McMinnville Mayor Jimmy Haley has announced his campaign for Warren County Executive. Haley believes his experience, cultivated throughout a life dedicated to public service, has uniquely qualified him for the job.

“I am a public servant, not a politician,” said Haley. “Serving our community has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. To me, it has prepared me for this office. It’s allowed me to connect with people, and by connecting with people you know what their needs are and how to address them.”

Before serving the past six years as McMinnville’s Mayor, Haley served 10 years as an alderman. Under his direction, the city restored the Park Theatre, returned street lights to the city, improved the city’s budget, revitalized downtown McMinnville, and lowered unemployment —all without raising taxes.

Through his existing connections with state officials, the city was also able to restore funding for the Driver Testing Center and receive multiple grants.

“I always say proven leadership matters,” said Haley. “It’s all about teamwork and cooperation between everybody in the community. One person can’t do it alone, but I’m willing to roll up my sleeves in order to bring more people’s quality of life up to the standards they deserve.”
After spending 41 years as an economics and government teacher, Haley understands, “We have to invest in children. They are the only future we have.”

If elected, Haley intends to focus on job-ready skills, advancing after-school programs, improving teacher morale, and investing in schools that have been neglected.

Haley believes his focus on education will help tackle another big issue he hopes to address: criminal justice reform.

“We want to reconnect families by lowering the recidivism rate through investing in programs for at-risk youth and aggressively attacking the drug problem.”

Haley hopes to “bring high-paying, sustainable jobs to the area through diversification of the economy.”

To tackle the issue of the county budget, Mayor Haley plans to “address wasteful spending, upgrade technology to increase efficiency, and promote economic development and tourism to grow revenue.”

If elected, Haley plans to retire from teaching and says, “I am going to place my full focus on the county.” With the support of his wife of 31 years, Dr. Katrina Haley, Director of Technology for Warren County Schools, and daughter Lara Kate Haley Miller, Mayor Jimmy Haley hopes to “steer our county in the direction it needs to go — forward not backward.”

You can connect with Mayor Haley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.