By Brad Durham
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.
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.
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