People

Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower has announced changes to his office’s local government team.  

Jim Arnette, director of local government audit, will retire effective March 31, 2026, following 42 years of service to the comptroller’s office. In his role, Arnette has played a vital role in...

Linda McCrary has been selected to fill the vacancy on the Red Boiling Springs City Council left by the death of her husband George in December. A member of the Retired Teachers Association, McCrary is a lifelong Red Boiling Springs resident and served as a librarian for the Macon County Schools...

George Edwards has been selected as the new fire chief for the city of Hendersonville. Edwards began his career as a firefighter with the department in 1995 and has since been promoted five times. His most recent promotion was to assistant chief of the department in 2023.  

Daniel Estes, city manager for Elizabethton, has been selected to serve on the Tennessee City Management Association Board at a special called meeting. Estes has served as Elizabethton’s city manager since June 2018. Prior to that, he was assistant town administrator for Collierville. He also served...

Jim Sells, who was at one point the sixth-longest serving mayor in the country, died Jan. 15, 2025, at the age of 80. Sells served as mayor of Rogersville for 47 years from 1978 to 2025 and served as an alderman for the city from 1971 to 1977. The meeting room for the town's Board of Mayor and...

Bill Almon, a captain with the Franklin Fire Department, died Jan. 15, 2026, from brain cancer at the age of 49. Almon retired as captain of Station No. 6 in April 2025. He spent 27 years with the Franklin Fire Department and was named Fire Office of the Year in 2023, along with winning numerous...

Crissy Fletcher has been hired as the new town recorder for Farragut. Fletcher previously retired after spending more than 17 years as the city clerk for Hopkinsville, Ky., and a further 10 years as the assistant city clerk. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Austin Peay...

Tessa Cortes has been hired as the new finance director for Farragut. Cortes joins the city from Maryville College where she spent nine years in various financial roles, including assistant controller, accounting controller, and director of financial reporting. Prior to that, she spent nearly 10...

Outgoing West Tennessee Mayor’s Association President and Bolivar Mayor Julian McTizic, left, receives a plaque from incoming President and McKenzie Mayor Ryan Griffin at the group’s January meeting. The association is dedicated to supporting the communities in the region and convenes quarterly to...

Kevin Wilson, longtime municipal judge for the city of Collegedale, died Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Wilson served as the municipal judge since 1990, when the position became an elected one. Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Adventist University in 1978, followed by...