Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Discusses His History, the Future of a Booming Community, and a Letter to Governor Lee

 

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in studio.

During the second hour, Ogles discussed a little bit of his background and the growth of his community in Maury County. He also touched upon his recent letter to Governor Bill Lee suggesting that the state of Tennessee divest in large companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter due to their censorship of conservatives.

Leahy: We’re not yet one full week into the Biden administration and it’s even worse than we could have thought. Oh, it’s so terrible. They lack common sense. They’re just driving the country over a cliff in five and a half, six and a half days. We are joined in studio by our very good friend and a great guy the mayor of Maury County Andy Ogles. Good morning Andy.

Ogles: Good morning. How are you today?

Leahy: You know, it’s always great to talk with you because you are the real deal. I mean you came up as a conservative populist activist. A lot of fights there. A lot of good fights. Some you won and some you lost. But our listening audience I can tell you right now that it’s filled with a lot of Tea Party activists and grassroots activists. They know Andy Ogles and they think very highly of him as I do.

Ogles: Well, I appreciate that. You know, one of the things you know is it’s one of those passions that became a career. Dave Ramsey talks about that find something that you love and then do it if you can make a living out of it do it. And that really wasn’t my intent. I was an entrepreneur young and was successful young. And then next thing you know I find myself working for Newt Gingrich and working with the likes of Senator Fred Thompson and etc etc. And then the next thing you know it in government. I’m the CEO if you will. The county executive of Maury County. One of the fastest-growing counties.

Leahy: It really is. When we moved to Tennessee and when we left as my one my youngest daughter was born. And so we were living in California for like six years after my youngest daughter was born in 1990 my wife looked at me and said I’m not raising this girl in godless California. (Laughs)

Ogles: That’s right. And it’s gotten worse, right? Oh my goodness.

Leahy: So we looked all around the country and my folks were from upstate New Yorkers from Texas. We looked at a couple of places. We looked at Lexington, Kentucky too small and Charlottesville, Virginia which was to Yankee for my wife. And mercifully we didn’t move there. It came down to Charlotte, North Carolina, or Nashville. And then I learned that Tennessee had no state income tax. Then I walked into a sermon that Rubel Shelly preached at Woodmont Church of Christ and I turned to my wife and said we are moving to Nashville.

Ogles: We found home right?

Leahy: We found home. I can’t tell you how great this place is having come from, you know, upstate New York and California. Well, you know this your native. But when we moved here in 1991, Maury County was a sleepy rural area with Columbia. In 1990-91 Maury County was a sleepy rural area with the good ole Columbia. But today now in 2020 it’s 30 years later. What’s the population of Maury County?

Ogles: We are right at 100,000. In fact to your point, way back in the day, you know, the late 80s when General Motors looked at coming to Tennessee and settled in Maury County there literally was an analyst from the automotive industry. And they were like where in the world is Spring Hill, Tennessee? And why would you move there? Well, the question is, you know, the answer to that question is, you know geographically we’re centrally located. We have a great workforce. It’s beautiful country.

Leahy: Beautiful. Rolling Hills.

Ogles: It is and so I’m biased of course as the county mayor. I’m the spokesman for the county. I grew up in Franklin. I am a native and sometimes we take for granted those things as a native and we’re one of the fastest-growing not only from a population standpoint but also from a job-creation standpoint. We get a lot of Californians and New Yorkers coming to Maury County. And I always say now you’ve moved here for a reason. (Leahy laughs) Don’t Californicate my community.

Leahy: Don’t ruin Maury County. Don’t ruin Tennessee by taking those California values or values from New York City.

Ogles: That’s right. You left for a reason. Don’t bring them here.

Leahy: I think some of the people that are coming from those areas have those values. But a lot of them actually are you know conservative at least from what I’ve seen.

Ogles: Yeah, absolutely. I’ve been quite outspoken really in my career period but especially over this last year with COVID and whatnot. And you’re trying to be a voice of reason in the chaos. (Leahy laughs) We can talk about that later. But all that to say is you know, I live We had you know a big company connected with the movie industry reach out to me and they said hey, you know, we want to move to Middle Tennessee.

We’re not sure where. and they named some locations that they’re looking at but they said we stumbled across you. We know that you’re someone who loves liberty and it’s just a straight shooter. Would you mind helping us figure out where to move? I’d love for you to move to Maury County but B, how can I help?

Leahy: And so that is in the process as we speak?

Ogles: That is but that’s one of many. We’re one of the fastest-growing. I’m negotiating now with the big company that are looking to come into Middle Tennessee. You know again, we’re on the map. Period.

Leahy: We are indeed.

(Commercial break)

Leahy: Andy, I noticed that you’ve been sending letters to Governor Lee about things that he could do to push back particularly against this area of Big Tech oligopolies where they are oppressing freedom of speech. What’s the latest communication you sent to the governor on that?

Ogles: Well, I mean, you know, so obviously if you’ve been paying attention, you’re not living in a hole or a cave, you know, you really had this systematic cooperation and coordination between Twitter, Amazon, and Facebook censor the president of the United States, which is is a big deal. I mean, you can dislike Donald Trump and understand that censoring the president is a big deal.

So much so that the president of Mexico and the chancellor of Germany, the president of France and keep in mind to put that in context, President Trump and Macron of France and the president of Mexico they weren’t necessarily on great terms. But they came to Donald Trump’s defense because they crossed a line.

Clearly, you know, your Facebook and your Twitter is entering the realm of a utility in the same way that Ma Bell is a utility. And Ma Bell was broken up by the way, right? And so but that being said as you and I can cancel our Facebook page. We can cancel Twitter. we can stop using Amazon. They’re not going to notice. But Tennessee, for example, we have roughly 71 billion dollars under management. Florida has billions of dollars under management.

If Florida and Tennessee and South Carolina in South Dakota stop investing in stocks that were Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon they are come to it going to come to a screeching halt when it comes to censorship and going to pay attention because now you’re affecting their stock price. That is the only way, the only way we’re going to have a voice in this.

Leahy: And here in Tennessee I think we’ve got like $71  billion under management in a portfolio.

Ogles: Absolutely. B as in bravo. So you’re talking about billions of dollars. Again you and I don’t have that kind of buying power. But when the state of Tennessee buys stock or buys into a mutual fund or a bond, we buy a lot of it. it moves markets. And the same thing with Florida and so you could put together a half a dozen or so states that suddenly represent three four five hundred billion, B as in bravo dollars and again Twitter has to pay attention to that. They may not like it. We’re not saying hey, this is these are going to be your rules going forward. What we’re saying is whatever rules you have apply them evenly.

Leahy: So you’ve got $71 billion under management in the state of Tennessee. I looked into Florida. There was a fellow there in the state legislature that proposed such divestment of Google, Facebook, Apple, and Twitter. That crowd of oligopolists who want to suppress freedom of speech and have been protected by what I think is an unconstitutional Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act.

Florida has a like 200 billion under management. Texas Governor, Greg Abbott has I like 300 some like that. 300 billion. Then South Dakota would be you know, they don’t have a lot but right put them all together you got about 600 billion. When you sent a letter to Governor Lee and said, hey, let’s let’s get out of Facebook, Google. Twitter, Apple and I guess we have a Treasurur named David Lillard. From what I can tell did the governor say, well, what a great idea Andy I’m going to I asked the treasurer to do that. Did he did he respond to you?

Ogles: No I haven’t heard back and which is why you know, I sent it to the media. There has been no response. So Randy Fine is the legislator down in Florida. So I’m a fellow with Club for Growth a conservative organization. Last year, they started a fellows program. I was the first of class of 40 for their inaugural fellows class.

Well, he’s one of my fellows with Club for Growth. And he had this idea and shot all of us an email the 40 or so of us and said, hey, if you think this is a great idea feel free to plagiarize if you will my letter and my piece of legislation. And so, you know, I looked at his letter is a brilliant idea. I was like dadgummit. Why didn’t I think of that?

Leahy: Dadgummit.

Ogles: So let’s be a leader in this space instead of always following. You then again you can agree or disagree whether or not the election was stolen. But you know, when Texas sued over the electors. Tennessee, we were like 16th in Line. A, why didn’t we file the lawsuit? and then be okay, why weren’t we the first to say we’re going to join the cause and we’re going to defend the Constitution? Because you know five of those States, the general assembly’s of the respective states set election law, not governors and not judges. Period. The Constitution is clear. And so again, we tend to follow instead of lead. And it’s incredibly frustrating for me.

Leahy: Got you on that one. The phones are lighting up here. You want to take a call or two?

Ogles: Let’s take a bunch.

Leahy: All right, Greg in Murfreesboro wants to talk about Maury County and wants to talk with the mayor Andy Ogles. Greg, you’re on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick, Leahy, and Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles. Good morning, Greg.

Caller Greg: Hey, how you doing? I want to preface my remarks by saying that I’m a old friend of your dad. I’ve known him since you about 10 years old. I went to a junior high with him and graduated with him. I’m sorry if Andy is half as great as his dad is he’s a great man. Having said that, I was going to talk about Maury County and I was things that I’ve always kind of been kind of keeping up with him for a while.

I even voted for him. But I loved the way he runs Maury County and I vote for him for president. But in regards to what you were saying about the censorship issue, if you look back in history with Theodore Roosevelt and the legislature that we had back then they were antitrust. They worked to get rid of trust. And today I don’t see that atmosphere in our government. And I think we have to approach it from a private business approach. It’s all about money in the end.

Leahy: It sounds to me Greg like what you what you’re saying is that the trust-busting attitude that Theodore Roosevelt had against big oil and the big railroads back at the turn of the century. And that Andy you were mentioning the breakup of Ma Bell, which had a tremendous positive impact on telecommunications that I think Greg is saying that we don’t see quite the oomph in the national legislature or the Department of Justice for that kind of breakup. And maybe it’s up to the states to push forward on that. What do you think Andy?

Ogles: Well again that you know the leverage of the dollar and these investment dollars. As you said, Florida, Texas and Tennessee, and all these conservative states have that’s the real power.  So again, I’ll make the case that Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon have become utilities. And AT&T your cell phone provider T-Mobile whoever it is says, you know what Michael Patrick Leahy, you’re a conservative talk radio host. We are going to ban you or your listeners.

We’re no longer going to let you have service on our network. We wouldn’t tolerate that. So why are you going to let Facebook and Twitter and Amazon and these platforms that have become a means of communication, they are no different than the other utilities, why would we let them get away with that? When you say Bailey and East High I can tell you from the old old East Nashville stomping grounds of my dad. I haven’t heard those names in a long time. My Grandpa used to talk about those. And you know, he was a Metro cop back in the day. Retired now.

Leahy: I didn’t know that.

Ogles: Well, you know, he was back when it was very simple. You have the chief of police and he had two lieutenants and he was one of those lieutenants. But anyway, thanks for the call and I appreciate your kind words.

Listen to the full second hour here:

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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.