Thursday, January 31, 2008

Commission Interviews Three Potential Commissioners

   Members of the Lawrenceburg Board of Mayor and Commissioners interviewed three individuals Thursday as potential candidates to fill the seat left vacant by the recent death of Commissioner Buford Goolsby.

   Goolsby, age 67, passed away on January 5 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

   The City of Lawrenceburg Charter requires that a vacancy on the board be filled “by appointment made by the remaining members.” The charter allows the board forty-five days in which to make the appointment. Should they fail to do so within the time span allotted, an election would then be held.

   Commissioners Butch Morrow, Jerry Moore, Robin Williams and Mayor Keith Durham indicated Thursday that they have each been contacted by a number of individuals who have expressed interest in being appointed to the seat. From that number, they opted to set up interviews with three candidates:  Ron Fox, Terry Beecham, and Steve Cone.

   Although the charter decrees that the board appoint a replacement, it does not provide any guidelines regarding the process that should be utilized. Durham pointed out Thursday, “We contacted MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) about guidelines, but they didn’t respond.”

   With no guidelines available, commissioners opted to begin narrowing the field only from among interested parties who have contacted them personally.

   A number of area residents and city employees expressed their belief that an election should be held in order to allow for a more democratic means of filling the seat. If an election were held, it would be at an expense to the city of $11,000. “A small expense in my opinion,” stated one employee.

   “I’ve been here five years,” Durham stated following the interview process Thursday, “and I think this is the toughest decision we’ve had on our plate…I think this commission has been burdened with having to make this choice…”

   Commissioners were asked if, in keeping with custom at the federal and state level, they had considered appointing Goolsby’s widow, Sandra Goolsby, to fill the post. Durham said he had considered Goolsby, but indicated his personal belief that she would not be interested. All, however, indicated they had not spoken directly with Goolsby regarding her potential interest in the position.

   The first interview Thursday was held with Fox, owner of Fox Sporting Goods in Lawrenceburg. A graduate of Lawrence County High School and Martin Methodist College, Fox taught school for three years before working in the engineering division of the Tennessee Department of Transportation for ten years. He has since been in the sporting goods field, first as a salesman, then as owner of his current business for the past twenty-one years.

   Fox, who has worked as a volunteer for many years in the area of youth sports stated, “I’ve volunteered my time in this community ever since I was a kid…If ya’ll choose me I’ll study each situation and I’ll do the best I can. That’s all I can promise you.”

   The second candidate interviewed was Beecham. A 1972 graduate of LCHS, Beecham began his lengthy career in law enforcement just out of high school when he joined the reserve unit of the Lawrenceburg Police Department. He became a city police officer and later was employed through the Tennessee Valley Authority where he served as Training Supervisor at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. He served as Chief Deputy under Lawrence County Sheriff Bruce Durham, and was later a Narcotics Investigator with the Giles County Sheriff’s Department. He worked at Hilltop Medical while serving as Police Chief for the City of Ethridge. Beecham served as City Manager for Ethridge for approximately two years, returning as an officer at the Lawrenceburg Police Department in 2000. Most currently, he serves as Chief Deputy for Lawrence County Sheriff Kenny Taylor.

   When asked why he would like to serve on the commission, Beecham said, “I believe the current commission has good ideas. You’ve got a lot of things going on that I’d like to be a part of…I’d like to have a direct influence on how and where our tax dollars are spent.” He indicated that many have a “1920’s mentality,” and stated, “Gentlemen this is 2008 and we have got to do something (regarding the local job situation).”

   Cone, who is a 1970 graduate of LCHS, attended the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship. Once obtaining his degree in business administration, he served as a student assistant coach at UT for two years. Even while attending college Cone worked in the trucking industry. He went into the trucking business full time in 1978 and moved back to Lawrenceburg in 1981 to work for Sharp Transport. In 1984 he teamed up with Robert Pulley to establish Southland Express. When they opted to go their separate ways in 2001, Cone became a Landstar Agent, and continues to work with that company. Cone served on the Lawrence County Commission for approximately two years when he was appointed to serve the remainder of the term for a commissioner who had moved away from the district he represented.

   Cone indicated he was interested in being appointed to the commission, in part, because he “enjoyed working with the county commission.” When discussing whether he supported the current direction recently taken by the city and county in hiring Chamber of Commerce Director Chad Chancellor, Cone stated, “He seems to be a go-get-‘um type of guy and I think everyone needs to jump on the band wagon” Should Chancellor be able to revive the lagging local economy, Cone pointed out, “If Chad’s the guy, $100,000 (salary) ain’t a drop in the bucket to me.”

   Commissioners indicate that, at this time, no plans have been made to conduct interviews with any other interested parties. Commissioners are expected to make the appointment during their next regularly scheduled meeting. That meeting will get underway at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 14, at Lawrenceburg City Hall.

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