varsity and JV games. There is no reason to hit the panic button and assume Warren County is headed toward another three decades of losing seasons.
Other reasons to be hopeful and to expect a turnaround in the Pioneers future is the growing number of football players at the middle school and in the new youth program. Read below and watch the entire interview with Coach Turner to get a better sense of what he thinks about football in Warren County.
THE INTERVIEWS
Sophomores Isaiah Robledo left and Brady Swallows on the right – Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
Sophomore Isaiah Robledo is an outstanding athlete who plays wingback and is a playmaker. He is exciting to watch in varsity games because on every play he has the potential to turn any play into a touchdown. Pound-for-pound, he is as good as any athlete on the field. As many people have said, he plays “bigger” than his size.
BD Newsletter: How do you feel about playing varsity and JV games back-to-back?
Isaiah Robledo: I think it is fun. There is totally different competition, but varsity is harder. I am working my way up. The JV games are easier because you are used to going against harder competition in varsity games. It is fun with JV games to win and put points on the board.
You can view the Robledo’s interviews below.
Brady Swallows was forced into a starting role earlier this season when senior quarterback Alex van Vuuren suffered a season-ending injury. Swallows has all the tools to be a great high school football quarterback. He is improving each week, and he is dedicated to becoming an exceptional quarterback.
BD Newsletter: You are a sophomore who was forced into a starting position on the varsity, what does that feel like and what are you trying to do right now to be the quarterback on this team?
Brady Swallows: You don’t expect it to happen the way it did. It is not good, but when you are thrown in there, you have to slow yourself down and prepare each week. Once you get used to that speed, it slows down every week. You have to keep getting better week after week. You have three years to learn and get better.
You can view the Swallow’s interview below.
Head coach Matt Turner is in his fifth year as the Warren County High School football coach. Turner played at Warren County and was a starter at UTC, and returned home after graduation. Turner kept the Pioneer team together after it had reached a low of 32 high school players. He coached his second team to an 8-3 regular season record in 2020. He is optimistic about the state of Warren County football from the high school down to the youth program.
Head Coach Matt Turner, staff and team at practice on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
BD Newsletter: Coach Turner, how do you feel about playing all these young guys…a lot of sophomores. Pretty much the entire offense line is playing varsity and JV games back-to-back. What is the benefit of that, and what do you believe is happening in your program?
Coach Matt Turner: We played all our sophomores and one or two juniors (in the JV game Monday night) who are new to the game or need that experience. They get to play six quarters (JV games are two quarters), and we need to take advantage of that. I told Coach Hennigan (Cookeville’s head coach) that he was going to see the same backfield that he saw Friday night.
The benefit for these kids…is the bridge that I feel as though we have missed for so long in Warren County…getting numbers in the program. The 6A programs we are trying to compete against have a true freshman program. They have upwards of 50-60 freshmen. That is the Mt. Juliets, Oaklands and Green Hills of the world. Then they have a JV that is mainly made up of sophomores and maybe some new or inexperienced juniors. That makes a full JV team of 30-40 kids. Then you have seniors and juniors who make up your varsity football team.
This year we have nine seniors. Of course, we have had a few injuries including our QB1, a young man who was becoming a leader. We are now putting together a varsity football team on Friday nights with primarily a JV squad. Winning is contagious and so is losing. I feel as though we have had to do this for so long, that is one of the ingredients that has put us in this situation…if that makes any sense. That is why we have been so bad for so long.
I feel as though we have never really established that true freshman program, a true junior varsity program and a varsity program. When I took over this program, there was 32 varsity players 9-12. There were no freshmen. There was no JV. We have a core of kids who do not get to play against their peers — people their same age, same maturity, same body chemistry. We have had to throw them into the fire on Friday nights when they are playing 18-year-old men.
Gallatin was so much bigger and looked more mature than us. Some of our seniors fit right in there, but that is only a handful of the 11 players on the field. So, it was nice to give the sophomores a chance to play against peers their same age – just to remind them that they are doing the right things and can be successful.
It was 50 to nothing against Cookeville (JV game), and they had a young freshman backup quarterback on the JV. They could not get a lot of center-to-QB exchanged. But neither could we on Friday night in the varsity game. We turned over the ball on the first play from scrimmage. A lot of that is because our young guys are just learning, and we are not giving them that opportunity to learn.
We have to play them on Fridays, but playing on Monday (JV games) gives them the opportunity to have some success and some positive confidence.
I should have done that earlier in the year. We struggle here in the county in a rural area. I feel like Sparta has the same issue. A lot of freshmen have to play, but not so many on JV because they are having to play varsity. Of course, I don’t want to play my starting quarterback on JV and possibly get him hurt, but I feel like giving him some confidence outweighs the chances of getting him hurt.
They should be playing against kids their same age and maturity. People don’t realize the difference between a sophomore and a junior and a sophomore and a senior maturity gap.
That is a gap I have to learn how to build and fill. I am not for playing an out-of-region schedule, but it would be nice to have a year of playing both freshman football and JV football.
BD Newsletter: Coach Matheny has more players coming out at the middle school and you have a youth league. That will help fill the gaps over time and develop properly.
Coach Turner: No doubt.Right now, we have 150 plus kids playing youth football. Coach Matheney is pushing 75-80 kids. We have about 35 freshmen, and we have about 45-50 varsity players.
BD Newsletter: That is right over 300 kids playing football in Warren County.
You can view the entire interview with Coach Turner below.
A TURNAROUND IS POSSIBLE FOR WARREN COUNTY FOOTBALL
Coach Turner believes that it will take longer than four-to-five years to bring to fruition the development of real freshmen, JV and varsity programs. Turner believes the youth program will continue no matter who is the head coach at the high school. Turner believes there is a system in place that will continue and feed into the middle school, which will feed into the high school.
Coach Matt Turner believes that he must stay the course. He wants to trust the system and give the youth, middle, freshman, JV and varsity programs time to evolve. More experience at every level of competition will pay dividends over time.
The most successful programs across the state have large numbers of kids participating in youth football. For example, Tullahoma presently has 500 kids in their youth program. Maryville’s youth program has thrived for decades, and many say that it is a major reason Maryville has been so successful. Oakland has strong youth and middle school programs.
A turnaround can happen in Warren County football’s future. Pioneer football needs stability at the head coach position. Matt Turner has laid the foundation for a successful program. What Warren County needs now is consistency that allows football to grow and develop at each of these three levels: youth, middle and high school.
Lisa Zavogiannis, Co-owner of Gondola Restaurant, Assistant District Attorney Bedford County, former District Attorney Warren – Van Buren Counties.
This interview was conducted on November 19, 2022.
Interview by Brad Durham
Please tell me some of your background.
I came here thirty-three years ago, and Jim and I opened a restaurant. I started college and commuted to Cookeville. I got my bachelor’s degree in three years and Jimmy had two restaurants. I went to law school at night for four years. Passed the bar and all the time helping him with the restaurant because that is what you have to do with a restaurant. Had my second child in law school during the week before finals. Passed the bar the first time and started practicing law with Keith Smartt. Went out on my own and ran for District Attorney in 2005. Elected in 2006. Reelected in 2014. District Attorney for 16 years. Presently working as assistant District Attorney in Bedford County.
Footnote: Lisa was 27-years-old when she started college, and 34-years-old when she graduated law school.
Why are you in McMinnville?
My husband and I came here thirty-three-years ago and opened up a small restaurant. We were looking for a place to open a restaurant, and we came here. We had a small child who was 18-months-old. We didn’t know anybody.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
I definitely think positively. I see a lot of changes here with the influx of people from different areas. This is going to become one of the up-and-coming areas of middle Tennessee to move to. I do see growth coming. Very optimistic about this community.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
Not particularly, I think we all associate it as though we are from McMinnville. I own property in the city and the county, and I know some people do not want the city to annex their property.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
I would add more law enforcement, and that comes from my background.
I like some of the changes that are going on now. Beautifying the city, and I think the tourism dollars are good.
The city and county need to work together to make things more cohesive. I think we need to work better with each other.
I don’t think we need to consolidate because the city taxes would hurt some people, but I do think we need to work together better.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
Small town. I think we all realize that we all live in a wonderful community and that we are a small town. There are people who need help. I think when someone is in need, the community joins together. I think that makes us unique. Thirty-three-years ago, I did not understand all the fundraisers, all the events that were going on. I got acclimated to it pretty fast. People were coming in (the restaurant) asking for donations. I was asking why are we doing all of this, but this is a community that brings real meaning to the term “Tennessee Volunteer.” I know that I have volunteered for everything there is, and I have seen people doing that. I think that is what unites us.
What do you think divides us?
Politics. If you are a R or a D, it is almost like we do not associate with you. Regarding the restaurant, I have been told that you are a democrat, so I am not eating with you. I am human. I am a person. I am here to take care of you. I don’t care what your politics are, but too many people do. It has gotten worse over the past six-to-eight years. It has literally become very divisive for this community.
My mother was a republican and my father was a democrat.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I think there is room for improvement, a lot of improvement.
Well, this is personal experience, I have sent three kids to school here. Two of them went to private school because they needed a smaller classroom.
I don’t think there is much care focused on helping kids with disabilities. The average smart child can get through school. The average smart child gets the awards for most improved. What about the child with a disability who learns to read but was never supposed to? Attention is not on those children. I think those children are left behind. If I was in charge, I would be putting a lot of emphasis on that. They really need to look at that child’s particular disability and help that child grow and expand just like any other child.
With my kids, it took the extra effort that I put into it. I know that a lot of parents don’t have the ability to do that, but I was fortunate.
My child was not supposed to read or learn the alphabet, and he’s in college.
I think the teachers are constrained a lot. I am not opposed to going back to the days when I was in school when they could paddle kids. I got a few of them myself, and it straightened me up.
They have way too much freedom in that school (the high school), and they need to be controlled better.
They changed the juvenile reform act about three or four years ago, and there is no punishment. That is why we have kids hijacking cars, shooting people. There is really nothing you can do with them. What are you going to do? Send them off until they are 19?
We cannot do anything to the children, and they need to understand that there are consequences to your actions.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
Absolutely. Everything you need is right here. And by chance you want something else, and I think it is more about the wants not the needs, you can go online.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should it be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
I do think the government does a lot for people who are economically disadvantaged. I think we could do more for our seniors. We do need to make sure that our seniors are taken care of. The homeless are a big issue here. Some of them you cannot help because they will not let you, but a lot of it is mental health issues. We need to be addressing that, and I think that we can. We do have a need for mental health treatment here. We have Cheer mental health, but that is not sufficient.
We don’t have enough housing here. We have apartments but there are some apartments that are not well taken care of. The owners of those apartments need to take care of them. There needs to be restrictions on those apartment owners who do not take care of them.
I wonder how many children we have here who are homeless.
Don’t you wonder what happens to children when their parents end up going to court and to jail? They sell drugs, they commit crimes. But there is a child that didn’t ask for this. Who is going to be there that evening when they get off the bus? We never address that issue.
How do we find out when to take care of a 10 year-old child who gets off the bus and her mother is sent to jail? Does anybody even know?
CASA has nothing to do with that. It has to do with children who have been removed from their parents. CASA is a volunteer program that I think you have to do some training to be a member. It is just an extra layer of eyes to see the problem and report to the court. It is not direct services. They just basically report to the court.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
This is a great community. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I wasn’t born or raised here, but this is my home. I hear sometimes, well, you are not from here. But I am.
The police station…
I don’t know what condition the building is in, but instead of going out and spending three or four million…I am conservative at heart, I think they need to be financially responsible. They do need to look at the roof because there is a roof problem. Fix the roof instead of spending two to three million dollars to build a new building.
The existing building is good to me. The cops are all downtown. It is centrally located. If I was a business owner down there, I would be thrilled to have it down there.
You could put the latest and newest computer system in that building without building a new building.
You save money to be located downtown. The state will pay you milage. If we were driving from somewhere else, you would have to charge mileage. The same in Van Buren county.
This is the last complete interview of the series, “An Introspection of McMinnville by McMinnvillians.”
Wayne Wolford, Founder, Curator of the Warren County Black History Museum, retired military.
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
My grandparents moved back here. I am the only child. My mother let me come here every other year, and I fell in love with this place. I was born in Illinois; we moved to St. Louis when I was six years old. When I was 10, my grandmother moved here. When I was in St. Louis, I could not get out and do the things that I could do here. I could run in the countryside…had freedom here.
My first three years of high school were in St. Louis, and then I moved here for my fourth year. Graduated from Central High School in 1966. Came here one year after integration.
Moved back here permanently in 1995 when I got out of the military.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive?Negative?
There is going to be great improvement here. The cost of housing and the weather are all prime things right now. Within the next 10 years I think we are going to see a big change here in Warren County. This is the place where the cost of living is reasonable.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
It feels like basically the same thing. When I first came here, I came here on a Greyhound bus. I remember when Murfreesboro was about the same size of McMinnville. You can really tell the difference now. I see Warren County and McMinnville as basically the same.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
I would like to see more culture. The places I have been in the military, has helped me see how things can work together in the culture. That is one thing. Number two, I would not want to see change in terms of the roads, the traffic. Because we don’t have any traffic jams. As long as we can keep the same for a long time, that would be beautiful. The third thing…is like anywhere else in the world…I wish we could just get along as far as people. Not what church you go to, not which political party you are in…just as a person. Respect a person just as you want to be respected.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
The idea of a person having a hard time, struggling, homeless, whatever; we don’t like to see ourselves in that light. We want to be at the point where we do not have to be in that situation. We want a roof over our heads, food on the table and that we can pay our bills.
What do you think divides us?
Politics. Religion. We all have discriminations. When I say that, I mean so and so’s house is better than mine. Their car is better than mine. They have more money than I have. We all discriminate like that. That is all of us.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
Yes. I know a lot of folks do homeschooling. That is their prerogative. But as far as me being old school, knowing what it is like going to school…meeting people, having friends, being in the band, being at the point where I can interact with people. Growing up like that I almost feel like that gives you more freedom. Right now, people are afraid of security. They are afraid of different things going on in the schools and around the country. They do not feel like it is safe. From what I see, it is super safe right now. Everything is super secure right now. I think we are holding out pretty well right now.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
As far as I am concerned there is. There is always that happy feeling if you want to go to Nashville or Chattanooga or Atlanta to see something bigger and different. Being in a comfortable living environment, I feel real good about this…
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should the city be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
We have so many agencies and directories; a lot of people are not aware of all of the systems, the finances, the feeding and so forth that Warren County has to offer. This is a very giving community. It almost seems hard to realize that kids need a program where they get food at school. There are a lot of good programs here. People just haven’t reached out to get them. We are a very giving community.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
It is very economical here, depending upon where you stand in life. If you are retired, it is very comfortable living here. If you are not retired, you can really do well here. The only sad part here, and nationally, is that people do not want to work anymore. I have no idea what is causing this. It doesn’t matter what you want to pay the younger generation, they don’t know how because they have not been taught.
Cell phones are a beautiful thing. I call them communication devices. But if you have your head down and stuck in that phone all the time while you are driving or sitting somewhere, or you are sitting at a table with your family and everyone has a phone and is not communicating…these are the things that I think are jeopardizing our everyday living for a mature person, not an old person, a mature person.
I think McMinnville in terms of finances and artifacts has been great to the Black History Museum. The doors opened 18 months ago, and so far, it has been phenomenal. We have the downstairs suites taken care of, and we are working on the upstairs suites. It has required some advertising to get people here. We want to be in sight and in mind.
Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in November of 2022; therefore, the doors of the Black History Museum actually opened 27 months ago.
The next and final complete interview of this series will feature Lisa Zavogiannis.
Justin Tanner, Regional Mortgage Sales Manager at Wilson Bank & Trust
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
I grew up here and went away to college at UT-K. Did not think I would move back here when I was in high school. My wife is from here, and around the time we started a family in Murfreesboro, I was looking to change to mortgage lending from real estate because it is a little bit slower paced.
Having small children, working 9-5 is a little bit better than running around 24/7 showing houses. I found out that a lot of my high school friends had moved away, started families and moved back.
McMinnville was a little different that we had thought. There was a focus on bringing the city up-to-date Bluegrass Underground was going on at the time. Just a lot of stuff happening…Collins River had just kicked off. There was a lot to do. Smooth Rapids had started and everybody was kayaking.
Hey, this is a good place to live, and we moved back. I took a position as a mortgage lender at Security Federal and stayed there for three and a half years.
I have always had pride in being where I was from. My dad was a football coach, and I have always had that Pioneer spirit. It is a great place to live. It is a beautiful place too. We’re surrounded by beauty, and not everybody has that. All those things together made it work for us.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
I think it is very positive. I think that progress has continued. There are some drawbacks to that. We don’t want a chain restaurant on every corner. I like our identity of having local stuff like Collins River and Begonia’s.
I think we have been discovered by people moving from Nashville and out of state. I think people realize that when they move to Nashville it is as expensive as from where they came, and they work their way out to us.
I think we are a kind of jewel, a diamond in the rough. I think a lot of people feel that way when they come here. I speak to a lot of people through real estate that say that.
There are some drawbacks. We are a southern town and we have our values. Those are good, and sometimes people move here and don’t mesh with that. Some people have a problem with that and some don’t. I tend to fall on the side that it is good to a point, but we don’t want to forget who we are and where we came from. I think it is a very positive outlook for us, and I think people will continue to move here.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
I do think the landscape is different here in the city than the country. The city simply by having more businesses and a central place like Main Street it leans more toward a tourism thing. We want people to come here so we make downtown look nice. We enhance things and advertise ourselves to bring people in.
In the county, people don’t necessarily want people out there. They are growing trees and farming. They might not want people going by their farms and houses on the river.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
I don’t know if the mayor could do anything about this, but I wish there was some more beautification of other parts of the city than just downtown. I know it takes money and people working together. I think Terry Bell mentioned it in his campaign that we should be planting trees about on the bypass. We are the nursery capital and people may expect to see that, but that is not what we have.
I think the beautification of the city in general — if that is possible.
I would like to see trying two-way streets downtown and see how that works. It may give some businesses more exposure than they have right now. The far end of main street where Begonia’s is has sat dormant for so long. I think part of the reason that happened was because people did not always have to go that far sometimes. If they were not going to Sparta Street or Mt. Leo, then they went to where they were going and turned and left another way.
I think there is some infrastructure with roads. I think that as we keep having more people come to McMinnville, and as we ask them to join us, we are going to need good infrastructure. I am sure all of those things are on Ryle’s (Chastain) list to do.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
I think just a pride of being a part of McMinnville. I think the history sets us apart from other similar-sized rural cities. The school of photography, the Lively School. That was amazing that it was here. William Faulkner, prolific people like Tomas Savage that Savage Gulf is named after. Galligan and Newman’s office is in their family home.
We have a rich history of culture in McMinnville, and I think if people know about those things or not, it kind of permeates through the city, the community. We have been able to keep alive some of our relics like Main Street for example. Like Ben Myers saved the Hargrove building. That thing was about to fall over.
Having that mindset, that sense of rich cultural history and trying to maintain it. For me that is what brings us together and the natural setting.
We have a ton of civic organizations that people get involved in. To me, if you want to do something, if you raise your hand, you are going to be on three to four organizations. You can be as involved as you want to be. The availability of those things allows for the community to get together and work on things like Hark in the Park.
I am sure there are more things that unite us, but that is what comes to the top of my mind.
What do you think divides us?
There are some people who want to hang onto how things were 50 years ago and maybe wish things were the same as they were then. I am sure there is a valuable reason they feel that way. There are other people who would like to see more progress. That is one thing.
For example, the ice-skating rink is something that has its flaws, but it makes downtown nicer. It creates an experience that kids can have and it brings people downtown with their families. Some people think it is a waste of money. If you could use that money for something else, sure, but that wasn’t the case. They could only use it for things like an ice-skating rink. I think that is a kind of example, but not a great one. I think that is one of the things that divides.
You can say that nationally I guess…someone who is a traditionist versus someone who wants to progress in certain ways.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I do. I agree with the direction and the quality. My wife works in the school system. There are a lot of challenges that people who don’t work in the school system have no clue about. It is really easy to say that teacher didn’t do this or that when they have 15 other challenges going on that day that no one has any clue about.
We have great teachers, and I think they do the best they can. I think the administration from Bobby Cox to the present administration have done great things. I think in general, yes.
I think if people who do have issues with it knew the amount of challenges that our teachers face in our local school system they would reconsider some of their thoughts.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should the city be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
I think we do a lot. The city and the county support a lot of nonprofit organizations. They apparently have scaled that back this last time, but historically, they have done quite a bit. Again, I mentioned civic organizations, and not everything can be done by government, I think we have a good number of civic organizations who help people a lot. Hark at the Park is a good example, and what Lisa (Harvey) does there is amazing. She runs an after-school program for the McMinnville Housing Authority community. She puts in where she doesn’t have to. There are a lot of people in the community like that.
I don’t think we should do less, but I think we do a fair amount. Again, it is like the school system. There are definitely things in the community that I don’t know about. If I walked into Families in Crisis, they could tell me all those things they need and I might change my mind.
A little more wouldn’t hurt, but I think we do a good job of that.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
I do wish that people would come together more than they do. You know being a city alderman, county commissioner, or educator, being a public servant of any kind is very tough, and you never get paid enough. I have done a lot of volunteering in different areas, and it is tough sometimes. We should voice our opinions about our government, and we should be fighting for our kids’ education. But I do think if people should put themselves in those public servant’s shoes and consider what they are getting from it. Teachers don’t get paid very much. City aldermen and County Commissioners don’t get paid hardly anything. They probably get more grief than thanks for what they do.
Put yourself in other people’s positions, like firefighters, police officers before you take a jab at them. If you do and they still deserve it, that is fine. A little grace goes a long way for public servants.
The next complete interview will feature Wayne Wolford.
Background: Mac McWhirter is a man of considerable attributes who had many titles during his career, but he was first and foremost a financial executive. He was a former Chief Financial Officer for the City of Memphis and a former Chief Administrative Officer for Shelby County. McWhirter retired after 23 years at Rhodes College as Comptroller and Associate Vice President of Administrative Services. He managed the endowment, accounting, risk management and other services at Rhodes College.
Mac McWhirter’s volunteer work has been extensive, and in McMinnville he has served on the Boards of both the Hope Center and the Magness Public Library Foundation.
Ironically, Mac’s wife, Susan and her family are from McMinnville, Oregon, and the Hood River Valley, going out on the Oregon trail in 1844 from Tennessee.
Mac McWhirter in McMinnville, 2022Susan and Mac McWhirter at Rhodes College, 2001
Why are you in McMinnville?
Three reasons: the natural beauty and outdoor opportunities, the friendliness of the people, and family history.
It can be difficult for anyone to move to a new community. There are large differences between urban life in a city and that of a smaller town. Fortunately, Susan and I knew what to expect and what we wanted to experience in McMinnville and Warren County. She fell in love with this area on her first visit.
Both sides of my family have deep roots here. My ancestors settled in the Rock Island area in the early 1800s.
As a child, I used to come here for almost every holiday or summer vacation to stay with my grandmothers and visit with extended family.
On almost every trip I spent a lot of time at Sam Grissom’s Rock Island general store. He was the bedrock of Rock Island. I would sit in front of the store and listen to him talking to my father and the many folks who wandered in each morning. He would pay me with chocolate drinks they called Brownies when I would pump gas for him. Sam was a natural storyteller and shared his experiences of his life all from all over the West and Canada. He was a tremendously unique and wise individual. Listening to Sam’s homespun wisdom made a big impact on me.
Susan and I both enjoy the outdoors, hiking, camping, birding, fishing. What better place than Warren County. Moving here was a goal early in our marriage and we planned accordingly.
We bought a farm in the early 1990’s and built wonderful friendships, learning a lot from folks that a city boy doesn’t usually get exposed to. Retired and moved here in 2013, and haven’t regretted a moment of it.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
McMinnville has tremendous potential, but we must be careful in preparing for the new growth we’re seeing. You do not want to overdevelop too quickly because suddenly you become a community within the urban sprawl of Nashville. We can make growth a negative or a positive, depending upon how we manage it.
We are having an influx of people moving in from other parts of the country, Florida, California, the Northeast… We have very affordable cost-of-living here. You can afford to live in McMinnville as inexpensively as almost anywhere in the country, especially in housing cost, though that has recently seen an uptick. I think our community has great appeal and tremendous potential just for the natural beauty and rural atmosphere, and we don’t want to lose that.
We aren’t on the expressway and McMinnville residents live here because they don’t want to be in the daily urban grind. Fortunately, you can get in your car and be in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta within an hour or two for opportunities that you want.
I’m encouraged by the leadership in the County Commission and the Board of Aldermen. I have found them approachable and to be good listeners at their meetings. There has been good financial management from the finance committees and the chief administration officials. I feel they are aware of the challenges facing a community with growth potential.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
That is a broad general question. I think, no matter where you go, there are differences between a rural population’s needs and those living in a more urban setting.
I believe that the differences were somewhat alleviated by the construction of one central high school. When there was Central High School and McMinnville City High School, there was more of a separate identity, but now our children and educated and socialize together without thought of the geographical distinction.
The city of McMinnville is going to become more urban as it grows, but with the growth we are seeing with an influx from out-of-staters, the county will also face changes.
There is a lot of independence in the outer communities, like Rock Island, Campaign, Viola and Morrison. There seems to be stricter code enforcement and building regulations in McMinnville, which are needed and inevitable with the growth we are witnessing and the county will also need higher levels.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
The first thing I would promote is creation of more greenways, walking trails and bike paths. That would lead to more ways to enjoy the natural beauty of the area. Dr. Wally Bigbee has done a wonderful job of doing just this but there is still much to do to continue what he’s started. He has a network…it is impressive when he makes a phone call, 50 people appear. Greenspaces and recreational facilities are city and county amenities that attract good businesses and future citizens. Those moving here from another locale are going to be looking for that kind of recreational facilities.
I think one of the struggles in any small community is keeping its young people busy and occupied in a positive way. There is a need for a place where teenagers to go that is safe after school and at night. That ties into recreation. You must keep kids involved, and many of these kids are latch-key kids who do not have any supervision until parents get home. Take part of the old mall and make it a recreational facility.
Promoting small business development is important, in businesses locally owned with a workforce of 10-25 people. Those businesses are not going to disappear as quickly as some large manufacturing businesses who have no reason not to move at some point, and we lose 300 jobs at one time.
I would work to increase funding to at least the state per capita median level for Magness Library, a key component in education and community services in Warren County
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
There are two factors that I see that are really uniting. There is a fervent sense of heritage and patriotism learned and practiced from generation to generation.
Volunteerism and community activism are strong assets here. There is a strong, mission-oriented volunteer base in Warren County and there are organizations that provide assistance as a part of their mission. There are a wealth of people in Warren County reaching down and giving a hand up to help people here. It is very quiet, very unseen. Meals on Wheels, Good Neighbors, The Hope Center, Habitat, Food Bank, Exchange Clubs, Lions, Rotary to name a few. There is a multitude of people working quietly, out of view, that are doing something every single day for those in the most need. You have that happening in other communities, but I see it happening a lot more here. I think we live in a very generous community.
What do you think divides us?
Not making sure that the citizenry is properly informed of decisions affecting their community. Not having the opportunity to participate in town hall or meetings or give input on development decisions. We have seen that happen recently on a couple of occasions and it breeds mistrust.
There seems to be a desire at this point, which you could see in the last election, to push party politics into McMinnville that will lead, in my opinion, to divisiveness and impede good debate on key issues. Warren County has been known for its people being independent thinkers and I would hate to see political gridlock become an impediment here.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
The high school is, in size alone, very difficult to manage. I have heard many say that it was better when we had two high schools. That may be a moot point, however, because a second high school would cost well over $150 million, perhaps more. Adding to this, do our teachers have time to mentor with all the other burdens we now place upon them. I think teachers are doing all they can under the circumstances, but I don’t think they have a free hand to give as good an education. The teachers I have met are dedicated and committed to providing good instruction, but I don’t know if they have time to do that. Teaching is more challenging now than ever with all the hats teachers must wear, in addition to the worries of security.
Motlow is a great resource for Warren County and its jount venture with the high school is offering the type of training in the Automation and Robotics Training Center that is exactly what a large number of students need. Skills like automation and in the trades are in demand, and we are lucky to have the center here in McMinnville.
Magness Library is a crown jewel of our historic downtown, but it plays a larger role in the local educational system than many appreciate. The value of a library now goes well beyond the bricks and mortar building. Magness has increased its circulation four-fold over the past five years and was a lead implementer of the state Capstone Project where the school system gives students electronic access to multiple titles they would not have had. The local funding of our library per capita remains among the lowest counties in the state. Hopefully, the city and county can begin to remedy this funding level to at least the state medium.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
Churches, absolutely. If I were to give one piece of advice to a family moving to this community, it would be to find a welcoming church that meets your spiritual need and join. Church becomes your family in a new community, especially this one.
As for restaurants, we haven’t checked all the boxes yet, but recently it has improved. The redevelopment of downtown has seen the opening of some excellent dining establishments, so we are traveling much less to Monteagle, Cookeville, Murfreesboro or Chattanooga to eat.
For groceries and retail needs, we’re able to get most of what we need here. The selection at grocery stores has varied since the end of COVID due to supply chain and hiring issues, but all communities face that challenge. It will find an equilibrium eventually.
We do miss the great meat market that was here when we arrived. Another great addition would be a full bakery. Fortunately, we have an excellent farmer’s market that is growing and thriving that meets these needs to a degree.
When I wanted to go hear a speaker before COVID, I was going to Sewanee or MTSU. It was easy to get to.
The Park Theatre has recently opened a lot of more opportunities for plays and concerts.
McMinnville doesn’t have everything we want to buy, but we knew that to a great degree before we moved here. McMinnville has things we did not have elsewhere.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should McMinnville be doing more?
Well, I think our community is doing more than most for the homeless. They are growing into a fluid situation. The community is sometimes stepping up where the city can’t step in. HOME has stepped up in a big way as a volunteer organization. We are a faith-based community, and our churches are contributing resources to “help the least among us”. The small housing units built recently hopefully can help lead some to a more productive life. I know our church has been involved with HOME in providing meals and some services like showers and a place where they can wash their clothes.
There are still so many unmet needs beyond food and shelter, an example being dealing with the mental illness crisis we face. It’s a national struggle, with a large percentage of the homeless being veterans.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
Our community is one that doesn’t sit back and leave all the problem-solving to the politicians. Our citizenry is very engaged. I honestly can say that I cannot think of a single person I know who does not volunteer a significant amount of time and resources to volunteer with a community-based organization. It says a lot about Warren County and McMinnville. I don’t know of another community that is this generous and sharing.
I want to give another positive thumbs-up to McMinnville. During COVID we would take 150-mile car trek this way or that just to get a breather. We were driving through communities much like McMinnville in North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. It became apparent that downtown McMinnville has done so much more than most other towns of similar size. There has been a lot of positive, forward-thinking leadership here. There continues to be an influx of restaurants and more retail. These are very positive things, taking existing buildings and a beautiful downtown and redeveloping them historically. We were amazed after being depressed driving through a lot of small towns to come back and with pride to experience the contrast of our city to many others. This community has made a city of which we can take pride.
The next complete interview will feature Justin Tanner.
Alan Paul is the definitive writer of the Allman Brothers’ history. The book will be released on July 25, and it contains much more information than the BROTHERS AND SISTERS album. Any fans of the early Allman Brothers Band will enjoy listening to Alan Paul on the podcast BOOKED ON ROCK WITH ERIC SENICH, episode 143.
If you wish to hear what The Allman Brothers Band sounded like in 1975-1976, listen to the much-overlooked live album, WIPE THE WINDOWS.
If you listen to the podcast, you will understand why someone may be motivated to listen to the book in audio version. Link to the book on Amazon: BROTHERS AND SISTERS BOOK.
Tony Lawrence, Minister Church of Christ at Bybee Branch.
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
An opportunity to work with the Church of Christ at Bybee Branch. When I learned of the opening, Glenn Ramsey moved to Cookeville. Glen Ramsey was the pastor before me. He and I both were teaching at Tennessee Bible College at that time. He told me about the opportunity, and I contacted the church here. I came and tried it out, and they decided they wanted me. That was 38 years ago.
I grew up in Alabama and graduated from Freed-Hardeman. Then I moved to Clarksville, and I moved here in 1985.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
I see both. It is still a good place to raise a family. I love living here, and that is one reason I have not sought to go anywhere else. I will probably die here. This has become home. I love the people here. The town is comprised of so many good folks.
I do express some concern about the leadership of our city. Sometimes they are focused on some areas when I wish they were focused on others. I am not trying to cast stones. I am just trying to say that I think the focus is on marketing and developing tourism, and we do have the capacity for doing things like that. But sometimes they tend to forget the essential needs. It seems like we’re bouncing around where we are going to have the city hall, in this building or that building. I do wish that we had some good, solid leaders with the insight that this is where we want to go in five years, ten years. If we had that, I think that the leadership of the city would be better. I still love the people here. Again, I am not trying to be critical. I just wish we had some leaders with a little more foresight.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
Yes, I do. I think the county is more conservative than the city. Obviously, some of the things I have been involved in community-wise, the liquor referendum and things such as that…some things have transpired. When I moved here, there couldn’t be a place selling alcohol within 500 feet of the property line, then it became the front door. Then they shortened it, and now it is pretty much whatever they want to do. The county is still holding to that distance.
If you look at the county commissioners versus the city mayor and aldermen regarding expenditures, the county tends to be more conservative as well.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
I really need to think about that and not say something just off the top of my head.
I think one of the three things I would change is strategic planning. Many years ago, Ben Lomand had a cooperative with I think the school for strategic planning education and other areas, and I was asked to serve on a committee for technology. What we did was to try and look and see what strategically needed to be there. That is one thing I would do if I was in that position, and I don’t want to be. For instance, what are our needs for water and sewage? Fire and police…what I call essential services. Looking into the future and planning for what needs to be done.
Another thing that concerns me is sidewalks. They recently put one on the right side of the street into town from here. But there are a lot of apartments out here, and a lot of foot traffic. Prior to putting the sidewalks in, people walked on the edge of the street, and late at night, if you weren’t careful…I just think there needs to be some infrastructure concerns.
I would probably try to see if we could get more community involvement from people in the community, what the general population thinks. Go out and talk to people and ask what are the concerns of the citizens. You might find some things that are not on the agenda that should be on the agenda.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
I think that southern charm. You go to Walmart and you speak to people going up and down the aisles. It has changed a lot since we have started streaming our services. If you go to the gas station, the furniture store, you see people and speak to them. In other cities, you don’t have that type of interaction. That friendly hometown feeling. We are not Mayberry, but we are not that far off.
What do you think divides us?
I think there is the same type of dichotomy here that there is in our nation. I think there are democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives. Anywhere you go, you probably have more of one and less of the other. We have some here and that does divide us.
And I think the haves and have-nots divides us. We have people here who are struggling financially, and there a lot of people who are doing well. There is probably some trouble there as well.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
Sort of hard for me to answer that now. My kids have been out of school for a long time. My youngest has been out of school for 22 years. Both of my sons have been out and working for years.
We have a lot of public school teachers in our congregation. All the ones I know are very good folks, dedicated. And we have administrators here. I know their character. I think they are good folks. Our kids have gone off from here and done well.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
Yes, everything I need is here. There may be some things I’d like to have. I would love to have a Chick-fil-A. As far as they things we need, yes. My wife and I just got some furniture at Barr’s and they were real nice to us. We like to shop local. I think if you can trade locally, that benefits you and it benefits the community.
I think most of what we need is here.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should McMinnville be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
That is a tough question. There is always this law of unintended consequences. I think our federal government has attempted to try and help people financially, and that is a good thing. But in so doing that, they have made people dependent.
There are states up north where people can make $100,000 a year with benefits and not work. That is a reason a lot of people are not working now. So, if they are doing too much, it is not profitable to work.
I think that is one of our society’s issues right now. All these people are not working, yet there are all these jobs, which makes you wonder where society is going to be. Who is going to pay the next round of taxes?
Your question is if McMinnville doing enough. I don’t know on the local level what it could do other than provide opportunities like bringing in an industry. Try to bring in something that will bring good quality jobs that will help bring people out of poverty into middle class.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
One thing that is probably glaring in my mind is that McMinnville, Warren County is the nursery capital. I think our bypass should be beautiful with trees and shrubs. There should be a welcome sign when people come into McMinnville with the best quality nursery that makes people say, “Hey, this is a beautiful place.” I think when they drive down the by-pass they should see some of that quality. I don’t know if that is a state or what. I think that we should be able to feature our quality.
The next complete interview will feature Mac McWhirter.
Paige Northcutt, McMinnville Swim Team Coach and Co-Owner of USA Gym
By Brad Durham
McMinnville Swim Team coach and Warren County Sports Hall-of-Famer Paige Northcutt just completed her 28th season with the local swim team. The team completed their season this past weekend, and the following are some quick questions with Paige about the season.
The interview (2:42) can be seen in its entirety.
BD Newsletter: How did you do in the championship meet this past weekend?
Paige Northcutt: We were fourth overall. Our girls team won second overall.
BD: How do you feel about how you started and finished the season?
Paige: We had a slow start to the season because the weather was a little cooler, which cost us about three weeks. I think we progressed well. We had a lot of best times, personal best times. It was good overall.
BD: How was participation compared to other years? Were the numbers up or down this year?
Paige: This year we had 123 swimmers. Last year I think we had 116 swimmers. Our numbers were up just a little bit. I think that everyone should swim. If you are not on the team, it is a good way to promote a giant life skill.
BD: Where do you see McMinnville’s swim team going over the next five years?
Paige: Next year, I hope to maintain, and to get a little bit better. I hope our numbers grow, and that will show that we really do need an indoor pool. Then the team could swim year-round and be competitive with the first, second and third place teams.
BD: Everyone you swim against has an indoor pool, correct?
Paige: Yes. Everyone in the 10 counties we compete against have an indoor pool.
Bonus Question
BD: How’s your niece Charlie doing on the swim team in Jacksonville, Florida?
Paige: She is doing great. She would be the fastest five-year-old on the MST team, girl or boy. Her championships are next Friday.
All photos provided by Paige Northcutt…
Second Place TrophyLayla Barrie Guthrie Trophy Millie Feno TrophyLeft to right: Amelia Partin, Finley MacDonald, Abigail Laxson, LaylaBarrie GuthrieEmme ReedLeft to right: Claire Randall, Emory MacDonald & Clara CollierDevin WatsonAddisyn WatsonKerrigan and Hunter JohnsonTop: Edie MacDonald, Evie Partin, Lennon Guthrie, Annalee Simpson, Iva Newman. Caroline Tanner Ground: Lollie Guthrie, KellyGrace SimpsonGeorge Myers, Stokley Newman, Coach Paige, Axel Miller, and Yates Stefanick Charley, Paige’s niece in Jacksonville, FL.
TEAM SWIM SCORES FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET AT SEWANEE ON SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2023
Todd Herzog, Founder and former president of Accu-Router, Board member of of the Business Roundtable Action Committee.
By Brad Durham
I interviewed Todd Herzog last fall, and sadly, Todd passed away before his complete interview was published. Todd Herzog was a valuable and irreplaceable member of the McMinnville business community. Todd and his widow, Kathy changed McMinnville for the good when they moved here many decades ago. I remembered Todd briefly after he passed in an article. You can read it by clicking here, Todd Herzog.
Why are you in McMinnville?
I have a very simple answer for that: I came here to work at Powermatic. I came here for a job. I was in Buffalo, New York and Powermatic was looking for someone to head up their sales and marketing department and I applied for the job. I came and spent 16 years in that role.
What year did you come here?
1976, in June. A very interesting thing about that…we were part of Houdaille Industries, a very prominent Fortune 500 company, and twice a year they had presentations on a business plan. And literally my first day there was one of their semi-annual meetings. I attended a meeting and Jerry Saltarelli, CEO of the corporation said, “Well, Mr. Herzog, are we going to hear from you?” George said that this was my first day on the job, and that he had invited me to join the meeting to see the discipline, and to see what this was all about. But he said that I was not ready for that presentation yet, but that I would be in six months.
When I came here, Powermatic was the third biggest employer. Number one was Carrier. Number two was A. O. Smith. Ironically, all three of them are gone. Powermatic had the main plant, the foundry, and they also owned a machine factory up in Cincinnati.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positively, negatively. What do you see in the future?
Our background historically was agriculture. I don’t see that changing. Although the population north of us is huge in Nashville and Murfreesboro. No reason to think we can’t prosper.
We are going to go through a groundswell of success with new recruiting. There is a major success that is going to be announced imminently. With 200-300 jobs. I still think we are in a prime spot to get a major win. We have that 223-acre tract on the west side of the county.
We could do so much better, and I think we will because we’ve gone to training levels that most people would love to have, and it’s here. Our CT program at the high school is phenomenal. I think it is the best in the state. Obviously, the robotics center is a major win. Megatronics is a big win. There’s a lot going on here.
Here is the exciting part. When I first came here, if you wanted a good job, you had to do what everybody did up north, you had to leave town. You don’t have to do that anymore. If you are willing to drive forty miles, from here to Decherd, forty miles or less, you’ve got all kinds of opportunities in careers. Obviously, Bridgestone…they are going to hire a lot more people. If you breathe on a mirror, right now, if they like you, they will hire you right now. They added 28 people a couple of months ago, for their monthly add. And they aren’t slowing down, they are going to keep moving forward. So, to make a long story short, if you have a need, and you have a good story to tell, you can find people.
Do you think there is a difference between McMinnville and Warren County?
I guess it is in the eye of the beholder. Warren County is much bigger than McMinnville in every possible regard. Obviously in industrial recruiting. Our industrial parks are in the county, not the city. So, if you are going to talk about our county, you can talk about our localized success, but it has to be the county. You could find a plant in the city, but it would have to be an existing one and probably an older one. So, you are talking about 27,000 people versus 14,000. Big difference.
You have a lot more people in the county. Head count drives a lot of funding, so that’s where it’s at.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and you had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
Well, first of all, I think they have done a pretty good job in the last five years. Redoing the Civic Center was a huge project, and probably very much needed to support longer term growth.
I continue to believe that the city ought to have an industrial recruiting program. There is nothing to stop them. For example, the city of Sparta leased all kinds of land on 111 for industrial recruiting. There is nothing to stop them from doing that. Just because IDB (Industrial Development Board) reports to the county doesn’t mean they wouldn’t work with the city. So, I think they are missing an opportunity there — almost to the point of being short-sighted. The original industrial park of Warren County was Depot Bottom. I’m talking about a hundred years ago, but that is absolutely where it was.
IDB, by definition, has five people from the city and five people from the county. There is no bias that keeps the city from being involved in industrial recruiting, if they wanted to be. It is more a case of the board of alderman deciding if they want to make that a priority, and then do something about it. Nothing like that gets done overnight. You would have to develop a game plan and start to put the pieces together. I don’t see why they couldn’t or shouldn’t.
So you would change the industrial recruiting if you were mayor?
I would add it as a priority and see what you could do to develop sites for it.
Is there another thing you would do as mayor if you had a magic wand?
Well, the general population wants more in terms of consumer options like more shopping, stores, restaurants. That is population driven. I don’t know how we can affect that unless we have a corresponding growth in population. Nothing strikes me at the moment but industrial recruiting.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
Success is one (thing). If you have success, people rally behind that. I you have a cause that you are trying to get, like the Civic Center. If you have something that people can see and get behind, that helps. Again, I’ll go back. You’ve got the Civic Center project…you’ve got the Armory being built right now. Motlow is going to put a big building right behind the Robotics Center. You have the Bridgestone project going on, and you’ve got another one pending. That’s a lot of activity for a relatively small area. That will get people feeling good about Warren County.
What do you think divides us in McMinnville?
That’s a tough one. When I first came here, I didn’t understand the way this works. We’ve historically been hard-core Bible Belt. We are about as traditional Bible Belt as you can get, and I think that is a divisive issue.
That’s a little ironic, isn’t it? It should unite us.
Not all religions get together. I guess that’s safe to say. Religion here is a borderline full-time project. It’s not that you go to Mass once a week and do your duty. We have something going on tonight and tomorrow night. Most churches meet Sunday and Wednesday night, and more often as needed.
I think some of the historic attitudes behind religion are problematic in terms of people getting along. It doesn’t bother me any.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education in Warren County that the public school system offers for our children?
I’m biased because I am heavily involved in one aspect of that. The growth of the CTE program at the high school is phenomenal, particularly if you go back 20 years. It used to be a shop program, and it is totally different from that today. We have $5-$8 million in equipment in the CTE wing. We have a huge megatronics program there, and a huge robotics program there. We have one million dollars’ worth of equipment — all new in the machine shop technology program.
I was always impressed with the culinary arts program they have. They’ve got everything there that running a restaurant could possibly want or need. That’s an impressive program. Bottom line, going back to getting a good job, if the truth be known, there are more job openings now than there are people to fill them. These are career jobs, they aren’t just week-end openings. If we have the training available to train kids to get jobs like that, that’s a huge part of being successful going forward.
Another thing I do is interview kids, who we give scholarship aid to. One of the hot topics on my question board is “where do you want to settle down once you get your education?” And I can tell you unequivocally that well over 50% is right here. That’s encouraging because that means that your leaders of the future are being developed internally. That’s all to the good.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
No, we travel outside the area to augment that topic. Example, we go to Publix at least every six weeks over in Tullahoma. Publix is an expensive store, but it’s got great stuff. Even something as simple as their carts. They run so much smoother than the ones at Walmart. That alone encourages me to want to go there.
We do a lot of shopping in Murfreesboro. If it’s important, like once a year, we’ll do Christmas shopping in Chattanooga. Count me among those who buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. It is so easy to do. You hit a button, and you have it the next day. They have everything. You are knocking yourself out, and you can’t find something and why don’t you check with Amazon. They’ve got it.
I think there is no men’s store; there are limitations on women’s stores. I think there have been more eateries, if you will. There’s still a big void in terms of what most people want, or at least what we want.
Do you think McMinnville is doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged?
I don’t know if I am the right guy to answer that, but we have that HOME with a pretty sizable committee behind it…with funding from both the city and the county. There is an effort being made for the 30 to 40 homeless people, to help them. That seems to be an effort that has been pretty well done, and pretty well received.
What’s interesting is that both Kathy and I have gotten to know virtually all the charities in Warren County. I’ve gotten to know them because of applying for help for two of the organizations I represent, our scholarship fund and Habitat for Humanity. I go once a year in front of the city and county and I get to hear everybody else that is active in that regard. Kathy is in the Power of 100 and she hears three presentations every quarter from local charities. Over a period of time, she has gotten to know what these charities are all involved from a female perspective, and that Power of 100 is a great organization. If you benefit from it now, you get $15,000-16,000. And for a local charity, that is a huge benefit.
But if you were to ask the non-profits how are they doing, it really depends on the leadership of the non-profit in terms of how successful they are. Some do better than others. There is a difference in talent.
Another aspect is we have the best higher education support structure of any other state in the country. We have free tuition for community college and tech school for two years. That also means you can get a four-year degree, if the first two years you go to Motlow, then transfer all those credits to a state school to get four-year degree…instead of having $200,000 in college debt it takes you the rest of your life to pay off, you’ve got a much smaller number and it becomes much more doable. Another thing we have done is that we’ve moved a lot of college classes down to the high school, and there you can get scholarship aid to cover the cost of tuition while you are in high school.
Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you would like to comment on?
I don’t live in the city, and I never have. I think what the city has done in terms of redeveloping downtown has been positive. They continue to urge that along. That’s been positive. Turn the clock back 100 years, Saturdays was the key day on the calendar to go downtown and spend all day. Shopping, socializing, eating. We keep adding more to the downtown scene, and that makes it more desirable to go there more often.
That Blue Building may create some economic things that will push some of these things into being if there is economic support downtown that we’ll get new restaurants. I don’t think we are going to get a Target or anything like that but you might see some more diversified shops.
I think we are going to continue to see growth because of where we are located. We have to be…Tennessee has got the least amount of debt of the 50 states. Our state government has a requirement of a balanced budget. That is in the Constitution, and so our state is absolutely in a prime position. If you look at sales tax, growth is substantial because the population keeps going up. You look at the people coming in. Californians go to Texas first, but Tennessee is number two. A lot of people from Florida are coming here because they are tired of being chased around during hurricane season. Tennessee is a good place to live.
The next complete interview will be featuring Tony Lawrence.
Stacey Harvey, CEO of Warrior Precast, City Alderman.
By Brad Durham
I originally interviewed Stacy Harvey on October 22, 2022. Mr. Harvey is a member of the McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and the Board recently voted to raise property taxes by 25 cents (Ordinance 1859). Stacey Harvey voted to increase the property tax rate, and I have updated my interview with Mr. Harvey to include his comments regarding his vote on the tax issue.
The June 27 Mayor and Aldermen meeting was recorded live on Facebook. There was some spirited discussion regarding the tax increase, and it can be viewed by clicking on this link: June 27 Mayor and Aldermen Meeting.
Voting to pass Ordinance 1859 and the tax increase were Deitra Dunlap, Stacey Harvey, Keri Morton and Ryle Chastain. Voting no were Sally Brock, Steve Harvey and Rachel Kirby. The ordinance passed 4-3.
UPDATE
Stacey Harvey:
It’s my opinion that this tax rate increase SHOULD have been done in 2017 or so. Simply due to the fact that the City didn’t have the funds to pave streets for years, and in 2018 borrowed money to pave. Borrowing money is a penalty to the city residents via the payment of INTEREST. Which is a voluntary tax for not having the money we needed at the time we needed it.
We needed this increase to cover adequate equipment and to pay fair wages to our first Responders. We have had POLICE Officers SHARING TASERS…. think about that during COVID…just think about it. We have had firefighters sharing gear, running through major intersections wearing only LAP belts for their vehicle safety on 30 year-old fire trucks……
I could go on and on, but I would like to say this: I am proud of the relationship I have built over the last two years with Mayor Chastain. It has not been easy! He would agree with that I am quite sure! But we are focused on doing the right thing for this city — needs over wants, 100% of the time.
I am excited about our new board members Dunlap and Morton. Upon their election, we immediately voted to purchase a new fire engine to replace the 30 year-old one that the prior Board members voted DOWN just before the election, on the VERY night that Harrison Ferry Mountain was burning!
Had we not gotten these two new members and INSTEAD returned one prior member in the last election, we would not be here prioritizing our city employees and First Responders. Best of all…now their families KNOW the Board values their contributions to our public safety and their service to our city. We must continue to do things we NEED FOR the City, and not fall victim to the “wantsome” whims of some others who prefer to expend resources on things that do not add safety, security or value, to living in McMinnville Tennessee. Indoor pools are nice, but they won’t come to your home at 3 am and save your life. Never have, never will.
The original, complete interview…
Why are you in McMinnville?
I was born here. We moved away when I was in the eighth grade to Kissimmee, Florida and then to Fort Worth, Texas. That’s not where I wanted to raise a family. I was raised out in Faulkner Springs and I always said [that] this is where I wanted to raise my family. So, I struck out on my own with my own business when I moved back here in 1992. I’m still here 30 years later, and I’m not going away.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
I think it’s… I think it has more potential than it has ever had. I think the business climate in the town is pretty good. I believe that we’ve got some challenges with law and order. We’ve got some challenges with our court system. We’ve got some challenges with our jails. We’ve got some challenges with funding our emergency services at the level they need to be funded. And I believe if we do the things that we should do, we can move into the future and still have what made us great in the past. We don’t have to forgive and forget all that stuff moving forward.
I made a statement in a public meeting that some of the policies that government offices have around here—I hear frustration from people and my comment was that in everything we do, we still have to remember that this is McMinnville, Tn. This is not Atlanta. This is not Nashville. This is not L.A. This is not Dallas. This is McMinnville, TN and we have to maintain that small-town feel. We have to do it right. There’s no reason why we have to be so heavily regulated. But you can’t put a Happy Fall, Ya’ll sign on your porch without getting a visit from the sign Nazi. We’ve got to be very careful with that. We can’t turn this into California. We’re just not going to let it happen. I’ll fight it till the day I die. Warren County, Warren County. I want people to come in here and want to be Warren Countians and McMinnvillians.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
I don’t really think so. I have a friend that has put together this Facebook group called Our McMinnville. You know he has started asking folks for pictures of McMinnville. You know how hard it is to come up with family pictures of McMinnville? It’s very difficult. One wouldn’t think so, but it’s very difficult. Because McMinnville, to people who live here, is Warren County.
I started looking through, I mean I have dozens of family albums that my grandfather passed down to me that go back into the 40’s when he was in the military. He came out and became a state trooper and I just couldn’t find anything, any pictures of anything going on in McMinnville. If we were on the creek, if we were in the yard, if we were having family gatherings…if we were at Midway for a family reunion, if we were at a church picnic, there were lots of those pictures. So, I think that McMinnville and Warren County are synonymous.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
Well, number one, I don’t want to be mayor of McMinnville. I don’t envy that position at all. So, can I just answer it if I can change any three things? There’s a lot. There’s so many. I don’t intend for this to sound militaristic in any way, but I think we need to get our residents to respect law and order. We need them to respect their neighbors’ and get them to respect traffic laws and speed limits and I think it has to start at that most basic level that we can’t allow criminals to go away unpunished. If I waved my magic wand I could come up with clearly defined list of expectations for every segment of our population and I would enforce those laws and expectations and develop accountability.
There is a lack of accountability that we have in our entire world and it affects us negatively here in our own home. And I would want to make people more accountable and more respectful to everyone’s ability to have their say, and everyone’s ability to protect their property and enjoy their property. And be free of intrusion of people who don’t need to be where they’re going. I don’t know how else to say that. I believe the property owners’ rights are paramount. I would make sure that the rights of the individual are respected. That would be one.
Two is I think that this area needs a lot more transparency in government as far as taxation and spending. I hope that I am doing my part in trying to bring that out. Instead of being made out to be a pariah in bringing things out in local government, if you question the priorities in spending in the local government, I would wish that we would have that expectation to continue to be ongoing that government officials are questioned and that they expect to be questioned and they appreciate an opportunity to post an answer and plead their side of the case instead of feeling attacked because government officials need to be accountable. If they make a mistake, own it. Don’t lie about it. So, I would bring a lot of truth and transparency to the administration of our rules of life in Warren County and McMinnville that need to be upheld by everybody When you are an elected official, you are not above anybody. And the elitist mentality in this area, I would do away with.
Respect. For people to fact-check your words. To hold you accountable for the things you promised you would do.
The third thing I would do is…you know we have a really bad drug problem here, and it’s so unfortunate. I did a ride-along a week ago at night with Lt. Bill Davis of the McMinnville Police Department. I was sitting in my living room on the first Friday of October and it was real pleasant, and I had the windows open and I was with my wife enjoying a nice, quiet Friday evening at home and I heard more emergency sirens than I believe that I’ve ever heard. Of course, in the summer my windows are not open because I don’t like to be hot. Because it was pleasant, I opened them. It troubled me, I knew there was some fire. So, I did that ride-along. I contacted Lieutenant Davis to see if I could do a ride-along with him. I didn’t advertise that I wanted to do it…I kept it kind of on the down-low. I wanted to see what they deal with. I believe that we have underfunded and overtaxed our emergency responders to the point of breaking them. He picked me up at my home, and the first thing that we did was go interact with some homeless people. And we went down under a bridge down by the railroad tracks by the Farmers’ Market, and there were human feces on the ground. It smelled like urine. Lieutenant Davis was talking to two individuals who are on the Sex Offenders Registry and telling them that the railroad has sent a letter to Homeland Security requesting that the local police department clean them out of that area because they are trashing up that area. He was advising these individuals that they were going to have to move. Take the weekend, find some place to move, but it’s coming. It was very respectful discourse, but it was very sad. It was very sad to see. But we had to go to the other side of the bridge to another individual that was hiding. A fourth individual that I saw because maybe there was some bond condition and Davis told them that they were going to have to move. We see homeless everywhere.
I was in a little fact-finding meeting several weeks ago with some county officials and we had a discussion about how many people are homeless in this area, and how many people are helped by HOME, that’s an acronym for Homeless of McMinnville Effort, which Lieutenant Davis was one of the founders. He is still an officer of HOME, and he’s like an outreach person for the McMinnville Police Department and HOME. One of the county commissioners in that meeting said that they had helped over 450 people in the last year—homeless people. The way that that number is recorded doesn’t tell us whether that is 450 individuals or that was the total number of aid or calls for assistance that they had performed. He couldn’t delineate that for me.
I am sorry that I am so long-winded about it, but it is a huge issue. I would find a way to…I don’t want to say help the homeless. That’s not what I want to do. I don’t want to help the homeless. What I want to do is help lost souls, help them find a sense of purpose, help them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to get back on their feet and make them productive members of society. You have to classify them. You have to classify them as ones that only need a break, those who expect a break, and those who will never be a damn thing other than what they are now. You have to call them out. You got to help the ones you can help. You got to put the ones on the road that got to be on the road, put the ones in jail that need to be in jail.
So, I don’t want to answer that in such broad terms like help for the homeless, that’s not…I want to be very specific in my answer. But I wanted to give you that back story. I would empower the people that find themselves less than or less fortunate than others. I’ll call it housing deficient. I don’t know what the terminology is, I don’t know what that is. If they are in a situation where they’re homeless, then I want to help them. But I want to …we’re not a baby bottle with a nipple extending out to where someone wants to come take a drink. You know, that’s not it. There has to be, if we are going to help them, there has to be expectations. There have to be benchmarks, and there has to be constant progress. Sure, you are going to have setbacks, no problem. I want to move that forward. I don’t want them to just stay where they are and never feel like they can go anywhere. And the ones and believe me, there are ones that enjoy that. There are folks that are homeless and they don’t want anything else. That’s what they want. That’s good. You can be that way, but you need to go be that way somewhere else. Not here. So, I would cure that.
Stacey Harvey asked at the end of the interview to make this the number one thing that he would change…
Number one should be housing. We have such a housing shortage. We have a housing affordability crisis. And there are a number of things that have caused that. One is a state law that municipalities cannot annex parts of undeveloped areas. The city used to be able to go out and annex parts of the county. We can’t do that anymore. We can’t mandate that we are going to annex anybody. We have to be invited to annex. The city’s tax base is locked. That’s it. We have very large minimum lot sizes. We have a larger minimum lot size than Cookeville and Sparta. And Smithville. I believe that’s correct. Cookeville, Sparta and Smithville have smaller minimum lot sizes. And what that does is makes the cost of real estate more expensive. For instance, the R1 minimum is 15,000 sq. ft. but it is 10,000 sq. ft. in Sparta and 10,000 sq. ft. in Smithville. So, for every two lots that you have today, you would have three.
We are in a housing affordability crisis here. If we would reduce the minimum lot size to 10,000 sq. ft., I think we would have people who own property outside the city limits that would develop and ask us to annex. It would increase the tax base in the area. That’s a real problem that we have. It is a city-wide problem, and it’s a city-wide cure. And we have some disconnect between the realities of some up-and-coming families, and the establishment of the governing institutions, I believe.
The challenge with that is that property owners are concerned about smaller, more inexpensive homes coming in next to their homes that decreases their values. It is a battle over the years…a lot of battles lost….people trying to keep apartments out of their neighborhood.
I’ve been a victim of that. I wanted to put some what is known as “aging in place” housing here. I wanted to get older, retired folks who can’t take care of their place anymore to build some small houses for them that were affordable. I was fought like cats and dogs. There were actually people in the city administration who were out knocking on doors campaigning against my private development. I caught them doing it – I saw them doing it. So, it’s a problem. Housing here is a bad problem. When you have a 1200 sq. ft. home in McMinnville that in 1999 I built and sold for $99,000 and today that same home…I’m a builder, right? That same home that in 1999 was $99,000 today is $248,000 in 23 years. Just think about it.
So now we’ve got interest rates going up to 7-8% and we’ve got real estate prices going up, we’ve got a quarter of a million dollars for a 1200 sq. ft house, a starter home with a one-car garage. What do you think that’s going to do for young families? They can’t afford to live here. They are going to have to go into the county. They are going to go to Sparta where land is less expensive. Manchester, where land is less expensive. We’re driving them away. We are not welcoming them. We are driving them away.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
Anger and love. There’s a fine line between love and hate.
What do you think divides us?
Opinions, which leads back to one of my first comments. I wish people would be respectful of other people and their opinions. I believe that we’re divided by…in this country…unfortunately from 2012 to 2020, we were divided by race — by the United States government within the United States government. I think they brought that back to the forefront. When you have certain actors within the government taking certain tones for the general public…honestly we aren’t divided by race. I think maybe when I was a kid you could feel that a little bit. We’re not divided by race in this town.
I have a son-in-law who is African American. He is my son-in-law. They just had my first grandchild, and that baby’s awesome. So, we’re not divided by race. I do think that we are divided a little bit by lifestyle, we’re divided by financial acumen, you know, because I think a lot of people don’t know about money, but they should know. They find themselves in an endless cycle of poverty, and there’s no way to really get out. I think that those folks that are in that situation look adversely at people like myself who have a business and employees and all this, and I wish that those folks could remember that the only difference between me and them is one break. I took advantage of one opportunity, and the led to another opportunity. I took advantage of that opportunity, and the next opportunity and the next opportunity. So, if you are not doing well financially, don’t hate on somebody who is. Now if they are from third-generation family money, and never had a struggle and they are trying to tell you how to live your life, you know, then maybe you can take exception to that.
But there was a time in my life when I was homeless. I slept in a doghouse, because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. And the only difference between me and them is one big break. We’re divided economically, not racially. And I do believe that the opinion of law enforcement in this area is not justice for all. I really believe that. There was a saying when I was a kid that if you’re not kin, you’re not in. Have you heard that: if you’re not kin, you’re not in? So, if you do something bad and you know the right people, you will never suffer the consequences. But consequently, if someone else who doesn’t know these people, whoever these people are, can do something bad, and then they get the book thrown at them.
I believe that there is disparity in law enforcement and the way we adjudicate crimes between economic classes. I do believe that there is evidence of some disparity, whether that’s adequate legal representation, you know, maybe that’s it. Or maybe there’s bad blood from way back between families. We have to be able to adjudicate people on a level playing field. I honestly believe that we are doing the right thing, right now. Our new district attorney and our new sheriff, I think they are going to do that. I put my full faith and trust in them. I’ve spoken to those guys and I’ve gotten extended time in the last year and a half and there will be no good old boy network. There will be no wink, wink, nod, nod, don’t worry about it down the road, that these guys are going to do it. They are going to take their posts seriously, and they are going to adjudicate anything that comes before them on a fair and equal basis. I believe that’s what divides us.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I want to divide this comment into two sections. When our son graduated number three in his class at Warren County high school, he was the only one in the top ten who wasn’t dual-enrolled. Three-sport athlete. Not dual-enrolled. Graduated number three. Those people that know, if they did a little research, they would know what that means. The dual enrollment ups your GPA. It’s not a four-point scale in dual enrollment, I believe it’s 4.5. I asked them, after his freshman year at VMI, because there was a lot of discussion about the quality of education in the area. And I asked him, I mean, he went to one of the most difficult colleges in the country, hard academically, hard physically, hard extra-curricular. I mean it is brutal. It is torture up there, and in one of my conversations with him, I said, “Jacob, do you feel that you were adequately prepared in the Warren County school system to succeed in your undergrad?” He said absolutely that he was. It’s really about time management. That’s it, and he said that everybody has the same programs available to them, but if you don’t use your time wisely, if you don’t get your studying done, if you put pleasure ahead of your school work, if you aren’t self-disciplined, then he said you are going to get lost. He said that he believed that the Warren County schools prepared him to go anywhere in the country. And he has proven that to be the case.
That is pre-COVID. During and post-COVID, I believe that the lack of transparency of the school board, the programs of diversity, equity and inclusion, critical race theory, whether that is taught in the Warren County schools or not, and it’s kind of a muddy subject. I’ve had some people say no, and I’ve had some people say yes.
Letting gender identification in to our area — where at the middle school a middle school child that says he identifies with a female can enter the female elementary bathroom with girls. I didn’t know that was happening till last week. I was told by a county commissioner that it is happening. The words were, not that it was quoted to me, but quoted to me by a county commissioner that it was told to him by the director of schools that when the county gives him $11 million a year in funding, he’ll listen to the county. That he’s going to listen to the federal mandates, and that’s what the feds told him to do.
That’s terrible. That’s absolutely terrible. It has no place in our area. So post-COVID, I think the school board sucks. I think that the policies of the school board suck. I think the tone and the tenor that the Warren County schools are going in sucks. I think that we need an elected school superintendent, not an appointed school superintendent. I think every school board meeting should be open and completely transparent. They should be able to take addresses by the general populace in a timely and regimented manner. It is my understanding, I’ve not attended one, but I understand that during COVID they would not let people attend, even wearing a mask or not, but they televise the meetings. So, I believe that we have a huge problem in our school system.
The BD Newsletter on Education responds to some of the statements in Stacey Harvey’s interview. You can read the article by clicking onEDUCATION.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
Yeah. The key to what you asked is do you have everything you need. What people don’t understand is that there is a difference between need and want. Are our needs addressed here in Warren County? Yes, they are. Could it be better? Of course. But we are not Chattanooga, we’re not Nashville, we’re not Murfreesboro or Cookeville. If you want to be one of those places, go move.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
We can never do enough. We can never do enough. But I think that in, well, let me say this—I don’t believe a metro government is right for this town. Or county. I don’t believe that because I don’t believe that 24 people can address the needs of 45,000. We have seven members on the board in McMinnville and we have about 14,000 people. So, every alderman represents about 2,000 people. So, if we have 45,000 people and we have 24 commissioners, the number is the same. But is the contact the same? No, it’s not. The county is more fractured than the city, I believe. It’s not as compact, it is spread out, so there’s sections of the county that they don’t know who their commissioner is.
I said that to say that I don’t want metro government. I think we could have more impact on that if the county and city could find a way to work together. And full funding. But the number one thing, and I’ve had this discussion two different times in the last two weeks — we can’t find a way for the city and county to work together. We can’t have a good old boy handshake agreement, this is the way it is, and if we are going to pool resources, we have to have a concerted effort, an operating agreement that both sides abide by, that is clearly defined. That operating agreement, with a combination of resources has to be enforced.
I’ll just give you an example, because this was a topic of conversation about HOME, Homeless of McMinnville Effort. They do great work. They need a full-time paid person to help manage these cases. They’ve got tiny homes, and they’ve got some property that the city gave them. But what’s going to happen is…they are going to be a victim of their own success. By that I mean you have Tina Higgins, you have Bill Davis, you have James Hunt all of these people have other jobs ok. I think that it’s time for the city and county to get together and fund them at a higher level and with a real strict operating agreement as to what these funds are used for. We have to be more businesslike in our approach to helping anyone. I do not think that the city and county do enough to help the economically disadvantaged, but I think that the reason we don’t do enough is we all need to work together on it. Define our target, look to who we want to be.
Look at programs, outreach in other parts of the state and to other parts of the country where this has been done successfully. Do a lot of research. Once we do that and we have an operating agreement that defines the expectations that it’s a business deal and we conduct business…then we could help a lot of people.
It’s the system that’s the bad guy, it’s not a person. You don’t have to wear a black hat and deliver bad news. We have to pool with very clearly defined delineated expectations about the use of those funds. When someone becomes completely dependent on an organization like that, they need to know that there’s a finite cut-off line that if you don’t meet a certain x-y-z expectations. Then this is over, and when there is the next person who wants to use it as a transition for a better place for them and their family, they’ll get that opportunity.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
There is one thing that I think is important that most people don’t realize is that elected officials in McMinnville and Warren County are not the best and brightest that we have in this county. They are not. That’s not derogatory in any shape or form or fashion, but no elected official in this area should think that they are the best person in the area for the job. They’re just making the best marketing person that ran for the job. And if these people in their area think that they know more and that they are better than the general population, they need to be smacked in the face and brought down to reality. The truth of the matter is the best people in this county and in this city are out there every day fighting for their families, fighting for the families of their employees and they fight a battle every day. They may not have enough time left in the day to fight a battle with the city or county level, but no elected official here should think that they are the best because they have been there for 12-14 years or that they’re the best because they got elected. That’s an absolute fallacy. You’re not the best because you ran and won. You are the best of the ones that ran and that’s a small percentage of the overall population of this area. So just because you are elected, you are no better than anyone else. As a matter of fact, you may not be as near as good as most of the people around.
You’re supposed to be a public servant. There’s a lot of stuff going on right now and I’m a lightning rod. I don’t set out to be. I don’t set out to issue criticism. I don’t set out to be a flamethrower. What I do set out for is I want people to tell the truth. I want people to own their actions. Their great deeds and their mistakes. Because everybody is human. But there are some people around here who will admit to no wrongdoing whatsoever. They just won’t. They just won’t. Somebody points out somebody telling a lie, you know, then they attack the person pointing out the lie. They don’t address the lie even when it’s in print.
I honestly believe and you can print this if you want that the local political class here counts on people not remembering what was said. I believe that they think everybody has a short attention. I believe that folks are smarter than that.
The next complete interview is with the late, great Todd Herzog.
Jimmy Haley, Former County Executive, former City Mayor, and retired educator.
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
Well, my roots run very deep. My family were founding members of the community 200-plus years ago, so they’ve lived here and flourished here. Some have moved on to other states and places, but I felt that my calling was to remain here in McMinnville and help change lives one day at a time.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
I’m an optimist. I always think that the best is yet to come. We have had ups and downs. A survey guy came several years ago with a little analysis of our community and projections about what could and could not happen. He said that if a lot of communities don’t start investing in themselves, they’ll go down into a hole and die. And even though they may rebound a little — they may get on a plateau. and they stay there. And that kind of resonated with me and made me think that we need to be a little more proactive. We need to think about the future and we need to be making plans for the growth that’s coming.
About the time the great recession hit, everybody was preaching gloom and doom. Normally, when you have an economic downturn, that’s the time you plan and lay the foundation for what’s to come. That’s what I felt compelled to do being a part of city government at that particular time.
I’m a historian, but sometimes investing in the past is not necessarily the best future. To diversify our economy and be a part of a team effort across the state, to rebuild real communities…Governor Lee and former Governor Haslam both believed in investing in rural communities and giving them the resources. We realize that the handouts are not going to last forever. So, unless you build a sustainable economy where you have the tools to grow and prosper…I feel like we have done a lot of that over the past few years.
With good leadership and good planning and like I said, being more proactive rather than reacting to situations, to me, that is how you expect something good to happen down the road. We’re in the next growth circle from Nashville, so if that growth continues to expand, then we will be ready for it.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
A lot of people think that and draw divisions and lines. I’ve just never had that attitude. We are one community, and boundaries only divide people — they don’t unite people. I used to use the argument that when visitors come to Warren County and they float our rivers, or fish or whether they come to hike, or stay in one of our state parks that are surrounding us, they don’t care what county that it is. They don’t care what city this is. They are here for the experience and enjoyment. It’s the same thing for people who want to relocate here for business purposes. They aren’t looking for their customers all to be located in McMinnville or the city of Morrison or Warren County. To me, we are all Warren County.
The commissioners represent the entire county and the city residents as well. So, to me we are all part of the same team. I don’t like making those divisions and lines as a resident here. As a person who grew up here, I don’t see why you would say well that’s city or that’s county. We’re all Warren County and McMinnville is a part of it, it’s the county seat.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
Change? I don’t necessarily use the word change. I would invest in infrastructure, housing, and economic development. I think those are all three keys to future growth, prosperity and for more sustainability for local government to provide the services that people expect. To me, that’s what government is…to provide services.
It’s not a far-reaching power grab, a hand that squeezes one to death. To me, you give people the resources to prosper, and less government is more freedom and more opportunity to grow and to prosper. That brings investment, and that brings people because it is quality of life that most people are looking for now.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
It is a collective people. Schools and education, because that is a common denominator. Public education is a great opportunity for many folks that has given them the avenue to go and do. Particularly people that are first-generation to graduate from college. So, to me that community spirit of having a child in school…I think that’s what unites us. It’s the common denominator. Even older people who don’t have children in school anymore, they see the value of education because that’s who waits the tables, that’s who drives the trucks, so that’s also future workers that you are investing in as well.
I think we’ve done an excellent job in the last few years investing in education. Once again, the State of Tennessee has pushed that with lottery money. Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect and some of the other programs that are out there. There’s more ability to trade schools and colleges and to finish school now without going deep in debt. To me, that’s a good opportunity.
We have a great vocational education department out at the high school, and then Motlow is expanding that Robotics Center and all those things make us appealing as the job market goes. We’ve got the resources to train, and hopefully that’s going to continue.
What do you think divides us?
I think the fear of change. I think it has been fueled a bit by the political climate of our country, and I think that politics has instead of uniting people, has divided people. It’s become….if you are for that, then I’m against it. They draw the line and there is nobody willing to meet and compromise in the middle, and that’s what has made democracy so great for so long.
I think the fear of what’s coming next and change. People have a hard time adapting to change, for whatever reason. Like I said, politics has continued to fuel that fear of change and people are either aggressively retaliatory or they get on social media and blast everything that looks like progress.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I do. We are always trying to build better programs and recruiting good teachers, and having the buy-in of the community is essential — they have to see results. For a long time, it was like they really didn’t want to invest in children. But, to me, you invest in children or you invest in jails.
Children are the only future that we’ve got. So, we’ve got to make sure that the resources are within the schools and the buildings, the programs and the trained staff and support resources are there. It’s a little bit worrisome about the new TISA (Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement) formula for funding education from the state that replaces the BEP (Basic Education Formula). It looks like down the road, most of the state funds will be tied up and will be directed more toward charter schools and private schools, which will leave local communities and rural communities having to fund education completely. And that’s a little…I’m a little fearful…
Can you raise property taxes? When you raise teacher pay, we are more competitive with our border counties.
Part of it is that property values rise and are reassessed. You grow communities with new jobs and new industry moving here, and it kind of takes care of itself. You don’t have to raise an additional tax to do that. Grow your economy, and it becomes more sustainable. It is generating more. I think some property is underassessed now, and because of the real estate boom, we know (I’ve been an economics teacher for years) there is boom and bust. It’s already…people are starting to ask if they paid too much for their houses.
We have to reassess based on the new property values so people are paying $400,000 (taxes) for a house that is assessed at $200,000. But there will be a readjustment in everything else…as long as the economy and people are moving here, and prices are going up and there is investment. Bridgestone just announced a multi-million-dollar expansion as well and so we’ve had two or three industries looking at us. As long as…with the new concept of building supply chains within our country, rather than depend upon external trade and supply lines coming from other countries that are not very stable, I think there will be an even bigger move to invest closer to market. Tennessee is centrally located as a marketplace. In and around bigger cities is where a lot of investment has come, but it is getting so hard to get property and people can’t afford to live in these places.
Now politics has gotten involved in education and that has caused it to be divisive as well. Lots of people are saying, “I just can’t take this” and so it’s become problematic, particularly when government starts to over-regulate education for political reasons. That to me is unproductive as well. It is troublesome a little bit to think about that as that model continues to evolve, and we are going to have a hard time having teachers in college, teachers in high school, grade school.
People don’t even want to be on school boards anymore because they get attacked. You hope that this is sort of a temporary thing that passes, but boy, it just seems to be gaining momentum unfortunately.
It’s been around for a while. People feel empowered to express their opinions too vocally now and they think they have the right to threaten people. That’s covered under First Amendment. Threatening people is assault and if you hit them, it is assault and battery. That doesn’t just give you the right, just because you disagree with them, to slash their tires or threaten to kill them.
They are loud and they get the attention. For teachers to be threatened and school board members to be threatened and elected officials to be threatened is unacceptable. To me it is un-American. It’s going to drive the most qualified and the most educated, the people who are most interested in helping in that arena away from education, and it will allow those voids to be filled with people who have their own opinions and who want to make those opinions everyone’s opinions. My grandmother always said that level heads will prevail.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
There are two schools of thought on that. With Amazon now, everything is available now and you don’t even have to leave your recliner. Watching Fox News, you can just get your phone out and click and get your little market basket…and it will be there in the next day or two.
As far as restaurants…the restaurant business is our business. My dad was in the restaurant business and it is a lot of hard work. There is not a lot of profitability to it, and one of the first businesses to fail is a restaurant.
Oh, I’ve got a good recipe and I can do this. Nothing is a given anymore. Food prices are high, and profit margins are small. People say we need more high-end restaurants, but I’m not so sure how many restaurants…I’ve noticed this a lot just from an economic standpoint. People in McMinnville want to eat at a higher-end restaurant, and they want an experience with it. They want to go shopping or visit someone, and then stop by their favorite restaurant and then drive on to McMinnville. They want to make an experience. Some people just want it cheap, quick and easy and that’s what drive-throughs are all about.
Now if I want to go out and buy a brand-new suit, there are not many opportunities to do that. You’ll have to go to a larger marketplace. But McMinnville is 45 minutes from Murfreesboro. That is not a big drive. I don’t like that they get our sales tax, and the general assembly has mandated that the sales tax on Amazon does go to Warren County and over the course of the pandemic, those tax collections were way up because most people were bored and sitting at home and working from home, and once again, it is easy to click on that button and get something ordered and that was a blessing.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or if it should be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
I’ll say Warren County instead of making a division. We have a lot of great volunteer support agencies out there. Government can’t do everything and can’t be the hand that feeds the masses every day forever. That’s not sustainable and never will be and never has been. Call it socialism or whatever you want to.
Government is part of the safety net but it can’t be the whole safety net.
No. It cannot be. There is a large segment of our population that struggles every day with just basic needs, and a lot of people who don’t see it don’t understand the gravity of that. There are children who are going to be hungry and there is no support system at home to get them up and get them ready for school. So, once again, the burden falls upon the school system. Teachers can tell you stories. I know it, I’ve been there. But thank goodness we do have a lot of support agencies that do try to assist. Once again, try to break the cycle of poverty and invest in the child so that they get a good job — so that they are able to take care of themselves. Instead of being a hand-out, it is a hand-up. An opportunity.
Are we doing enough? Some people say we are doing too much. Is government doing enough. Local government can’t do a whole lot except give to some of these agencies, and a lot of people get mad because tax dollars are going to some of these agencies who get bypassed by government bureaucracy. They can leverage volunteers and do more with a small amount of money than the government could ever do.
So, I don’t think we do enough to appreciate Families in Crisis, the Advocacy Center, Hamilton Street, UCHRA…all those support agencies that I feel are crucial to stabilizing that population that struggles with those needs. Do I wish it was different? Do I wish everyone had a job and could support their families? Yes. But in a realistic picture, it’s not going to happen. There is still going to be an element of that population. It’s generational and until you break that cycle of poverty, not a lot will change. There is a lot of mental illness out there, self-medication, a lack of insurance…we have a large uninsured population here in McMinnville. We do have our challenges, but it is no different from any other place.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
I think we have a great little town with great opportunity. We have always been close-knit and have been a community of volunteers. We are blessed with so many agencies that a lot of communities don’t have. They are grass-roots and they grew. People saw the need, and the leadership was there to make it happen; and then the recruitment of some people and staff with some government funding.
What would you say to those who say that these programs are attracting people to McMinnville and are coming from out of town?
They need to get out and do some volunteer work. It is easy to be on the outside and cast doubt on what’s happened. Go deliver Meals on Wheels or Good Neighbors that we do at First Methodist Church. Or go volunteer at Families in Crisis. Or go deliver meals to a homeless tent camp and work with these people and see what puts people in that place.
They say it is like feeding a stray dog…they’ll never leave the front porch. To me that is so derogatory when you don’t understand where that person came from or what drove them into that situation. Many people have mental illness, and it is easy to tell people with mental illness that you need to get a job. That’s not an easy thing for someone who is suffering from a mental crisis.
The next complete interview features Stacey Harvey.
Judith Gomez, Forensic Interviewer at Children’s Advocacy Center.
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
My parents wanted to live in a place that was more peaceful. My brothers were about to graduate from high school. They did not want my brothers to graduate in California and go down the wrong path.
I like it here. When I was in college I worked downtown, and I got to know a lot of people. There’s not a lot of traffic here. Everything is close by. You know everybody, so you do not feel in any danger. I feel safe here.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
I think positive. I know that Murfreesboro and surrounding towns are growing, so I think we are in a good spot. We are in the middle of everything. We’re close to Nashville, Chattanooga and Murfreesboro. It is a good place to live in, and not super crowded like those other counties.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
Kind of but not necessarily. Whenever I think of McMinnville, we tend to combine all the surrounding places like Morrison. I kind of think of it as a whole.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
It would be nice to have a variety of places to go out and eat so that we would not have to drive out of town.
It would be nice to have more businesses for shopping like it used to be at the Mall.
I don’t know what the third thing would be.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
I think the fact that everybody knows everybody for the most part…
Everybody here is pretty generous. I know that when we post things on our social media page at work that we need, people drop them off. People are very generous here.
What do you think divides us?
I guess different mindsets. Political views especially now. I don’t remember that being such a big issue as it is now. If you think one way, and someone else thinks a different way, it is difficult for people to find that middle ground. Maybe I don’t remember it being that big of a deal when I was younger because I didn’t care about those things. I am 27 years old.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I don’t have any children, but from my experience when I was in the school system, I think we have a very good public school system.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
For the most part, basic things, yes, but there are things you find in Murfreesboro or Chattanooga that you do not find here. It would be nicer to have some of that stuff here.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should it be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
I know that we have a lot of resources, but sometimes it is difficult to get a hold of those resources. I know with the population that I work with, sometimes when we have a family who needs resources, I don’t know whether it is a city thing or a state thing, but sometimes it is difficult for someone to get out of the system. If they work and make just a little bit of money, some of their benefits will be take away. According to the government they are making too much money, but it is still not enough money for them to sustain their family.
I am saddened to learn that Todd Herzog passed away. I found out that Todd had passed by reading Bill Zechman’s excellent eulogy in the Southern Standard. The link to that article can be found by clicking here: eulogy.
McMinnville Funeral Home has posted a memorable video of Todd Herzog on YouTube. Click here: YouTube. The photos in the video show how expansive his life was. More than anything else, Todd Herzog was a family man. A Notre Dame alumnus. A sports fan. An entrepreneur. An innovative businessman. A friend to many far and wide.
Todd Herzog was a man who made McMinnville a better place. He considered himself a true part of McMinnville. I know he did because I was joked to Todd over drinks years ago that he would never be a “hometown” guy because he was a Yankee. Todd quickly took that as an insult, and after kidding with him about it, I sensed that I had really hurt his feelings. It is one of my many sarcastic remarks that I wish that I could take back.
In many ways, Todd Herzog was much more of a true McMinnville citizen that I will ever be. Todd contributed to changing the lives of many of the most-needy people in McMinnville. His passions for business and education led him to leave a lasting legacy of opportunities for students and members of the business community. Todd helped provide homes, education and jobs for us. There should be a statue of him somewhere in this town.
I interviewed Todd for my Introspection of McMinnville by McMinnvillians’ series. He was very optimistic, and he was a realist. He had a valuable working knowledge of what education and industry provided for our town. Todd Herzog was a valuable asset in the business community who will be impossible to replace.
The man who originally was from up north told me, “Tennessee is a good place to live.” Todd Herzog did a lot for McMinnville from the time he moved here in 1976 until the day he passed away this week. We all should be thankful that he moved here, stayed here, and made this his home.
Mandy Eller, Executive Director Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic; former Executive Director of the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce.
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
Well, I was born and raised in Warren County. You know I ended up marrying a nurseryman. My dad was a nurseryman and whenever I left home at 18, I said I am never going to set foot in another nursery. And I ended up marrying a nurseryman. (Laughs.) So, I was around the nursery industry for 37 years anyway. I ended up staying here, you know.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
Oh, I see it as very positive. I see a lot of young people getting involved, investing in businesses, running for offices, so I think that’s a sign for long-term growth.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
Absolutely. I think you will find it in the governments, but in the people as well. People who live in town like to be busier, and people in the country like to be laid back and taking it easy. That’s how I grew up, living in the country and I’ve lived in the city for the past eight years. So, I tend to like living in the city, because our downtown is so great. You get to go to all the shops and restaurants. There is not a reason to leave. You know you can find a lot here.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
Mmmm. What would I change. You know, we need more housing, and that’s a huge issue if we want to grow. People say we need more jobs, better jobs, but they have to live somewhere and the schools would have to expand as well. We need more housing, affordable housing, yes. And some neighborhoods could use some investment and development. Theoretically, if the real estate market stays strong, that should happen over time. We’ll see. I think encouraging development in that way is good and making it as easy as possible to do business is important. But I would also (coming from the tourism background) I would definitely push hard for that as well. With my background with the Tourism and Development Board, I do think there were mistakes in setting that up and it should be reviewed. It’s hard for them to have certain functions like marketing because it was set up by the City. And when it was set up, it wasn’t funded, and there’s a lot of difficulties in carrying through with projects—the way it is set up now. They said it would be like IDB. It’s not. There are inherent differences. So, I would fix that. I would not have it as a discrete component of the city, which is what it is now and have it set up like IDB. It’s actually separate and it can operate more fully that way—more easily that way.
I think Nolan Ming is doing a great job going after grants now. And I think Justin Scott is too. I think that continuing to go after as many grants as possible, and taking advantage of as many of those opportunities as possible. I think they’re doing a good job at that. What’s always been wrong with that is that there as never been just one person focused on it.
The grant-writing has been spread out, and if you don’t go to the conferences and you don’t see these opportunities, you don’t always know they exist even if you are over that department. So, I think it would be important to have someone in the know. It’s not writing the grants themselves because you have the Development District. They can write grants for free. It doesn’t cost any more than their membership, which the city and county already pay. They can write and administer grants on behalf of the city or the county at no additional cost. I think really using that relationship and making sure that those grants get through is important.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
You know, from my experience seeing business growth downtown gets a lot of people excited and wanting to push for more. That was what I saw when I was at the Chamber. That was the perspective that I saw, so maybe I’m in my own box. But you know, that’s what I see. And tourism always had a great response from people. People seem to understand the value of it in the city and want more of it. This town can’t support all the businesses we want, so we need to have people coming in from the outside and spending money. I think that’s something people really get behind, and that helps to unite people as well.
What do you think divides us?
Politics, right? It’s dividing the whole country, and I think it’s ridiculous that in national politics and the division we see there — we are seeing at the local level. That’s crazy. It really shouldn’t exist that way. We are all in this small town. We all have the same issues, so I think we should try to work together more. I think it is silly to go looking for problems. Sometimes politicians can look for problems and kick up dust, and it takes the focus off the real problems and just working together and moving forward together.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I do, and I feel for the school system and the teachers especially. I was glad to hear that Hillsdale lost its contract and that it was not coming in because that was going to be a very threatening prospect for public education. I think the teachers are doing everything they can, and the school system is doing everything they can. I’ve been very happy with my sons’ (who are in the school system) experience. I think it’s great.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
It has gotten so much better in the last ten or twelve years. We could always use some more restaurants. I’m sad that our brewery went out, and that goes along with tourism—it goes so well. And so, I’d like to see that. For example, Begonia’s. That has been tremendously successful and Vanilla Bean. With these restaurants popping up downtown, and I think people are supporting them. We could use more, and I think people would support it for the most part. We don’t have wine in restaurants, but we will. And that would be nice.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should it be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
Gosh, the government—it’s hard for a local government. I’m thinking about the Housing Authority. They had a lot of money saved up, and they haven’t used it. I do wish they would expand the housing program. I know that’s not a popular idea, but I do think that so many people are now in rentals that are owned by not-so-great landlords. That causes a lot of issues for people. So, they would have more options if they had more housing authority assistance available, it would take care of that issue.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about McMinnville and its people?
I think we have seen a lot of positive momentum, and I am surprised that it has stayed even though with COVID. I wondered what it was going to look like at the end of COVID. But it seems like people are just as happy to get involved as they were before. So that’s great. I’m trying to think of something negative to say. I’ve been really positive. I guess the politics was really the negative part. It is changing here. There’s a lot of people moving in from the outside. I hope the locals embrace that. I get to meet them just going downtown to the restaurants.
I’m in McMinnville because of two doctors. Wally Bigbee and Thurman Pedigo took a chance on a young kid 34-35 years ago. They recruited me out of Texas, and I was bound for Arkansas, where I was born and raised. They came to Texas and got me. At first, I said no, I don’t know anything about Tennessee. They said that they would fly my wife and I up there for a weekend, and to just come up and see us. We did, and thank goodness we drove through Woodbury and instead of Mt. Leo. They put us up at the Americana, and we came anyway!
We have lived here longer than we have lived anywhere. This is our home. Our children are all here.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
If you had asked me that 10-15 years ago, it looked bleak. But I am very hopeful now, overwhelmingly positive.
Ten to fifteen years ago, it looked like a dying town. Looked like a place you could go and grow old and go to bed at 8:00. There was just no life. Now you drive through Main Street on any given day, and there is life now.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
I don’t. I mean I have lived in the city limits and the county, and I don’t see a big difference.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
I would like a week or two to reflect on that…Shooting from the hip, without a lot of time to think about it…
I would make McMinnville more dog friendly.
I would put more walking trails and bicycle lanes.
I would make it more walking friendly. For instance, if you were walking from here to the mall, you would be putting your life at risk, and people are doing that every day.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
Probably our small-town values like family and friends. And faith, and I guess that could divide us and unite us. There are a lot of faith-based folks in this town. I think that has potential to unite us more than divide us.
What do you think divides us?
Faith (laughs). I think we get caught up in issues like politics and parties that really don’t serve us well. And in our day-to-day lives, those things don’t really matter, but for some reason we get really caught up in it. We get very concerned about who is doing what in Washington, and probably we should be more concerned about what is going on right around us.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
It is A hard job. I mean the system has a hard job. I don’t know enough about it to really be critical of it. I do know…I went to public school my entire life, including Mississippi, including inner-city Mississippi. I’m a product of public schools, and I think it turned out great for me.
I think there are some challenges. I think teachers are under a lot of pressure. Administrations are under a lot of pressure. They are being asked to do a lot of things that parents used to do.
Ask me the question again. I guess my answer to that is that I would like to see it improve. I would like to see the powers-to-be, whoever that is, try to improve the quality…whether that is paying teachers more or bringing in better teachers…I would like to see it improve.
I don’t know if it is true or not, but I am told that we are not paying teachers very well.
No, I don’t agree, and I think we need to do better.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
If you are asking me, yes! If you are asking me personally, I would say yes. If you asked my wife, and you are not interviewing my wife, then the answer is no.
My wife will go to Murfreesboro or Chattanooga on a regular basis (for groceries). I don’t know why we can’t support a better option than what we have. I don’t understand the economics of it. It may have something to do with our demographics.
For me, I am a vegan, and we are very blessed to have an “incredible” vegan restaurant (Juicy’s) right down town. That is such a treasure in our little town. I love Begonia’s, and I wish the acoustics were a little better for old people like me. But still, a step in the right direction. Collins River. Smooth Rapids has a black bean burger that I have quite regularly. I am very pleased with the restaurant selection here, and I am willing to support a new one if one comes along.
There is no shortage of churches, and my problem with churches does not have to do with availability. There should be a church for anyone in this town.
Amazon…I try to shop local. I brought my shoes from Mad Cow and my wife’s Christmas present at Lemon Tree. We have a lot of things going on.
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or if it should be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
Again, I am no expert and I don’t know all the answers, but I am told that other cities bring their homeless here and drop them off because we do such a good job. Is that true? That is what I have been told. Surrounding counties bringing them here or directing them this way.
Are we doing enough? Probably not, we could always improve taking care of our less fortunate, fellow human beings. I think we could do better. I could do better. I get laser focused on what I am doing at the moment…we can do better.
I think we should probably become a safe haven for illegal immigrants — in my opinion.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
Well, I just want to go on the record, whatever that means, saying that I am blessed and fortunate to have stumbled upon this little town 35 years ago. It has been great to me. The people have been great to me. I’ve had opportunities to leave, but this is home. This is where I had children and raised them. I’ve got children who live here, and grandchildren who live here. This is where I intend to be. I’m building a house, probably the house I am going to die in. This is where I look to be buried or have my ashes spread. I think it is a great town. I like the direction we’re going in. I see good things for our future. I am concerned about divisiveness of some people in the community, but the only way to combat them is to love them and try to get on their good side, befriend them. That is all I got.
My original intent was to encourage as many comments as possible by allowing anyone making a comment to remain anonymous. A recent comment was not approved because of some false allegations against someone. Consequently, submitting both your name and email are mandatory requirements for making a post. Users must be registered and logged in to comment.
I am releasing the complete interviews over the next few weeks. Please subscribe at the bottom to keep up with the posting of the interviews. – Brad Durham
Terry Bell, Warren County Executive
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
I actually live in the north end of the county. I live about two miles from the state park. I am a Rock Island man. I’ve lived out there all my life. Came home from the hospital out there in the Midway Community. I served on the County Commission for 16 years. I just want to see Warren County do good. So that’s the reason I ran for this office, and I just hope that I can make everyone’s life better.
Do you see a difference in McMinnville and Warren County? Why or why not?
There is a little bit of difference because the county has more country people and they live outside the city limits and they don’t want as much control from the government as people who live in the city do. And that’s why I think there’s a little bit of difference there. Most people who move out to the country are pretty independent and they kind of want to do what they want to do — versus the people in the city want to control more. Of course, they have a right to be that way because when you have close neighbors, it affects you more than when your neighbors are a mile down the road.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
The mall would be one of the things I would change immediately.
I would have found some way to wind up with an indoor pool at the Civic Center when that project was done instead of…I’m not saying what they did was wrong, I’m just saying I would have made sure that was in the project.
Our lights need to be synchronized. When you hit one light, you pretty much hit them all when you travel at a normal rate of speed. That’s just not done. If you come through our town in a truck, you’ll catch one or two lights and that’s it. Then you’re stopped at all the others. For everybody who is just trying to pass through here, all those lights on the by-pass should be synchronized.
So that’s probably the three things I would love to see happen.
What do you think unites us?
We have a good community that showed up when we had the fire on the mountain. There was a world of people in McMinnville who called me and said if you have to evacuate people, we want to donate our church for staging areas — if they have to be evacuated. In the long run, I think everybody’s got the same goal. They want it to be a better place to live, and a better place to raise their children and for them to be able to work here.
It was really amazing, the outpouring. We had restaurants in McMinnville, and out in the county too because Gary (Prater) is in the city of Morrison. People brought pizza and barbeque, and we called and said we really don’t need more food up here. We appreciate the offer, but we actually had food left over. It was just amazing — the turn-out and the volunteerism that we had going on.
What do you think divides us?
More or less, what I think what divides us is our actual government. Actually, having the city government and the county government because most people don’t understand the difference between the city controlling this and the county controlling that…the tax thing divides us too.
If you live in the city you don’t want to pay county taxes too…so that’s a division that we’ve got.
Do you agree with the quality of education and the direction of the Warren Co. schools?
I do to the extent that they are having to follow what comes out of the federal (government) and actually the state has put in this third-grade deal…and that bothers me. But that’s not something I can blame our local school system with because they receive money from them, and that’s the mandates that they are forced to have. I think that’s an unfair thing. If a kid has a problem testing or if they just have a bad day, they are going to be held back and made to do all this…It is going to be a burden on our public school system to try to take them to the summer and get them passed on to the next grade before the next school year. That’s the main problem I got with the school system right now.
Does everything you need exist in McMinnville?
I really wish we had more restaurants because you can go anywhere on a Sunday afternoon and nearly all of them are full. And on our retail side, I wish we could get some of the big retailers here because competition is good for everybody, and that usually makes for lower prices.
Is McMinnville doing enough for the people who are economically disadvantaged?
UCHRA has really been (active) and that’s a plug-in with this mall (proposal). They are looking into expanding a lot, and they’ve got a new program called Empower. They’re trying to help, and they’ve got a big grant. They want to come in here and try to help families, and try to get them to move from a lower-paying job up to a higher-paying job. They also try to help them with things like child care, and they try to mentor these people. So, I think, on the horizon, we’ve got some help for these people.
The interviews are being posted in alphabetical order. The next interview is with Dr. Bryan Chastain.
SLIDE SHOW OF THREE IMAGES FROM THE TOP OF THE BLUE BUILDING – APRIL 2023
By Brad Durham
Interviewing twelve people about McMinnville has reminded me of how research is vital to knowing the facts. Being neutral on an issue or topic until you have fact-based evidence can be challenging. I tried to create a blank page in my mind before I conducted the interviews. Politicaldivision and caring for each other were the two dominant themes imprinted on my mind after conducting and posting the interviews.
TWO DOMINANT THEMES – POLITICAL DIVISION & CARING FOR EACH OTHER
These two themes may appear to be diametrically opposed to each other. Are we more inclined to care less about someone if they are in a different political party? Let’s hope not! Mac McWhirter stated, “There is a wealth of people in Warren County reaching down and giving a hand up to help people here.”
Although I believe both themes can be true — we are divided politically and people care about each other, I also believe the political division has the potential to decrease good will and harmony. We are seeing how national politics are becoming more adversarial in D.C., and we recently saw how politics can create division in the state legislature with the Tennessee Three.
STACEY HARVEY QUOTE ABOUT BEING A PUBLIC SERVANT
Last fall, Stacey Harvey told me in an interview what he has experienced being in politics as an Alderman in McMinnville:
You’re supposed to be a public servant. There’s a lot of stuff going on right now and I’m a lightning rod. I don’t set out to be. I don’t set out to issue criticism. I don’t set out to be a flamethrower. What I do set out for is I want people to tell the truth. I want people to own their actions. Their great deeds and their mistakes. Because everybody is human. But there are some people around here who will admit to no wrongdoing whatsoever. They just won’t. They just won’t. Somebody points out somebody telling a lie, you know, then they attack the person pointing out the lie. They don’t address the lie — even when it’s in print.
I honestly believe, and you can print this if you want, that the local political class here counts on people not remembering what was said. I believe that they think everybody has a short attention span. I believe that folks are smarter than that.
I agree with Stacey Harvey — he is a lightning rod. I am not saying that I agree with everything he says. Who agrees with another person 100% of the time? My interview with Mr. Harvey encouraged me to ask myself questions. How do we think and speak to our elected officials, and to each other? How do we know if what the other person is saying is accurate, fact-based?
SEEKING UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION — POSITIVE FACT-BASED SOLUTIONS
Lamar Alexander (left) and the late Chancellor Alexander Heard (right)
Lamar Alexander, former Governor (1979-1987), U.S. Senator (2003 – 20021), U.S. Education Secretary (1991-1993) and President of the University of Tennessee (1988-1991), recently wrote an article on how to deal with controversial issues in the WALL STREET JOURNAL. He centered the article on Vanderbilt University’s new chancellor, Daniel Diermeier’s recommitment to “principled neutrality.” Principled neutrality is the practice of the university refraining from taking positions on controversial issues that don’t directly relate to the function of the university.
Lamar Alexander quotes Chancellor Alexander Heard, who was chancellor when Lamar Alexander was a student at Vanderbilt, to document the history of Vanderbilt’s position on principled neutrality. Heard said, “A university’s obligation is not to protect students from ideas, but rather expose them to ideas, to help make them capable of handling and, hopefully, having ideas.” Chancellor Heard’s statement was a response to reactions on the left and right to having speakers on campus such as Allen Ginsberg, Stokely Carmichael and Strom Thurmond.
Vanderbilt has implemented a program to continue its legacy of principled-neutrality — the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and Democracy. Former Republican Governor Bill Haslam and historian Jon Meacham help lead the project with faculty member Samar Ali. The project promotes research and discussion on evidence-based solutions to mediate differences. You can read Lamar Alexander’s article by clicking here: WSJ article.
The twelve people I interviewed about McMinnville had facts that were often coupled with personal experience. Their answers to questions were informed by more than just their opinions. How do we find agreement and solutions when our experiences and facts are different?
If we can talk and discuss the facts, and not shout at an individual for having a different point of view, we have a chance to create a solution. If we don’t communicate with each other, we are left with different points of views which will potentially divide us.
HAVING DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEWS AND COOPERATING
There is a commonly told story about a car accident that illustrates how we can legitimately have different points of view about the same issue. What facts will four people share when they are standing on four different corners of an intersection when a car accident occurs?
Each witness will explain what he/she saw. Inevitably, each person’s description of the accident will vary because each person saw the accident from a different point of view. Hopefully, as each person tells his/her version of the accident, everyone’s individual fact-based evidence (testimony) will help tell the collective story. One person’s version of events does not necessarily eliminate another person’s facts.
INVESTING IN EACH OTHER CAN ELIMINATE DIVISION
It is my hope that political division is not a dominant theme in our future. I want everyone to have the freedom to be who they want to be in McMinnville. After completing this series of interviews, I am motivated to be more invested in caring about people in our small town, and doing more research before forming an opinion.
In the near future, I will post the complete interviews.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
Interviewing people about McMinnville made me wonder what I am doing for my hometown — not what my hometown is doing for me. The overriding impression of the interviews was that we live in a “giving town.” There are many volunteer groups, civic agencies, and random acts of kindness in McMinnville. Although we may not always feel it, McMinnville is more united than divided. Wanting what is best for each other is the tie that binds us.
Obviously, all the responses of the interviewees are not posted in these articles. Yet, I assure you that everyone mentioned in some shape or form about how people give money and volunteer their time to help others.
The genuine compassion and mutual concern people have for each other may be obscured by political rhetoric, various interests, social and physical distance, different places of worship, jobs, and all the other details of our collective daily lives. But a beating, caring heart is the central theme of McMinnville.
At the end of the interviews, Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech is placed as a reminder to not allow criticism to become an automatic response to our local government and leaders.
The following are answers from the 12 interviewees to this week’s question.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
We’ve got a good community. That showed up when we had the fire on the mountain. There was a world of people in McMinnville who called me and said if you have to evacuate people, we want to donate our church for staging areas if they have to be evacuated. In the long run I think everybody’s got the same goal. They want it to be a better place to live, and a better place to raise their children and for them to be able to work here.
Terry Bell, Warren County Executive
Probably our small-town values like family and friends. And faith, and I guess that could divide us and unite us. There are a lot of faith-based folks in this town. I think that has potential to unite us more than divide us.
Dr. Bryan Chastain, Doctor in private practice.
You know, from my experience seeing business growth downtown gets a lot of people excited and wanting to push for more. That was what I saw when I was at the Chamber.
Mandy Eller, Executive Director Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic; former Executive Director of the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce.
I think the fact that everybody knows everybody for the most part…
Everybody here is pretty generous. I know that when we post things on our social media page at work that we need, people drop them off. People are very generous here.
Judith Gomez, Forensic Interviewer at Children’s Advocacy Center.
It is a collective people. Schools and education, because that is a common denominator. I think we’ve done an excellent job in the last few years investing in education.
We have a great vocational education department out at the high school, and then Motlow is expanding that Robotics Center and all those things make us appealing as the job market goes. We’ve got the resources to train, and hopefully that’s going to continue.
Jimmy Haley, Former County Executive, former City Mayor, and retired educator.
Anger and love. There’s a fine line between love and hate.
Stacey Harvey, CEO of Warrior Precast, City Alderman.
Success is one (thing). If you have success, people rally behind that. I you have a cause that you are trying to get, like the Civic Center. If you have something that people can see and get behind, that helps. Again, I’ll go back. You’ve got the Civic Center project…you’ve got the Armory being built right now. Motlow is going to put a big building right behind the Robotics Center. You have the Bridgestone project going on, and you’ve got another one pending. That’s a lot of activity for a relatively small area. That will get people feeling good about Warren County.
Todd Herzog, Founder and former president of Accu-Router, Board member of of the Business Roundtable Action Committee.
I think that southern charm. You go to Walmart and you speak to people going up and down the aisles. It has changed a lot since we have started streaming our services. If you go to the gas station, the furniture store, you see people and speak to them. In other cities, you don’t have that type of interaction. That friendly hometown feeling. We are not Mayberry, but we are not that far off.
Tony Lawrence, Minister Church of Christ at Bybee Branch.
I think just a pride of being a part of McMinnville. I think the history sets us apart from other similar-sized rural cities. The school of photography, the Lively School. That was amazing that it was here. William Faulkner, prolific people like Tomas Savage that Savage Gulf is named after.
We have a ton of civic organizations that people get involved in. To me, if you want to do something, if you raise your hand, you are going to be on three to four organizations. You can be as involved as you want to be. The availability of those things allows for the community to get together and work on things like Hark in the Park.
Justin Tanner, Co-owner of Capital Real Estate and Property Management.
There are two factors that I see that are really uniting. There is a fervent sense of heritage and patriotism learned and practiced from generation to generation.
Volunteerism and community activism are strong assets here. There is a strong, mission-oriented volunteer base in Warren County and there are organizations that provide assistance as a part of their mission. There are a wealth of people in Warren County reaching down and giving a hand up to help people here. It is very quiet, very unseen. Meals on Wheels, Good Neighbors, The Hope Center, Habitat, Food Bank, Exchange Clubs, Lions, Rotary to name a few. There is a multitude of people working quietly, out of view, that are doing something every single day for those in the most need. You have that happening in other communities, but I see it happening a lot more here and I think we live in a very generous community.
Mac McWhirter, Retired after 23 years at Rhodes College as Comptroller and Associate Vice President of Administrative Services, former Finance Director for City of Memphis, former Chief Administrative Officer of Shelby County.
The idea of a person having a hard time, struggling, homeless, whatever; we don’t like to see ourselves in that light. We want to be at the point where we do not have to be in that situation. We want a roof over our heads, food on the table and that we can pay our bills.
Wayne Wolford, Founder, Curator of the Warren County Black History Museum, retired military.
Small town. I think we all realize that we all live in a wonderful community and that we are a small town. There are people who need help. I think when someone is in need, the community joins together. I think that makes us unique. 33 years ago, I did not understand all the fundraisers, all the events that were going on. I got acclimated to it pretty fast. People were coming in (the restaurant) asking for donations. I was asking why are we doing all of this, but this is a community that brings real meaning to the term “Tennessee Volunteer.” I know that I have volunteered that everything there is, and I have seen people doing that. I think that is what unites us.
Lisa Zavogiannis, Co-owner of Gondola Restaurant, Assistant District Attorney Bedford County, former District Attorney Warren – Van Buren Counties.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Theodor Roosevelt, Paris speech, April 23, 1910. Commonly referred to as the “Man in the Arena” speech.
Next week’s article is My Final Thoughts by Brad Durham.
McMinnville High School – Central High School – 1950
Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary – May 2023
By Brad Durham
Education means a lot of things to people in McMinnville. People are questioning and debating what is transpiring in our schools on local, state and national levels. The responses of the twelve interviewees are more varied on this topic than any other topic they were asked.
McMinnville’s schools are actually funded by the county, state and federal governments. The City of McMinnville had agreed to fund the schools with part of their local sales tax revenue when the County took over the schools in the late 1960s, but several years ago the City sued the County government to abrogate that agreement. Collectively, the lawsuit cost the City and County approximately $800,000 to $1,000,000 in legal fees.
The City and County settled the lawsuit, and the City is in the process of recovering all of the local sales tax that was going to the County. According to McMinnville City Mayor Ryle Chastain, “The amount increases yearly and will peak at around 2M per year, and will continue to be paid to the City indefinitely.”
You can see the County’s school budget by clicking here. The school system receives approximately another $11.5 million in federal funds that you can view here: federal budget. After funding for school meals is factored in, the total Warren County School Budget is approximately $75 million.
Education is a hot topic on several levels; therefore, I asked Dr. Grant Swallows, the Director of Schools, for a response to the interviews. Swallows’ response is at the end of the interviews. One part of his response mentions that $5,000,000 has been added to Warren County’s school budget by the school board to increase teacher and employee compensation. Another part of his response clarifies how bathrooms are designated for students.
The response of the twelve interviewees to this question:
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
I do. We are always trying to build better programs and recruiting good teachers, and having the buy-in of the community is essential — they have to see results. For a long time, it was like they really didn’t want to invest in children. But, to me, you invest in children or you invest in jails.
Jimmy Haley
Letting gender identification in to our area — where at the middle school a middle school child that says he identifies with a female can enter the female elementary bathroom with girls. I didn’t know that was happening till last week. I was told by a county commissioner that it is happening. The words were, not that it was quoted to me, but quoted to me by a county commissioner that it was told to him by the director of schools that when the county gives him $11 million a year in funding, he’ll listen to the county. That he’s going to listen to the federal mandates, and that’s what the feds told him to do.
That’s terrible. That’s absolutely terrible. It has no place in our area. So post-COVID, I think the school board sucks. I think that the policies of the school board suck. I think the tone and the tenor that the Warren County schools are going in sucks. I think that we need an elected school superintendent, not an appointed school superintendent. I think every school board meeting should be open and completely transparent. They should be able to take addresses by the general populace in a timely and regimented manner. It is my understanding, I’ve not attended one, but I understand that during COVID they would not let people attend, even wearing a mask or not, but they televise the meetings. So, I believe that we have a huge problem in our school system.
Stacey Harvey
I don’t have any children, but from my experience when I was in the school system, I think we have a very good public school system.
Judith Gomez
I think there is room for improvement, a lot of improvement.
Well, this is personal experience, I have sent three kids to school here. Two of them went to private school because they needed a smaller classroom.
I don’t think there is much care focused on helping kids with disabilities. The average smart child can get through school. The average smart child gets the awards for most improved. What about the child with a disability who learns to read but was never supposed to? Attention is not on those children. I think those children are left behind. If I was in charge, I would be putting a lot of emphasis on that. They really need to look at that child’s particular disability and help that child grow and expand just like any other child.
With my kids, it took the extra effort that I put into it. I know that a lot of parents don’t have the ability to do that, but I was fortunate.
My child was not supposed to read or learn the alphabet, and he’s in college.
Lisa Zavogiannis
I’m biased because I am heavily involved in one aspect of that. The growth of the CTE program at the high school is phenomenal, particularly if you go back 20 years. It used to be a shop program, and it is totally different from that today. We have $5-$8 million in equipment in the CTE wing. We have a huge megatronics program there, and a huge robotics program there. We have one million dollars’ worth of equipment — all new in the machine shop technology program.
Todd Herzog
I agree with the direction and the quality. My wife works in the school system. There are a lot of challenges that people who don’t work in the school system have no clue about. It is really easy to say that teacher didn’t do this or that when they have 15 other challenges going on that day that no one has any clue about.
We have great teachers, and I think they do the best they can. I think the administration from Bobby Cox to the present administration — they have done great things.
Justin Tanner
I guess my answer to that is that I would like to see it improve. I would like to see the powers-to-be, whoever that is, try to improve the quality…whether that is paying teachers more or bringing in better teachers…I would like to see it improve.
I don’t know if it is true or not, but I am told that we are not paying teachers very well.
Dr. Bryan Chastain
I know a lot of folks do homeschooling. That is their prerogative. But as far as me being old school, knowing what it is like going to school…meeting people, having friends, being in the band, being at the point where I can interact with people. Growing up like that I almost feel like that gives you more freedom.
Wayne Wolford
I do, and I feel for the school system and the teachers especially. I was glad to hear that Hillsdale lost its contract and that it was not coming in because that was going to be a very threatening prospect for public education. I think the teachers are doing everything they can, and the school system is doing everything they can. I’ve been very happy with my sons’ (who are in the school system) experience. I think it’s great.
Mandy Eller
The high school is, in size alone, very difficult to manage. I have heard many say that it was better when we had two high schools. That may be a moot point, however, because a second high school would cost well over $150 million, perhaps more. Adding to this, do our teachers have time to mentor with all the other burdens we now place upon them. I think teachers are doing all they can under the circumstances. The teachers I have met I are dedicated and committed to providing good instruction, but I don’t know if they have time to do that. Teaching is more challenging now than ever with all the hats teachers must wear, in addition to the worries of security.
Mac McWhirter
Sort of hard for me to answer that now. My kids have been out of school for a long time. My youngest has been out of school for 22 years. Both of my sons have been out and working for years.
We have a lot of public school teachers in our congregation. All the ones I know are very good folks, dedicated. And we have administrators here. I know their character. I think they are good folks. Our kids have gone off from here and done well.
Tony Lawrence
I do to the extent that they are having to follow what comes out of the federal (government) and actually the state has put in this third-grade deal…and that bothers me. But that’s not something I can blame our local school system with because they receive money from them, and that’s the mandates that they are forced to have. I think that’s an unfair thing. If a kid has a problem testing or if they just have a bad day, they are going to be held back. It is going to be a burden on our public school system to try to take them to the summer and get them passed on to the next grade. That’s the main problem I’ve got with the school system right now.
Terry Bell
Dr. GRANT SWALLOWS, Direct of Warren County Schools, response:
Thanks for the opportunity to add my thoughts. They are as follows:
First, I want to thank these individuals for adding their open and honest feedback about our schools in Warren County. We appreciate any support that our community can give our very hard-working employees and most of all our students. I agree with many of the people that said our school system faces lots of challenges in meeting the needs of every one of our 6,250 students. Any organization that size would have difficulties but that doesn’t discount the very dedicated individuals that come to work every day and take care of kids. We provide a positive atmosphere, opportunities for learning, extra-curricular activities, food, and oftentimes clothing when needed. We cannot do that alone. It takes the full community. If we don’t have its support then we cannot accomplish the task. It is an investment in Warren County’s future because we are currently educating the next generation of people that will be interviewed for stories such as this one. We simply cannot afford to fail.
As to some of the specific concerns, we are constantly seeking ways to improve. Some alluded to improving the quality of our education and that has long been the goal. One person mentioned the success of our CTE program that has been recognized statewide as a leader in offering students access and skills training for their life after high school. Also, it was mentioned that Warren County is behind in what we pay our teachers and that’s true. We are fortunate this year to receive additional state allocations that will help us combat that problem. The schoolboard just approved a proposed budget that has more than five million dollars appropriated to improve employee salaries. We believe this decision shows an appreciation to our employees as well as the fact that it puts us in a place to recruit and retain employees in the future.
Our work with students with disabilities was mentioned and that is always a challenge. However, I would counter that just this week we received documentation from the Tennessee Department of Education that says our Special Education Department is rated at the top of their scale in terms of meeting expectations. Regardless, meeting every student’s needs is the most important thing we can do. Those challenges vary and are often not something that can be done by the school alone. It takes a partnership between the school and the family and that is something we work really hard to try and accomplish. As far as the comment about students entering into bathroom facilities with students from another gender, that is against state law and is against policy in Warren County Schools. Federal law requires that schools make accommodations in a situation such as was mentioned to provide an alternate restroom that would have individual access such as in a nurse’s office or faculty restroom.
In terms of our school board, I very much appreciate the dedicated individuals that serve on our school board. I see every day their commitment to the students and employees of Warren County Schools. They are a fine group of public servants and are charting a course for continued success in our school system. School board meetings returned to open meetings after the COVID restrictions ended and have been open to the public for the last 2 years. Regular meetings take place on the fourth Monday of every month at 5 pm. The agendas are advertised on our website and the public is welcome, as well as encouraged, to attend. Finally, our school system does have a burden of complying with several federal and statewide mandates as it pertains to education. Many times laws are made that have good intentions. While I will always agree with raising expectations, sometimes those laws are not what’s best for kids. At the end of the day, our job is to provide a first-class experience for students where they feel loved and appreciated while we do the important work of teaching them skills necessary for them to lead a productive and fulfilling life. The mandates of the law often get in the way of that goal but that will not stop us from trying to fulfill that mission. I am thankful to live and work in a community that values education and wants to see our students succeed!
Grant Swallows
Director of Schools
Warren County
Next week’s article will be posted on May 16, and the topic is “What Unites Us in McMinnville.”
If you were the mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
By Brad Durham
The answers reflect potential solutions to things that our interviewees would like to change in McMinnville. Each person I interviewed gave thoughtful responses. The changes suggested below are generally ideas that can change the quality of life in McMinnville.
Hypothetically assuming that one could make changes as a mayor raised another question. How much change can a mayor of a town actually make? Assuming there are no limits on what the cost would be and what could be changed, what would you change in McMinnville?
The following are comments from the people I interviewed…
Another thing that concerns me is sidewalks. They recently put one on the right side of the street into town from here. But there are a lot of apartments out here, and a lot of foot traffic. Prior to putting the sidewalks in, people walked on the edge of the street, and late at night, if you weren’t careful…I just think there needs to be some infrastructure concerns.
Tony Lawrence
The first thing I would promote is creation of more greenways, walking trails and bike paths. That would lead to more ways to enjoy the natural beauty of the area. Dr. Wally Bigbee has done a wonderful job of doing just this but there is still much to do to continue what he’s started.
Promoting small business development is important, in businesses locally owned with a workforce of 10-25 people. Those businesses are not going to disappear as quickly as some large manufacturing businesses who have no reason not to pull uproots at some point and we lose 300 jobs at one time.
Mac McWhirter
I would like to see more culture. The places I have been in the military, has helped me see how things can work together in the culture.
Wayne Wolford
I would add more law enforcement, and that comes from my background.
Lisa Zavogiannis
I would like to see trying two-way streets downtown and see how that works. It may give some businesses more exposure than they have right now.
Justin Tanner
Change? I don’t necessarily use the word change. I would invest in infrastructure, housing, and economic development. I think those are all three keys to future growth, prosperity and for more sustainability for local government to provide the services that people expect. To me, that’s what government is…to provide services.
Jimmy Haley
It would be nice to have more businesses for shopping like it used to be at the Mall.
Judith Gomez
I continue to believe that the city ought to have an industrial recruiting program. There is nothing to stop them. For example, the city of Sparta leased all kinds of land on 111 for industrial recruiting. There is nothing to stop them from doing that.
Todd Herzog
We need more housing, and that’s a huge issue if we want to grow. People say we need more jobs, better jobs, but they have to live somewhere and the schools would have to expand as well. We need more housing, affordable housing.
Mandy Eller
I would put more walking trails and bicycle lanes. I would make it more walking friendly. For instance, if you were walking from here to the mall, you would be putting your life at risk, and people are doing that every day.
Dr. Bryan Chastain
Well, number one, I don’t want to be mayor of McMinnville. I don’t envy that position at all.
If I waved my magic wand I could come up with clearly defined list of expectations for every segment of our population, and I would enforce those laws and expectations and develop accountability.There is a lack of accountability that we have in our entire world and it affects us negatively here in our own home.
…I think that this area needs a lot more transparency in government as far as taxation and spending. I hope that I am doing my part in trying to bring that out. Instead of being made out to be a pariah in bringing things out in local government, if you question the priorities in spending in the local government, I would wish that we would have the expectation that government officials are questioned and that they expect to be questioned.
Stacey Harvey
I would in some way wind up with an indoor pool at the Civic Center…I’m not saying what they did was wrong. I’m just saying I would have made sure that was in the project.
Terry Bell
The idea of making changes may cause some curiosity about the City of McMinnville’s budget. Nolan Ming, the City Administrator, recently stated that the city’s projected budget for this fiscal year is $26,116,841, and he expects it to come in under budget. The budget does not include a cash balance of $6,091, 466. The City’s entire budget can be seen online here.
One final thought on the idea of making changes. The cost of an indoor pool was $2 million a few years ago. What would it cost to do it now?
Next week’s article on May 9, will focus on public education in McMinnville.
Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.
Walt Disney
Downtown McMinnville, April 2023
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future?
By Brad Durham
The comments from the twelve people I interviewed regarding McMinnville’s future were very positive. It is reassuring to know that a cross-section of McMinnvillians are thinking optimistically about our future.
Perhaps the centerpiece of McMinnville is downtown, the town itself. The court square in downtown is looking as good as it has looked in my lifetime (66 years). There may not be as many businesses and people downtown as there were many years ago, yet the physical appearance has improved dramatically in the past few decades. Without question, businesses and people are coming back to downtown McMinnville.
The questions of economic growth, education, housing and leadership in local government are all wrapped up in how people view the future. Although we may disagree on some of these things, I believe, in general, the people in McMinnville are glad to be here and see a positive future for our town.
The following are comments from the twelve interviewees about McMinnville’s future.
It is still a good place to raise a family. The town is comprised of so many good folks. I do express some concern about the leadership of our city. I do wish that we had some good, solid leaders with the insight that this is where we want to go in five years, ten years. I just wish we had some leaders with a little more foresight.
Tony Lawrence
There is going to be great improvement here. The cost of housing and the weather are all prime things right now. This is the place where the cost of living is reasonable.
Wayne Wolford
If you had asked me that 10-15 years ago, it looked bleak. But I am very hopeful now, overwhelmingly positive.
You drive through Main Street on any given day, and there is life now.
Dr. Bryan Chastain
I think positive. I know that Murfreesboro and surrounding towns are growing, so I think we are in a good spot. We are in the middle of everything. We’re close to Nashville, Chattanooga and Murfreesboro.
Judith Gomez
I definitely think positively. I see a lot of changes here with the influx of people from different areas. This is going to become one of the up-and-coming areas of Middle Tennessee to move to.
Lisa Zavogiannis
I think it has more potential than it has ever had. We can’t turn this into California. We’re just not going to let it happen. I’ll fight it till the day I die. Warren County. Warren County. I want people to come in here, and want to be Warren Countians and McMinnvillians.
Stacey Harvey
I see it as very positive. I see a lot of young people getting involved, investing in businesses, running for offices, so I think that’s a sign for long-term growth.
Mandy Eller
I’m an optimist. I always think that the best is yet to come. We have had ups and downs.With good leadership and good planning, being more proactive rather than reacting to situations. That is how you expect something good to happen down the road.
Jimmy Haley
We could do so much better, and I think we will because we’ve gone to training levels that most people would love to have, and it’s here. Our CT program at the high school is phenomenal. I think it is the best in the state. Obviously, the robotics center is a major win. Megatronics is a big win. There is a lot going on here.
Todd Herzog
I think it is very positive. I think that progress has continued. I think we are a kind of jewel, a diamond in the rough. I think a lot of people feel that way when they come here.
Justin Tanner
I’m encouraged by the leadership in the County Commission and the Board of Aldermen. I have found them approachable and to be good listeners at their meetings. There has been good financial management from the finance committees and the chief administration officials. I feel they are aware of the challenges facing a community with growth potential.
Mac McWhirter
Next week’s article on May 2 focuses on what people would change in McMinnville.
Dr. Smoot delivered me at the Clinic in downtown McMinnville in 1956. As a child of the fifties, I remember when Chancery Street was a beautiful tree-lined, two-lane street. I remember people saying they were “yellow-dog” democrats, and they were proud of being that. Today, most of the people in McMinnville are republicans. I was in the fourth grade when schools were racially integrated in McMinnnville. Our community is still trying to resolve divisions over various issues including race, taxes, politics, education and the beautification of the city.
Our former presidents such as George Washington and Andrew Jackson owned slaves. Then as now, America has been divided on political and spiritual issues. For example, Christians were divided over slavery, and both sides used scripture to defend their points of view. Similar to our early history, McMinnville’s citizens in 2023 have different views spiritually, culturally, and politically. Our political landscape is very divided, and both sides often use Christian teaching and scripture as references for their points of view.
As we truly listen to each other, hopefully, we see more commonality than division. McMinnville is stronger when it is united; weaker when it is divided.
The following are comments from the twelve people I interviewed.
I wish people would be respectful of other people and their opinions. I believe that we’re divided by…in this country…unfortunately from 2012 to 2020, we were divided by race — by the United States government within the United States government.
Stacey Harvey
More or less, what I think divides us is our actual government. Actually, having the city government and the county government because most people don’t understand the difference between the city controlling this…(and the county controlling that). The tax thing divides us too.
Terry Bell
I guess different mindsets. Political views especially now.
Judith Gomez
I think there is the same type of dichotomy there is in the country. I think there are democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives.
And I think the haves and have-nots divides us. We have people here who are struggling financially, and there a lot of people who are doing well. There is probably some trouble there as well.
Tony Lawrence
There are some people who want to hang onto how things were 50 years ago and maybe wish things were the same as they were then. I am sure there is a valuable reason they feel that way. There are other people who would like to see more progress.
Justin Tanner
Politics, right? It’s dividing the whole country, and I think it’s ridiculous that in national politics and the division we see there — we are seeing at the local level. That’s crazy.
Mandy Eller
I think we get caught up in issues like politics and parties that really don’t serve us well. And in our day-to-day lives don’t really matter, but for some reason we get really caught up in it. We get very concerned about who is doing what in Washington, and probably we should be more concerned about what is going on right around us.
Dr. Bryan Chastain
I think the fear of change. I think it has been fueled a bit by the political climate of our country, and I think that politics has instead of uniting people, has divided people. It’s become….if you are for that, then I’m against it. They draw the line and there is nobody willing to meet and compromise in the middle, and that’s what has made democracy so great for so long.
Jimmy Haley
That’s a tough one. When I first came here, I didn’t understand the way this works. We’ve historically been hard-core Bible Belt. We are about as traditional Bible Belt as you can get, and I think that is a divisive issue.
Todd Herzog
Not making sure that the citizenry is properly informed of decisions affecting their community. Not having the opportunity to participate in town hall or meetings or give input on development decisions. We have seen that happen recently on a couple of occasions and it breeds mistrust.
There seems to be a desire at this point, which you could see in the last election, to push party politics into McMinnville that will lead, in my opinion, to divisiveness and impede good debate on key issues. Warren County has been known for its people being independent thinkers and I would hate to see political gridlock become an impediment here.
Mac McWhirter
Politics. If you are a R or a D, it is almost like we do not associate with you. Regarding the restaurant, I have been told that you are a democrat, so I am not eating with you. I am human. I am a person. I am here to take care of you. I don’t care what your politics are, but too many people do. It has gotten worse over the past 6-8 years. It has literally become very divisive for this community.
Lisa Zavogiannis
Politics. Religion. We all have discriminations. When I say that, I mean so and so’s house is better than mine. Their car is better than mine. They have more money than I have. We all discriminate like that. That is all of us.
Wayne Wolford
Apparently, there is vast agreement in McMinnville that politics divides us. Politics may not be the only divisive factor in our midst, but it is probably at the top of the list. As Jimmy Haley indicated, we are not meeting in the middle to compromise as we once did.
It is my hope that we will find more common ground. If we can agree to disagree, we can agree to work on respecting our differences and working together for the greater good of McMinnville. Perhaps there is an “Abraham Lincoln” in our future who can help lead McMinnville to resolve its political divisiveness.
Next week’s article on April 25 will focus on the question, what do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future?
Several months ago, I started interviewing twelve people in McMinnville. My intent was to interview a cross-section of people that would provide different points of view. Not everyone I interviewed is from McMinnville originally, but they all presently consider McMinnville or Warren County their home. Although McMinnville is a small town, many of the national interests and dynamics are represented here. I hope you enjoy learning who the twelve interviewees are and why they are in McMinnville.
The following are their words and stories…
I am a Rock Island man. I’ve lived out there all my life. Came home from the hospital out there in the Midway Community. I served on the County Commission for 16 years. I just want to see Warren County do good. So that’s the reason I ran for this office (County Executive), and I just hope that I can make everyone’s life better.
Terry Bell, County Executive, Farmer.
I’m in McMinnville because of two doctors. Wally Bigbee and Thurman Pedigo took a chance on a young kid 34-35 years ago. They recruited me out of Texas, and I was bound for Arkansas, where I was born and raised. They came to Texas and got me. At first, I said no, I don’t know anything about Tennessee. They said that they would fly my wife and I up there for a weekend, and to just come up and see us. We did, and thank goodness we drove through Woodbury and instead of Mt. Leo. They put us up at the Americana, and we came anyway!
DR. BRYAN CHASTAIN, Doctor in private practice.
Well, I was born and raised in Warren County. You know, I ended up marrying a nurseryman. My dad was a nurseryman and whenever I left home at 18, I said that I am never going to set foot in another nursery. And I ended up marrying a nurseryman. (Laughs.) So, I was around the nursery industry for 37 years anyway. I ended up staying here, you know.
MANDY ELLER, Executive Director of Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic; former Executive Director of the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce.
My parents wanted to live in a place that was more peaceful. My brothers were about to graduate from high school. They did not want my brothers to graduate in California and go down the wrong path.
JUDITH GOMEZ, Forensic Interviewer at Children’s Advocacy Center.
Well, my roots run very deep. My family were founding members of the community 200-plus years ago, so they’ve lived here and flourished here. Some have moved on to other states and places, but I felt that my calling was to remain here in McMinnville and help change lives one day at a time.
JIMMY HALEY, Former County Executive, former City Mayor, retired educator.
I was born here. We moved away when I was in the eighth grade to Kissimmee, Florida and then to Fort Worth, Texas. That’s not where I wanted to raise a family. I was raised out in Faulkner Springs and I always said [that] this is where I wanted to raise my family. So, I struck out on my own with my own business when I moved back here in 1992. I’m still here 30 years later, and I’m not going away.
STACEY HARVEY, President, Warrior Precast LLC, City Alderman.
I have a very simple answer for that: I came here to work at Powermatic. I came here for a job. I was in Buffalo, New York and Powermatic was looking for someone to head up their sales and marketing department and I applied for the job. I came and spent 16 years in that role.
TODD HERZOG, Founder and former president of Accu-Router, Board Member of the Business Roundtable Action Committee.
An opportunity to work with the Church of Christ at Bybee Branch. When I learned of the opening, Glenn Ramsey moved to Cookeville. Glen Ramsey was the minister before me. He and I both were teaching at Tennessee Bible College at that time. He told me about the opportunity here, and I contacted the church here. I came and tried it out, and they decided they wanted me. That was 38 years ago.
TONY LAWRENCE, Minister Church of Christ at Bybee Branch.
I grew up here and went away to college at UT-K. Did not think I would move back here. My wife is from here, and around the time we started a family in Murfreesboro I was looking to change to mortgage lending from real estate because it is a little bit slower paced.
Hey, this is a good place to live, and we moved back. I took a position as a mortgage lender at Security Federal and stayed there for three and a half years.
I have always had pride in being where I was from. My dad was a football coach, and I have always had that Pioneer spirit. It is a great place to live. It is a beautiful place too. We’re surrounded by beauty, and not everybody has that. All those things together made it work for us.
JUSTIN TANNER, Co-owner of Capital Real Estate and Property Management.
Three reasons: the natural beauty and outdoor opportunities, the friendliness of the people, and family history.
Both sides of my family have deep roots here. My ancestors settled here in the Rock Island area in the early 1800s.
We bought a farm in the early 1990’s and built wonderful friendships, learning a lot from folks that a city boy doesn’t usually get exposed to. Retired and moved here in 2013 and haven’t regretted a moment of it.
MAC McWHIRTER, Retired from Rhodes College as Comptroller and Associate Vice President of Administrative Services, former Finance Director for City of Memphis, former Chief Administrative Officer of Shelby County.
My grandparents moved back here. I am the only child. My mother let me come here every other year, and I fell in love with this place. I was born in Illinois; we moved to St. Louis when I was six years old. When I was 10, my grandmother moved here. When I was in St. Louis, I could not get out and do the things that I could do here. I could run in the countryside…had freedom here.
My first three years of high school were in St. Louis, and then I moved here for my fourth year. Graduated from Central High School in 1966. Came here one year after integration.
Moved back here permanently in 1995 when I got out of the military.
WAYNE WOLFORD, Founder, Director, Curator of the Warren County Black History Museum. Retired military.
My husband and I came here 33 years ago and opened up a small restaurant. We were looking for a place to open a restaurant, and we came here. We had a small child who was 18 months old. We didn’t know anybody.
LISA ZAVOGIANNIS, Co-owner of Gondola Restaurant, Assistant District Attorney Bedford County, former District Attorney Warren – Van Buren Counties.
Next week’s article on April 18 will focus on the question, what do you think divides us in McMinnville?
If you are reading this, it is almost certain that you are a McMinnville resident. You probably call this place your home. Most likely, you were born here, and your parents were born here. Or, you moved here either recently or a long time ago. We are individuals but similar in many ways. I interviewed twelve people in McMinnville to create an introspection of McMinnville, a deeper understanding of who we are in this small town.
Putting all labels and distinctions aside, my focus was to learn more about what unites and divides us, what people value about education and the things that people would change. There is the obvious existential question of why are you here, and then the questions become more about the quality of life you want for yourself and everyone in McMinnville.
McMinnville is where we are. McMinnville is also part of who we are. Some people say that America is a nation built on a dream, a dream that is still being defined and realized. McMinnville is part of that American dream. Our Declaration of Independence states:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The interviews are an introspection to determine how McMinnville is doing in the pursuit of these ideals — through the eyes of people in McMinnville. The interviews also offer a sense of discovery. McMinnville can learn more about itself by learning what different people think about McMinnville.
The best place to start is an introduction to the twelve people I interviewed and their explanations of why they are here. In future publications, the interviews will dive more deeply into the quality of life and philosophical questions about what McMinnville is and what people want McMinnville to be.
It is my hope that the publication of these interviews can lead to a town meeting in the near future, which can turn these interviews into an interactive conversation and positive thinking. McMinnville is a place where people can affirm each other and work together to keep McMinnville moving forward in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for all of its residents.
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FIRST IN THE SERIES OF ARTICLES:
Introduction of Interviewees.
The interviewees stating why they are in McMinnville.
BD Newsletter 
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