People

Avery Johnson, longtime vice mayor of Cleveland, has announced he will retire in May. Johnson has spent 22 years as Cleveland’s vice mayor and has served on the Cleveland City Council since 1993. Johnson also retired after 44 years of service to Maytag Cooking Products in Cleveland. He is a past...

Jimmy Massengill, former mayor of Graysville, died March 20, 2024 at the age of 53. Massengill spent more than 20 years on the Graysville City Council, serving both as mayor and vice mayor. He also spent 33 years as a firefighter with the Dayton Fire Department.  

Haley Smith has been named as the first communications and marketing manager for the city of Cookeville. She will report directly to City Manager James Mills and will enhance connectivity and engagement between the city and residents. Smith has five years of professional experience, most recently...

Chuck Downham has been selected as the new assistant town manager and project manager for the town of Nolensville. Downham has more than 37 years of municipal management, planning, and project management experience, and joins the town of Nolensville from serving as a municipal management consultant...

Chris Cummins has been selected as the interim chief of Columbia Fire and Rescue. Cummins has more than 30 years of experience with Columbia Fire and Rescue, joining as a firefighter in 1990. He has since served as a fire engineer, driver, captain, assistant chief of suppression and retired as...

Bruce Cureton, who served for 15 years as fire chief of the Knoxville Fire Department, died March 14, 2024 at the age of 81. Cureton served as chief from 1982 to 1997, retiring after 30 years in the fire service. Cureton was a lifetime member of the International Fire Chiefs Association. During his...

Haley Elliot has been selected as the new tourism program coordinator for Visit Farragut. In the role, she will focus on social media management, event coordination, and community outreach via the Mobile Visitor Center (MVC). Elliot is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University.  

Matthew Trollinger has been selected as the new town manager for Signal Mountain. Trollinger comes from Somerset, Md., where he has served as town manager since 2019. Prior to that, Trollinger served as village manager of the village of Martin’s Additions, Md., for three years and as a paralegal...

Eric Bittner has been confirmed by the Clarksville City Council to become the next city attorney and will assume the role on May 1 following the retirement of longtime City Attorney Lance Baker. Bittner has practiced law in Clarksville since 1995 and has served as the city’s deputy city attorney...

Curtis Hayes has announced his decision to retire as mayor of Livingston after 18 years in the role. Hayes was first elected as mayor in 2006, becoming both the first African-American mayor of Livingston and the first African-American mayor in all of Overton County. A lifelong resident of Livingston...

Don Ridgeway, a former state lawmaker and executive director of the Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council, died March 2, 2024, at his home in Paris. After graduating the University Tennessee at Martin with a bachelor’s degree in education, Ridgeway became a teacher at Groe Junior High...