Ahead of his bid for re-election in 2024 Rutherford County Property Assessor Rob Mitchell hired the son of the Rutherford County GOP chairman and a Rutherford County School Board member for a newly created position after he was determined to be unqualified for a position he originally applied for.
Mitchell (pictured above) hired Michael Maxwell, son of Rutherford County GOP Chairman Austin Maxwell, in January 2024 despite the younger Maxwell not meeting the minimum requirements of the position he originally applied for, according to documents obtained by The Tennessee Star with an open records request.
Austin Maxwell also serves as a member of the Murfreesboro City Council and is husband to Rutherford County School Board Member Claire Maxwell.
On December 12, 2023, Claire Maxwell attended a fundraiser held at the Murfreesboro Airport Terminal to support Mitchell’s 2024 re-election campaign.
Michael Maxwell applied to work for the Rutherford County Property Assessor’s Office as administrative support on January 9, according to his application obtained by The Star. The job posting appeared earlier that day, Rutherford County Human Resources Director Sonya Stephenson told the Daily News Journal, according to records obtained by The Star.
However, Maxwell’s completed application indicated he did not have the necessary experience for the position.
Michael Maxwell selected “0-2 years” when asked on his application how much “full time experience and/or training in administrative related duties” he had. The finished application marked him as disqualified from the position.
“Per Mr. [Michael] Maxwell’s answer on his application, he did not meet the minimum qualifications of the position as requested by the job description, which was approved by Mr. Mitchell,” Stephenson told the Daily News Journal in an email.
Michael Maxwell previously worked as an item processor for Wilson Bank and Trust and as a substitute teacher for Rutherford County Schools. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Mississippi State University.
Twenty-five other applicants for the position were overlooked, Stephenson told the Daily News Journal.
After emailing Rutherford County Human Resources a form to process Michael Maxwell as a new hire, Mitchell sent another message saying to change Michael Maxwell’s job description to that of “data analyst” to match his assigned duties, the records showed.
“It’s the same pay grade,” Mitchell said in the email. “I don’t want this to slow down the onboarding process.”
Thursday morning, The Star emailed County Assessor Mitchell asking for answers to three questions:
1. Was the job posting for the original administrative job ever filled?
2. Do you have a job description for the data analyst position for which Maxwell was hired and did you interview any other applicants?
3. Was your decision to hire Michael Maxwell influenced by his father’s support for your re-election campaign?
Mitchell has not responded to those questions as of the original publication date of this story.
Mitchell, a Republican, will face fellow Republican Virgil Gammon on March 5 for Rutherford County’s property assessor primary. The winner will advance to the August 5 general election.
He has been endorsed by Tennessee State Senator Shane Reeves (R-Shelbyville) and State Representative Charlie Baum (R-Murfreesboro), according to Mitchell’s campaign website.
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Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X / Twitter.
Background Photo “Rutherford County Courthouse” by Ichabod. CC BY-SA 4.0.
What in the world could these people possibly be thinking? Seriously, someone needs to explain.
I don’t see the problem here…. he’s a good Republican, right??
/S