A push to keep Jeff Golden on the Industrial Development Board was somewhat successful.
The Warren County Commission removed term limits for IDB members, but a vote to appoint either Golden or Carrie Huckeby split commissioners 11 to 12, respectively. Commissioner Carl E. Bouldin was absent.
During past meetings the seat would have been given to Huckeby because she received the highest number of votes. However, Tennessee County Commission Association executive director Charles Curtiss interjected with a correction.
“You’ve just been doing it wrong,” said Curtiss. “Anything you do has to be done by the majority of your membership. If only 13 of you show up, it will take all 13 of you to do anything.”
Commissioner Tommy Savage offered to change his vote. However, he voted for Huckeby and that change alone would have also ended in a stalemate: Golden 12 and Huckeby 11. No other commissioner made that offer.
Golden remains as a member of IDB, said Curtiss, despite his term expiring this month.
“Our constitution says, if someone is in an elected office, they serve until someone is elected and qualified to take their place,” said Curtiss. “If you don’t fill this position tonight, unless somebody died, the Industrial Development Board is complete. If it takes up to a month, or two months, or three months to come to an agreement on whom you are going to put on that board, the board will not be shorthanded. You can vote all night, but I don’t think you’re going to get anywhere.”
Commission members unanimously voted to table the measure.
Golden was not in attendance. Huckeby was and voiced a desire to be on the IDB, but not compete with Golden for the seat.
“I love Warren County and I care a lot about the future,” said Huckeby. “My experience has been in marketing and I am certainly not interested in taking a seat out from under Mr. Golden because he brings much experience to the county. He’s very well respected and very intelligent, so I know he’s very valuable to the board.”
Huckeby worked at Ben Lomand Connect for 25 years and then went to work for a management company in Kentucky. She retired from Telecom Management Services in 2018. Currently, she works for WordSouth, a content marketing company, and is director of strategy and training.
“I also think there is a place for marketing at the table,” she said. “I am a firm believer in marketing and things like technology. First impressions mean a lot. Websites, advertising, PR, those are things that bring people to the county as well. Those are the first impressions. I applied because I do believe that marketing has a place on every board. A lot of times, if you don’t have that, you can’t get them to get their foot in the door.”
Also nominated were Jenny Nafrada and Mike Elam. In an initial vote when the four were pitted against each other, Nafrada was reappointed after receiving 16 votes. She was appointed in April of this year to fill the seat vacated by Gary Judkins, who resigned.
A second vote between Elam, Golden and Huckeby, eliminated Elam with the lowest number of votes. A third voted ended in a stalemate with Golden and Huckeby splitting the commission.
The failed IDB appointment can be reconsidered during the commission’s November session.
The commission voted 14-9 to remove IDB term limits:
In favor of term limit removal: Michael Bell, Carl D. Bouldin, David Dunlap, Randy England, Steven Helton, Gary Martin, Gary Prater, Scott Rubley, Tommy Savage, Tyrone Sparkman, Joseph Stotts, Phillip Stout, Cole Taylor and Blaine Wilcher.
Against term limit removal: Carlene Brown, Deborah Evans, Steve Glenn, Richard Grissom, Robert Hennessee, Lorie Judkins, Ron Lee, Daniel Owens and Christy Ross.
Commission votes appointments to IDB:
Nafrada votes: Taylor, Sparkman, Savage, Ross, Prater, Owens, Martin, Lee, Judkins, Hennessee, Grissom, Glenn, Evans, Dunlap, Brown and Bell.
Jeff Golden/ Carrie Huckeby vote: Bell, Bouldin, England, Helton, Prater, Rubley, Sparkman, Stotts, Stout, Taylor and Wilcher voted in favor of Golden, leaving Brown, Dunlap, Evans, Glenn, Grissom, Hennessee, Judkins, Lee, Martin, Owens, Ross and Savage to vote for Huckeby.
