Savannah's Bob Shutt named Mayor of the Year by Municipal League
Savannah Mayor Bob Shutt was named the 2025 Mayor of the Year by the Tennessee Municipal League at their 85th Annual Conference in Chattanooga.
Each year since 1954, the Tennessee Municipal League has honored a city mayor that typifies the attributes of intelligence, effectiveness, hard work, dedication and sacrifice. First elected in 1999, Shutt has worked tirelessly to support economic development in rural areas to ensure their survival, while utilizing his relationships on the local, state, and federal level to bring industrial, retail, and tourism industries to his community.
Economic development has been Shutt’s major focus as mayor, leading legislation to adopt a business district with incentives to attract new retail and building Savannah into a rural retail hub for other rural surrounding counties.
Knowing that tourism can serve as an important economic driver for smaller communities, Shutt has also promoted tourist development in Savannah. Founded in the 1820s as a major riverport on the Tennessee River, Savannah has long been known for its history tied to river travel and is home of the Tennessee River Museum.
Shutt has used the city’s history on the river as a catalyst for tourism efforts and pushed to adopt “River Resort” status for the city. This has led to added revenue to help maintain the city’s Main Street Program as well as promoted tourism.
He has also worked relentlessly for the past seven years to develop a $35 million marina project along the Tennessee River. The project has plans for gift shops, restaurants, condos, and other water related businesses in the city and has just been awarded a $5 million grant from the state of Tennessee. As the Tennessee River is one of the main focuses of tourism in Savannah, Shutt has also pushed to stabilize the riverbank from erosion.
Whether coming into Savannah via roads or docking with one of the Tennessee River cruises that makes landfall in the city, visitors can also enjoy local events Shutt champions like Christmas on Main, Riverfest, fishing tournaments, and the city’s salute to the 40s WWII Reenactment.
During his tenure, Shutt has also overseen the building of three major new parks in Savannah: the Tennessee Street Park, the Savannah Sportsplex, and the Veterans Memorial Park.
A graduate of Savannah’s Central High School Class of 1969, Shutt enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Martin and graduated in 1971. He then enrolled in the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, receiving his pharmacy degree in 1974. After a short stint at a national chain, he returned to his hometown and opened an independent retail pharmacy that he operated for 36 years.
In 1999, he was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy by then Gov. Don Sundquist, eventually serving as the board’s president before stepping down in 2005. He also served as a pharmacist investigator for the board for nine years.
Shutt married his high school sweetheart Janie in 1976. The couple live in a historic home in Savannah they lovingly restored and frequently open it up for historic home tours to visitors. They have three children – Susan, Spence, and Sam – and six grandchildren.