People

Lea Powers has been appointed vice mayor of Bristol by her fellow city councilmembers. Powers steps into the vice mayor seat after previous Vice Mayor Vince Turner became mayor upon the resignation of former mayor Mark Hutton to take a permanent job. Powers will remain as vice mayor until an...

Walter Denton has been selected as the new assistant city administrator for community and economic development for the city of Franklin. Denton is taking over from Vernon Gerth, who retired after 18 years of service. Denton has 33 years of local government experience, including 23 years as the city...

Jon Lane has been selected as the new director of Water and Sewer Services for the city of Johnson City. Lane is taking over from Tom Witherspoon, who retires in November. Lane has 11 years of service in the WSS department, working both as a civil engineer and most recently as assistant director for...

Corinne Gould is joining the Tennessee Municipal League (TML) staff as TML Senior Director of Communications.  

In her new role, Gould will be responsible for a wide range of communications platforms maintained by TML, including serving as editor and chief of Tennessee Town and City and overseeing...

Cathy Osbourne has been selected as the interim city manager for the town of Greeneville following the departure of City Manager Todd Smith. Osbourne previously served as the assistant city administrator and oversaw both the town’s grand administration process and implemented the town’s Americans...

Mark Finucane, former assistant chief of the Johnson City Fire Department, died Aug. 31, 2025, at the age of 68. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Finucane came to East Tennessee State University on a track and field scholarship and competed professionally for six years after college. He joined the JCFD in...

Joshua Morrison has been selected as the new assistant chief of the Hendersonville Police Department. Morrison began his career with the Hendersonville Police Department in 2005, serving as a police officer, master patrol officer, corporal, patrol sergeant, and as a member of the Mounted Patrol Unit...

Brian Shepard has been selected as the new fire chief for the city of Morristown. Shepard joined the Morristown Fire Department in 1998 and worked his way up through the ranks, serving as fire marshal from 2017 to 2020. Most recently, he served as deputy fire chief since 2020. He will succeed Chief...

Chad McDonald has been selected as the next director of the Cookeville Department of Leisure Services and Public Facilities following the retirement of current director Rick Woods in October. McDonald has been with the city in various capacities for more than 30 years, beginning as a part-time...

Vince Turner will assume the role of mayor of Bristol after the resignation of Dr. Mark Hutton from the role. Hutton resigned his position as mayor effective Sept. 2, 2025, after Hutton accepted a permanent pastoral position. Turner, who previously served as the city’s vice mayor, will assume the...

Tom Witherspoon is retiring as the water and sewer services director for the city of Johnson City after more than 44 years of public service. Witherspoon began his career with the city as a civil engineer in 1981. He was named assistant director of the water and sewer services department in 1982 and...

Vernon Gerth is retiring as Franklin’s assistant city administrator for community and economic development after 18 years of service to the city and more than 40 in local governments. Gerth joined the city of Franklin in January 2007 as the first assistant city administrator for community and...