BD Newsletter

September 28, 1944 – June 12, 2023

By Brad Durham

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.

I will miss him.

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

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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.

Got nothing against the big town

Man, I’m still hayseed enough to say, “Look who’s in the big town”

But my bed is in a small town

Oh, and that’s good enough for me.

I was born in a small town

And I can breathe in a small town

Probably die in a small town

Oh, and that’s probably where they’ll bury me

JOHN MELLENCAMP, SMALL TOWN

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. Political division 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.

Sixth in a Series…

By Brad Durham

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?

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Anger and love. There’s a fine line between love and hate.

Stacey Harvey, CEO of Warrior Precast, City Alderman.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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Next week’s article is My Final Thoughts by Brad Durham.

Fifth in a series….

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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Next week’s article will be posted on May 16, and the topic is “What Unites Us in McMinnville.”

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Fourth in a Series…

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…

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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

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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

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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

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I would add more law enforcement, and that comes from my background.

Lisa Zavogiannis

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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

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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

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It would be nice to have more businesses for shopping like it used to be at the Mall.

Judith Gomez

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Third in a Series…

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Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.     

 Walt Disney       

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Next week’s article on May 2 focuses on what people would change in McMinnville.