People

Rhett Pratt will join the Tennessee Municipal League’s government relations team on Jan. 18, 2023. Pratt will be taking the position previously held by Denise Paige. Pratt has spent a decade working in and with members of the Tennessee General Assembly, including his present role as a legislative...

Bristol Police Department K-9 Officer Eric Keller has been joined by K-9 Stash, a Belgian Malinois trained in narcotics detection and patrol work. Keller is a U.S. Air Force veteran who trained as a K-9 handler during his military career and joined Bristol PD six years ago. He was named the city’s...

Benton McDonough has been hired as the director of nightlife for the city of Nashville, a new position created to handle nightlife-related issues including trash, noise, lighting, and safety. Also known as a night mayor, the position is part of municipal staffs in numerous cities with large...

Four Tennessee lawmakers were chosen for leadership positions within the National Black Caucus of State Legislators during the organization’s annual meeting in Las Vegas. 

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, has been elected vice president of the organization while State Rep. Harold Love Jr., D...

The Columbia City Council presents outgoing Vice Mayor Dr. Christa Martin with a plaque honoring her 30 years on the city council. The longest-serving member of the council, Martin has also been honored by the renaming of the Fairview Park Community Center as the Dr. Christa Secrest Martin Community...

Richard A. Bowling, former mayor of Bluff City, died only five months after resigning his office for health reasons. Bowling died Dec. 9, 2022 at the age of 79 after years of complications from COPD caused by exposure to asbestos. Bowling had served on the Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen...

Brig. Gen. Warner A. Ross II has been selected as adjutant general of Tennessee and commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Military. Ross will begin his new role on Jan. 21. Ross has 43 years of military service and presently served as the assistant adjutant general in the U.S. Army for the...

Richard Donnell has been selected to fill the unexpired term left vacant by Jackson District 3 Councilman Ernest Brooks II, who left the position in November to serve as associate deputy district attorney for the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office in Memphis. Donnell is presently...

Steve Everett has been selected as the new mayor of Soddy-Daisy by his fellow members of the Soddy-Daisy City Commission with former Soddy-Daisy Fire Chief Jim Coleman being selected as vice mayor. Everett was elected to a four-year term on the commission in 2020. Everett previously served as an...

Peter Auger has been hired as the newest municipal management consultant by the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service. Auger comes to UT-MTAS from eight years as the city manager of Novi, Mich. After a career in the U.S. Army, Auger earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal...

Christopher Keele, a public works employee with the city of McMinnville, died Nov. 28, 2022 at the age of 52. In addition to serving as a heavy equipment operator for the city, Keele also served as a minister at Mt. Zion Church in McMinville.

Jason King has been hired as a staff attorney for the town of Smyrna and will serve under the direction of Town Attorney Jeffery Peach to perform in-house counsel functions. Prior to joining the town of Smyrna, King was an attorney in private practice for 13 years and was a partner at Kious...