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Warren county commission candidates
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Updated: Jul 10, 2014, 11:31 PM
Published: Jul 10, 2014, 11:34 PM

Comments from Tuesday night’s Southern Standard/ WCPI political forum from candidates for Warren County Commission.

DISTRICT 1
David Rhea, not present
Ron Lee, not present 

DISTRICT 2
Carl E. Bouldin
Melissa Moore Hollis, not present
Diane Starkey, not present
Justin Rich, not present

Carl E. Bouldin
“I’m running one more term and I’ve seen a lot of good things happen on the Warren County Commission in the last few years. One bit of good news I have to tell you now that I’m thinking about it is the county executive got a phone call today and I just happened to be in the office and Mr. Tim McGill out at the hospital gave us a call and said they are going to extend their services and continue to serve as the county morgue till the end of the year. I think in that time we can get something done. We’ll have to hire an architect for any building over $25,000 and that has to be done by state law so the Building and Grounds Committee, along with other committees on the County Commission will be looking at this real heavy in the next two to three weeks to see what can be done. We’re going to try to visit some other morgues in small counties and get ideas from them about what needs to be done about the morgue. When we do it, we want to try to do it right and as cheap as we can.”


DISTRICT 3
Michael Shane Wilcher
Ken Martin, not present
George Smartt, not present
James Crouch, not present


Michael Shane Wilcher
“I’m a blue collar worker and I’ve owned a small business in the past so I know what it means to live by a budget and need 40 hours a week to make a living. I do know the challenges of small businesses in Warren County, especially in this challenging economy. As far as District 3 goes, I don't believe the current representation effectively identifies with the citizens of District 3. What I mean by that is you have one commissioner who has been in office for 24 straight years and another county commissioner who has been in office for 12 years. What I want District 3 to ask themselves is in 24 years and in 12 years, have you ever been visited by either one of your county commissioners. In knocking on nearly 1,000 doors in the last three months, I’ve heard almost nobody has been visited. Has anybody been asked their opinion? There have been questions raised by another county commissioner about residency of one of the current District 3 county commissioners and I’ll leave that answer to that county commissioner but I want to assure everyone that I and my wife live in District 3 in the same house with my kids.”

DISTRICT 4
Blaine Wilcher, not present
Teddy D. Boyd, not present

DISTRICT 5
Raymond T. Holland
Marlena Lawson
Michael Martin
Melissa Yancy
Jerome Dillard, not present

Raymond Holland
“One thing I want to emphasize is there are 10 standing committees that basically do the business of the county commission. Of those committee meetings, I’ve attended 105 since April of 2013. I’ll be ready from day one to be an active member of the county commission.”

Marlena Lawson
“I was raised on a farm in Iowa, 350 acres that we worked ourselves. I was a member of 4-H and our 4-H motto was to make the best better and that’s what I’d like to do for Warren County. We have the most beautiful, well-situated county in the state, in my opinion. I would like us to promote that and in promoting tourism I think it will encourage people to come in and establish businesses in our community. We need to keep up with technology and we need well-paying jobs that will provide disposable income so our real estate will gain worth and our children and grandchildren will be proud to say where they’re from because I know I’m proud of it. Most of all, I think we need a county commission that’s willing to get along and work together for the betterment of the community. They say this is a job that doesn’t pay well, but it does pay well considering we are trying to protect our future generations and our families.”

Michael Martin
“I’ve been a county commissioner for nearly 20 years and the thing I’m proud about is we’ve built three schools, three spec buildings, emergency and ambulance, and remodeled this facility right here and we have not raised taxes. We will continue building stuff without a tax hike when we can do it. The next project we have is Irving College School, Bobby Ray, and the high school where we are ready to float a bond for $4.9 million so we can upgrade some facilities. I have represented the people of the 5th District well by not spending money we don’t have and by using tax money wisely. If anybody has a question, they know they can count on me showing up on their door with an answer. My motto is what affects you, affects me and I would like to represent the people of the 5th District for another four years.”

Melissa Yancy
“I was born and raised here in Warren County. I was elected four years ago after my husband Bill Yancy died and I feel like I have a good working relationship with the other commissioners. I have voted for many things to help our county. At a recent meeting, I voted against charging the extra fees for installing hot water heaters in homes. I thought that was unnecessary. I also voted against a resolution that would have designated the Warren County Planning Commission as the Board of Appeals for all building codes violations because they were going to charge $150 for the appeal and most of that money would have been divided among the Planning Commission members with only a small portion going to the newspaper notice. And this would be non-refundable even if they won their case. I support my colleague Commissioner Gary Prater’s idea to build a county morgue next to the ambulance service on Magness Drive now that the hospital will stop accepting dead bodies.”

DISTRICT 6
Billy Earl Jones, not present
Charles Morgan, not present

DISTRICT 7
Jason Satterwhite
Tommy Savage
Susan Carol Rogers
Gary C. Martin, not present
Terra “Tegy” Jaco, not present

Jason Satterwhite
“One of the main reasons why I wanted to get involved in local politics is our whole district is not serviced by an EMS station at this time. It takes approximately 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach our people. We have tens of thousands of tourists who visit Rock Island State Park a year. I’m a law enforcement officer here in Warren County and I’ve personally done CPR on a person for nearly 20 minutes before an ambulance has arrived and that’s sad. One of my first orders of business would be to propose the M.A. Bouldin EMS Station for District 7. It’s a very heartfelt thing. If you don’t know me, my cards have my cellphone number on them. If there’s something you have on your mind, let me know. I want to hear what you have to say. This is America. If you want something to happen, if you want a change in your political system, don’t believe you have to have a letter from a party behind your name or a big wallet. Just believe in the person you’re voting for. That’s all I ask for.”

Tommy Savage
“I’m a lifelong resident of Warren County. I’m married to Carla Savage and we have three children. They all went through Eastside and Warren County High School and they’ve all graduated college. I currently serve on the Adult Business Board of Warren County and I co-wrote some of the toughest rules and regulations in the state and I doubt we have this kind of a business in our county and I’m very proud of that. My public service includes 14 years with Warren County Youth Baseball as a coach and a commissioner. We’re members of East End Church of Christ. I believe having a successful marriage, raising children, taking care of my parents and running a business in some of the toughest economic times has taught me a lot of lessons in life. It has made me more qualified to be a county commissioner. Our kids are raised and I have a little more time and I think it takes a lot of time to be a good county commissioner.”

Susan Rogers
“I’m married to David Williams and we own Northside Video. We run a business where people come in and we’re like our own little forum. People will talk about local politics, federal politics, state politics, religion. The gamut is discussed in my business. It’s been laying heavy on me that I want to do something to better my community. I think one of the core problems we have is our neighborhoods are falling apart. We don’t have the togetherness and knowing people of our community. My husband is a judicial commissioner and that means if someone is put in jail, he has to go and sign the warrant. He is a good man and he is very good at it, but it’s really opened my eyes to some of the problems we are having in our county. I have listened to people’s problems and concerns for the last 35 years and I think I bring a lot of knowledge when it comes to the wants and needs of this community.”

DISTRICT 8
Randy England
Scott Rubley, not present
Pat Brown, not present
Dwight O’Neal, not present

Randy England
“I’m a community oriented person and I help all the time with benefits and things using my auctioneering ability. I am president of the Evening Exchange Club and my wife and I are members of Irving College Baptist Church. In 1994, I was elected county commissioner and we had a new sheriff and a new road superintendent and I jumped in with both hands and worked with them. I was on the Education Committee and the Health and Welfare Committee and I learned a lot. I worked with Harold Glenn trying to get some paved roads and we accomplished that. I worked with Sheriff Jackie Matheny on some trouble spots in our area. I worked with Harold Glenn on getting some new bridges and two new convenience centers for our area which are still operational today and I’m very proud of that. I want to be the county commissioner who stays right on top of it and makes sure Irving College School gets what it deserves. Every county school in Warren County has had either a remodeling or a new building built. Irving College has not had anything done to it and it’s time we did something for Irving College. We need a new gym, a new cafeteria, and new classrooms.”

DISTRICT 9
Donna Reid
Connie Bouldin Patrick
Carlene Brown
Steven D. Helton, not present
Wayne Copeland, not present

Donna Reid
“Since I ran for County Commission the first time in 2006, I’ve attended hundreds of committee meetings. This is where all the important decisions are made about taxpayer money. I’ve learned listening to the county commission in different meetings, there are two departments we really don’t need here in Warren County. First one is the codes department whose budget is $50,000 a year. This department was started to take care of the junkyard issue. It’s since ballooned to over regulating and requiring permits for building decks and installing water heaters. This is rural Warren County, Tenn., and we don’t really need zoning. The second department we don’t need is financial management. It was started as a dispute between some county commissioners and the School Board. This resulted in several new employees making salaries greater than some of the county employees we already had. No money has been saved by the School Board or the county taxpayers. This is a result of some county commissioners getting mad at the School Board and as a result we have financial management and it costs the taxpayers and extra $286,000 a year. I promise only two things: to stay informed and ask questions, and to oppose spending that is not necessary.”

Connie Bouldin Patrick
“I’m a lifelong resident of Warren County. I was raised in Viola and worked on my parents' farm. I’ve been a dental hygienist for 29 years and I also have a second job now working on weekends with the developmentally disabled. I realize by being a county commissioner, we’re going to make some decisions that aren’t popular but I’m up to the challenge. I feel that by being a working person that I can appreciate the struggles of working people of Warren County. If elected, I would like to expand opportunities in this county. I would like for our children who go off to school to come back here and raise their families and find good jobs with livable wages.”

Carlene Brown
“In 1986, I moved to McMinnville and I was honored to have the position of Parks and Recreation director for the city of McMinnville, which serves all of Warren County. Working in municipal government, I was directly responsible for developing and managing million dollar budgets, managing full-time employees and seasonal employees, planning and developing five-, 10-, and 15-year capital budgets for planned growth in this community. This experience prepared me to be a commissioner for this county. I understand how to make the best decision for the citizens who live in this community. There will always be decisions that affect industrial development, quality of life issues. We have to make the right decisions to aid the plants we have here now and the right decisions to attract new businesses. I feel these are many of the areas I can be a great benefit if elected.”

DISTRICT 10
Carolyn Miller, not present
Gary Prater, not present

DISTRICT 11
Morris Bond, not present
Terry Bell, not present

DISTRICT 12
Kenny Roberts
Les Trotman
Carl D. Bouldin, not present
Greg Bowdoin, not present
Tommy Davenport, not present
Travis Whitehead, not present

Kenny Roberts
“I am a 1968 graduate of Irving College High School, and in 1972 I married Patricia Lawson. We have one son, Travis, and two grandchildren, Justin and Allison. If I am elected, I will work for you the citizens of Warren County. I will be open minded to your thoughts and opinions concerning matters of the county today.”

 
Les Trotman
“I have served the district for three terms. I have run each time as a Democrat. I am running this time as a Democrat. I’ve only made two promises each time I’ve run for office and that’s the simple fact that I’ll be there when I'm supposed to, and to work hard for the people of the 12th District. I have a perfect attendance record. The only time I have missed a commission meeting I had been asked by the county executive to represent our county elsewhere. I have worked closely with the Industrial Development Board. Since the closing of Carrier, we’ve been able to replace every job we’ve lost there.”
Local law enforcement on the lookout for distracted driving
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Nikki Childers
Published: Apr 9, 2025, 2:43 AM

April is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Distracted Driving Awareness Month and McMinnville Police Department (MPD) is on the roads to educate motorists about appropriate hands-free driving.

The amplified focus of cracking down on distracted driving is a nationwide initiative, with many states taking part. MPD Officer Mark Mara indicated the local department is increasing patrols, funded by overtime grants, to enforce and educate about Tennessee’s Hands Free Law.

“We’re trying to get people to change their habits,” Mara said. “There’s a lot of people that are distracted while driving, whether its their cell phones or not. When driving, there are already so many distractions, so having electronics in your hands while you’re driving down the road is dangerous. We need to focus on getting where we need to go and getting there safely.”

According to its records, NHTSA estimates 3,308 lives were lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2022 and 8% of all fatal crashes could be attributed to the same. To illustrate the point on a larger scale, it approximates over 32,000 people have died and nearly 290,000 were left injured from crashes attributed to distracted motorists between 2013 and 2022.

Violation of the Tennessee Hands Free Law is a Class C misdemeanor and traffic citations based on the violation are considered moving traffic violations. A first-time offense is typically $50 with third-time offenses and violations resulting in a crash rising to $100; citations received in a work zone while workers or present or in a marked school zone while flashes are in operation carry a penalty of $200. Three points are also added to a motorist’s driving record for each violation with 12 points leading to license suspension.

While the law specifically mentions hands in its name, it is similarly illegal to prop the phone up with any other part of their body.

“We’re going to be stopping vehicles whose operators are distracted by using their cell phones or other electronic devices,” Mara said. “It is against the law for a motorist to be holding their electronic device or having it on their body, so if you’re holding it to your ear or with your shoulder, it’s against the law all the same.”

When using GPS technology, Mara recommends investing in windshield-, vent- or dash-mounted mobile device holder to support the phone while using it for those purposes so your hands can remain on the wheel without compromising your ability to navigate to a destination.

“I understand that your cell phones are a lifeline and we get that — we use them ourselves for GPS. If you have an important phone call that’s coming in and you really need to focus on talking to that person, just pull over to the side of the road and turn on your emergency lights,” Mara said. “When you’re on a phone call, you’re not paying attention to all of the things you need to. You’re going to be concentrating on that conversation and you’re going to find yourself drifting in your lane, going through a stop sign or not stopping properly before a red light.”

Mara additionally recommended drivers sync their phones to their vehicles in models with Bluetooth capabilities and to use phone mounts that do not obstruct vision of the roadways through the windshield.

“The greatest danger of distracted driving is ending up in a crash that was absolutely avoidable, which might hurt yourself or someone else,” Mara said. “You’ve got a lot in front of you when you’re driving and a vehicle is a piece of machinery. We want all motorists to be driving safely on the roads and getting to their destinations without misadventure.”

Warnings and citations will be rendered at officers’ discretion during the increased patrols.