County mayor candidates answer questions on landfill, diversity, recruiting workers

Candidates campaigning to be Rutherford County mayor responded Tuesday to forum questions about what they hope to accomplish if elected.

Voters will elect one of four mayoral candidates to a four-year term Aug. 4.

The choices include Republican nominee Joe Carr, the winner of the May 3 GOP primary against Mayor Bill Ketron, who placed third, and runner up Rhonda Allen, who's in her 12th and final year on the Rutherford County Commission.

The ballot for mayor will also have three independents; Randy Allen (no relation to the commissioner), Norman Hanks and Royce Olen Johnson.

Although Hanks was unable to attend, Carr, Allen, and Johnson answered forum questions from the League of Women Voters of Murfreesboro/Rutherford County at the Rutherford County Courthouse.

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After being asked about what he'd like to accomplish, Carr said he wants to deal with the "unrestrained growth" of the county. A former state representative, Carr also mentioned building strong relations with the Rutherford County Commission, the city mayors and the other elected constitutional officers serving the county.

Johnson agreed that the mayor should have strong relations with other officials within Rutherford. He also said the mayor needs to have strong relations with mayors representing governments in adjacent counties to work together "to help us with the roads."

Allen, who was runner up in 2018 Republican primary for mayor,  also talked about working in a collaborative and strategic way with other officials and setting goals to help the county and the cities. He mentioned wanting to improve the compensation of first responders and infrastructure.

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How will mayor align tax revenues with expenditures?

Johnson suggested the county will benefit from an expected increase in education revenue from the state through a new funding formula to help fast-growing Rutherford County Schools.

"That money will help us," said Johnson, who's noted that he's a business owner with over 20 years of management experience.

Allen talked about wanting to avoid increasing the tax burden as the first option to meet the challenge of balancing the budget.

"I'm a fiscal conservative," Allen said.

Carr said the county needs to be disciplined about increased revenues that can give people a "false sense of security."

The county should be cautious with spending going forward, Carr said, while maintaining a strong AAA bond rating (helps obtain lower-interest loans for projects based on strong rainy day reserves needed to cover budget operation costs).

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Recruiting and retaining employees

Allen suggested the county faces a challenge because a lot of businesses are also looking to hire. He said the county has great resources to pursue and train workers through Middle Tennessee State University, Motlow State Community College and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses in Murfreesboro and Smyrna.

Carr said he faced the challenge of retaining employees after the former engineering companies he founded had trained them over five years. The county needs to appropriately compensate employees, so they're not enticed to leave, he said.

Johnson said recruiting and retaining good employees involves creating a great work environment. "You need to start with listening" to what "current employees are telling you," he said. The expert should be "the guy doing the job every day," Johnson added.

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How to improve waste management

Carr talked about how he studied the solid waste issues of Rutherford County while previously serving as the assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

If elected, Carr said he would renegotiate a 1995 Rutherford County contract with the Middle Point Landfill, which is owned by Republic Services, a publicly traded corporation based in Phoenix. The arrangement has allowed 70% of the trash to be shipped in from other counties to be dumped at a landfill in Rutherford's Walter Hill community near the north boundary of Murfreesboro.

Carr said he wants to partner with Murfreesboro and Rutherford's other cities to find a solution to the solid waste challenges.

Johnson also mentioned renegotiating a contract with Republic, including the possibility to take over the county's unlined closed landfills on land adjacent to Middle Point. Lining the landfills cuts down on pollution, he said.

"We need to also work on recycling," Johnson said. He mentioned the possibility of pursuing a proposal by Mayor Ketron to accept a recycling contract with Pratt Industries to divert what Rutherford County is shipping to the the landfill by 35 to 40%.

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Diversity, equity and inclusion

Johnson mentioned his past work to help Special Kids raise money to provide services for special needs children, as well as helping the Thai community.

"It's OK to learn somebody else's culture," said Johnson, noting that his wife has Thai heritage.

Allen talked about his work to help many different people with nonprofits, including when he served with the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties.

The mayor, Allen said, should respect everyone, recognize differences of people, value their diversity, input and voices, and encourage all to be treated equally.

Carr mentioned being in a family that's culturally, socially and interracially diverse.

"I am very proud of that," said Carr, adding his family spends time together on Sundays. "Lord knows, we do not always agree."

All people, though, can share in a vision for Rutherford County, Carr said.

"That’s what I can do,"  Carr said.

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Vision for next 10 years

Allen said he wants Rutherford County to remain a good place to live, work and raise a family for the next 10 years.

"We're a safe community," Allen said.

Carr said he wants Rutherford County to continue to be a community that attracts people from across the country to live where they can enjoy personal freedom that the nation will celebrate on July Fourth.

The county, Carr said, should honor the principles established by the founding national fathers, by maintaining "those liberties and values we all cherish."

Johnson said his goals for the next 10 years is for the county to attract better paying jobs while seeking lower taxes. He mentioned wanting a safer community with better employee morale from those in public service. Johnson also talked about seeking transparency in government, listening to the people and working for their needs.

"With the right person, you can  get the job done," Johnson said. "I would love to work for you and serve you."

A recorded past video of the forums for mayor and sheriff also is available on YouTube through an online search of Rutherford County TV (RCTV).

Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.

Election dates

• Election Day for Murfreesboro, Rutherford County and judicial offices, and primaries for state and federal offices: Aug. 4

• Last day to be registered to vote in Aug. 4 election: July 5

• Absentee by mail voting period for Aug. 4 election: May 6-July 28

• Early voting at polling locations for Aug. 4 election: July 15-30

Source: Rutherford County Election Commission

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford mayor candidates answer forum questions on landfill, equity