Williamson County Parents Can Review Curriculum for Left-Wing Bias

  FRANKLIN — Parents of students in the Williamson County School System who worry that school officials politicize their child’s social studies curriculum have a right to view the material if they wish. The Tennessee Star reviewed a portion of the school system’s social studies curriculum Tuesday, with the caveat that we had to do it at the school system’s main office in Franklin and with school staff monitoring us. We also could not take screenshots of the curriculum, which is online. But if it is online then why could we not simply review the material on our own from a location of our choosing? Could WCS officials cite a specific state statute or statutory authority to explain that? When asked, WCS spokeswoman Carol Birdsong did not cite any statute or statutory authority. But Birdsong did say the following in an emailed statement: “The information that you saw today is part of the social studies OER which contains the materials designed for teachers to access and utilize in their classrooms. Teachers may choose to use any or all of those resources. What you reviewed was not for students to directly access through a password. Also, remember that each resource you…

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Williamson County School Board Member Wants Glen Casada’s Seat

  Williamson County School Board member Brad Fiscus reportedly wants to run for Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada’s seat. This, according to his professional Facebook page. The Nashville Post, meanwhile, reported Fiscus will run as an independent. Fiscus told The Tennessee Star in an email Friday he is out town until next week and unavailable to answer questions. The Post reported that Fisk opposes school vouchers. “Fiscus is also an advocate for public schools, and he sees the latest school voucher and the Education Savings Account programs supported by Casada and signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee as a threat to schools across the state,” The Post reported. “Though the programs are currently only for failing schools in Davidson and Shelby counties, Fiscus has said before that the doors are now open for them to be in other school systems across the state.” Fiscus said on his Facebook page this week that, if elected to the Tennessee General Assembly, he will still keep his job as a Williamson County School Board member out of District 4. “I am dedicated to serving this district throughout my term to 2022. One of the first things I did while discerning if this was the…

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Sen. Blackburn, Rep. Green Among the Speakers at Williamson GOP’s Annual Summer Dinner on Aug. 3

  Williamson GOP and affiliated groups are holding their annual Summer Dinner on Saturday, Aug. 3 featuring “down-home BBQ with all the fixings,” live music and prominent political guests. Those guests will include U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07), and State Reps. Glen Casada (R-TN-63) and Brandon Ogles (R-TN-61), according to a promotional flyer by the organizers. The event website says there could be more speakers. The event will be held at Little Creek Farms, 6731 Cool Springs Road, Thompson Station. The time is 4:30-8 p.m., according to the event page, which is available here. The flyer promoting the event says, “Join us in the big red barn for delicious food, great fellowship, & important updates from our elected officials.” Music will be provided by the Austin Brothers Band with State Sen. Jack Johnson (R-TN-23). Tickets are $25 per Williamson GOP member, $35 per non-member, $50 per member family or $60 per non-member family. Family prices include children 12 and younger. Tickets are available online here. If you want to join Williamson GOP, the sign-up is available here. More information about Williamson GOP is available here. Other organizers also include the Republican Women of Williamson…

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Pennsylvania Farmer Wins Supreme Court Case That Finds Federal Property Rights are Equal to Other Constitutional Rights

  The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of a Pennsylvania farm owner who said the government effectively took her property without paying for it. Rose Knick won the victory in the case of Knick v. Township of Scott. In making its ruling, SCOTUS overturned a 1985 precedent, Williamson County Regional Planning Commission v. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City. The Supreme Court’s opinion is here. Knick was represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, which argued for SCOTUS to overturn the 1985 ruling that allowed federal courts to refuse to hear her challenge to a local ordinance that forced her to allow public access to her private farmland, according to a press release by PLF. PLF said in a story that Knick’s ordeal began in 2013, when government agents forced her to allow public access to a suspected gravesite on her farmland. She sued over the unconstitutional taking. A federal court refused to hear her federal claim, citing the 1985 decision. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City, Tennessee owned of a tract of land in Williamson County and intended to develop it into a residential subdivision, according to a case summary by Oyez. The Williamson County Regional Planning Commission denied the…

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Law Enforcement Announces More TennCare Arrests in Knox, Williamson, and Blount Counties

  Tennessee officials have arrested more people on charges of TennCare fraud. According to a press release, authorities with the Office of Inspector General and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office charged a Loudon County woman in Knox County with doctor shopping for prescription drugs and using TennCare as payment for the pills. Authorities arrested April L. Finger, 45, of Loudon (pictured, right). “An investigation led to the identification of five different instances in which Ms. Finger failed to disclose to her medical providers that she had been receiving prescriptions for the painkillers hydrocodone and Tramadol from other providers, using TennCare as payment,” according to a press release. “A review by the Knox County District Attorney’s Office led to criminal charges for three counts of TennCare fraud.” District Attorney General Charme P. Allen is prosecuting, according to the press release. OIG officials along with members of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office this week announced the arrest of Jamie M. Frisell, 51, of Greenback (not pictured). Authorities charged the Blount County woman with TennCare fraud and theft of services more than $60,000. “Authorities say she falsely reported her income and marital status for the purpose of enrolling in the taxpayer-funded insurance program,” according to…

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Despite Some Residents’ Misgivings, Williamson County Will Negotiate with Jason Golden to Replace Mike Looney

  Williamson County School Board members voted unanimously Monday to enter formal negotiations with Jason Golden to replace outgoing Superintendent Mike Looney at an annual salary of $250,000. But the vote didn’t happen without certain people speaking out against the board’s hiring process. Residents made their displeasure known during the board meeting’s public comment phase. Golden, now the interim superintendent, was the board’s deputy legal counsel. Certain county residents said the person who replaces Looney should have some sort of professional education background. They also protested board members’ apparent lack of interest in hiring anyone other than Golden. County resident Jonlyn Nation, for instance, said she had nothing personal against Golden, but she also wanted a more open selection process. Mike Hinton, meanwhile, said someone with no previous ties to Looney could have provided a fresh perspective. “The way this selection process was handled was wrong. The job is not even posted. No one, not even our interim superintendent, was even granted an interview. It was shameful, unorthodox, unethical, and inconsiderate to everyone, including Mr. Golden,” Hinton said. County resident Rae Sanchez followed. Sanchez, who is African-American, told board members she has six children and has worked in the school…

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Williamson County Cultural Competency Committee Hears Other Side of ‘White Privilege’ Argument

  FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Members of the Williamson County Cultural Competency Committee gathered Tuesday, this time with a larger and more diverse crowd. “Diverse” not in terms of race or gender, but in terms of right-of-center people who disapprove of the school system’s “white privilege” training. These people had a chance to speak up, perhaps for the first time. As reported, school system officials closed off previous meetings to the media, and they also did not publicize the meetings — suggesting they were a bit one-sided in favor of the “white privilege” training. Outgoing Superintendent Mike Looney appeared briefly to encourage people to continue the work, especially after he leaves to take a position in Georgia. “There is no radical agenda at work here,” Looney told a crowd of about 75 people. “It’s just about making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect.” After Looney left, the crowd broke up into about three different groups. Some of the attendees voiced their displeasure with the “white privilege” portion of the training. In one group, Franklin resident Brandi McCutchan said the “white privilege” training offended her. “Because I’m white I’m (supposedly) privileged,” McCutchan said. “The training that the district released was…

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Magazine Distributed to Williamson County Students Promotes Islam, Parents Say

  A group of parents say they’re upset because students at Woodland Middle School in Brentwood can access a New York Times-published magazine with an article they say promotes Islam. The April 22 issue of Upfront Magazine has a cover story about “Islam in America” and how U.S. Muslims face “increasing hostility and attacks on their faith.” [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BUTLER_IslamPDF2.pdf” title=”BUTLER_IslamPDF#2″] In one passage, the article said “Islam is becoming more and more Americanized.” Williamson County resident Stefanie Rose Miles, who recently created the Facebook group WCS TN Parents Want Facts, told The Tennessee Star the article concerns her. “It’s profiling a couple of American Muslim children and making it seem like ‘Oh, they’re just Americanized.’ There is a quote in there that says Islam is a lifestyle, and I think it’s promoting it. You would never see an article on Christians,” Miles said. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BUTLER_IslamPDF1.pdf” title=”BUTLER_IslamPDF#1″] “You don’t see any Christian children being featured and that’s just the contrast. Christianity is often painted in a negative light. In this case, the separation of church and state seems to be thrown out the window.” The Star found another Upfront Magazine article about Muslims in America. The magazine itself seems to discuss…

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Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney May Soon Depart for New Job in Atlanta

Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney may soon vacate his position and relocate to Atlanta. Officials with the Fulton County School System said on their official website Wednesday that Looney is their top finalist for their open superintendent job. Looney was in Atlanta Wednesday morning, about 12 hours after he oversaw a Williamson County Board meeting Tuesday night. According to The Williamson Herald, decision day is only a few weeks away. “Vying as the Fulton County School District’s top finalist, Looney could be soon exiting the position he’s held in WCS for just over 10 years if he chooses to officially accept the position May 2 at the competing district’s school board meeting,” the paper reported. Williamson County School Board Chair Gary Anderson told The Herald he and his colleagues could soon hire an interim superintendent, if Looney takes the Atlanta job. According to a statement on the Fulton County Schools’ website, board members have searched nationwide for a new superintendent since December. “As prescribed by Georgia law, the school board must give a minimum of 14 days for public input on a finalist for the position of Superintendent,” the press release said. “To ensure Dr. Looney has the opportunity to…

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No More ‘White Privilege’ Training, Parents Tell Williamson County School Board

At a brief and sparsely-attended Williamson County School Board meeting Tuesday, Franklin resident Brandi McCutchan told members of the Williamson County School System that she wants no more “white privilege” training. McCutchan made these remarks during a public comment portion of the meeting. McCutchan cited emails The Tennessee Star obtained and published through an open records request in which county school employees advocated for social change and social justice. “I am here to say that we are not (for it), and we are adamantly opposed to these trainings in our schools and this white privilege train of thought. Concerned parents would like some insight on how these videos came about,” McCutchan said. The “white privilege” training videos, as part of a Cultural Competency video series, showcased local teachers buying into the idea of “white privilege.” “We want to make sure that this training is entirely out of our school system with no plans for implantation,” McCutchan said. “Our parents need assurance our kids are being taught and not indoctrinated.” Meanwhile, during the same public comment portion, Franklin resident Edina Nelson said the curriculum “made her stomach turn.” Nelson invited members of the audience join the Facebook page WCS TN Parents…

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Williamson County School Board Members Don’t Plan to Discuss Controversial ‘White Privilege’ Training Tuesday Night

Williamson County School Board members will assemble for their April meeting Tuesday night, but, according to that meeting’s agenda sheet, no one plans to discuss a subject that has generated controversy in the community. As The Tennessee Star reported, Superintendent Mike Looney implemented a Cultural Competency curriculum that includes “white privilege” training for teachers. School board members thus far won’t say if they plan to address these matters. But members of a group that want more information said they plan to send a representative to Tuesday’s meeting. Members of this group, WCS TN Parents Wants Facts, say it’s time for Looney and other school system representatives to show greater transparency. As reported, the group already has a Facebook page. “We hope to have transparency on the entire curriculum that is being rolled out. Our overall goal is to have political persuasions and parties not influencing our teachers or the curriculum,” said Stefanie Rose Miles, one of the page’s creators, Monday. “It is quite interesting that we have around 200 or so followers, but on the other side we get several thousand views per post. Our private messages, well, we can’t answer them all in a timely manner, but we are…

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Opponents of Gay Marriage Try Again in Court to Argue Tennessee’s Marriage Laws Are Invalid

A motion was filed Monday in the Chancery Court in Williamson County asking the court to set aside its earlier judgment dismissing the claims of five Williamson County residents who say Tennessee should not issue marriage licenses until a new statute is passed. The Motion for Relief from Judgment asks the court to set aside its earlier judgment on June 14, 2016, dismissing the claims of five Williamson County residents related to the administration of Tennessee’s marriage licensing statutes by the Williamson County clerk following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. Former State Sen. David Fowler said in a press release that he filed the motion as attorney for the Constitutional Government Defense Fund, the legal arm of the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT). At least three of the plaintiffs are ministers at Middle Tennessee churches who say that Obergefell means Tennessee should not issue marriage licenses until a new statute is passed, according to Courthouse News Service. George Grant, Larry Tomczak and Lyndon Allen filed a lawsuit on Jan. 21, 2016 against Elaine Anderson, clerk of Williamson County. The other plaintiffs are Lyndon Allen and Tim McCorkle. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision overturned…

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How WCS Superintendent Mike Looney Hid the Truth About ‘White Privilege’ Training from His Own School Board

One day a Williamson County School Board member says she was caught off guard to learn school teachers had to watch videos preaching “white privilege” and America’s supposed dysfunctional history. On another day, another school board member, when pressed for answers about these videos, referred all questions to Superintendent Mike Looney, who thought up the idea in the first place. Later that week, at a gathering in Franklin, Looney told parents they were never supposed to see these videos and even publicly scolded a County Commissioner for asking questions about this curriculum. Many parents have told The Tennessee Star they don’t believe Looney has shown enough transparency with board members, the public, or the media. Many parents wonder if transparency is the order of the day when it comes to how the Williamson County School System does business — and they say the problem starts at the top, with Looney. ‘Blindsided’ At last week’s Williamson County School board meeting, Looney told board members that, yes, they approved the in-service training program for academic year 2018-2019 when they approved the top line budget. But board member Candy Emerson said she had no idea she voted for such a thing as in-service…

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Angry Parents Tell Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney They Disapprove of His ‘White Privilege’ Videos

FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Williamson County parents and members of the public were never supposed to see the Cultural Competency videos that preached white privilege, School Superintendent Mike Looney told a group of about 20 people Thursday evening. Only teachers were supposed to see the videos, Looney said. Taxpayer paid for those videos. The Tennessee Star obtained the videos through a public records request and posted them on its website this month. “We have not shared these videos. They were not meant for public consumption,” Looney said, adding students were not supposed to see them either. Later, Looney told about 20 parents “the video was not meant for you, and you should not have seen the video, in my opinion.” Some parents opposed the videos. Other parents supported them. Looney held the meeting at the school system’s Professional Development Center in Franklin. Looney also told parents his decision to create a Cultural Competency Committee began after some parents complained about the school system’s choice of field trips where slavery was a topic. The people giving the tour — and not the teachers —said insensitive things about slaves that upset African-American parents, Looney said. ‘Gobbledygook’ A woman named Anna, who did not…

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Williamson County Schools Cultural Competency Council Pushes to Hire More Teachers Based on Race, Emails Show

The Williamson County School System’s Special Projects Manager Erin Caceres indicated in emails she wants administrators to hire more teachers based on race, according to documents obtained this week. Caceres made these statements to Cultural Competency Committee members and to Superintendent Mike Looney in January and February of this year. Caceres stressed yet again that members of the public could not attend Cultural Competency Council meetings. The Tennessee Star obtained these emails through an open records request. Caceres said the following in a Jan. 19 email to Looney: “As we work to firm up our relationship with MTSU, I am reflecting tonight on how there was not a single teacher of color among the honorees at the employee of the year celebration and thinking of ways that we can diversify our workforce,” Caceres wrote. “I am in the process of establishing affiliation agreements with the HBCs in Nashville (Fisk and TSU) so they will begin to send us some student teachers. I also want to send you all a report from a study conducted by the Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance. The report was shared at our last Trailblazer’s meeting and gives recommendations for retention of teachers of color. As…

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Another Smoking Gun: WCS Cultural Competency Committee Backers Want Social Justice, But No Publicity About Their Meetings, Emails Reveal

People involved in the Williamson County School System’s Cultural Competency Committee and people who support those efforts sent emails about the need for social justice and how to handle teachers who resist change. Emails also reveal Cultural Competency Committee members did not want publicity or for members of the media to attend their meetings. Committee members and other people who support their efforts sent these emails to one other earlier this month, and Superintendent Mike Looney received some of them. The Tennessee Star obtained these emails through an open records request to the county school system. In a March 6 email, a woman named Sara Melamed gave a rundown to Looney about the prior Cultural Competency meeting based on notes she took. A woman by the same name ran for the Williamson County Commission last year, according to The Tennessean, and she also served on the Williamson County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee. “They discussed ‘what to do about teachers who are resistant to change,’” Melamed wrote Looney. “For some teachers it has been considered life-changing and given them new perspective.” Melamed’s notes also included the following as it pertains to publicizing the committee’s work: “Why is the committee not being…

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Social Justice Warrior Reporters at The Tennessean Use Twitter to Lecture Williamson County Residents About ‘Racist Incidents’

People in Williamson County this week accused two reporters at The Tennessean of having a bias that favors the “white privilege” training county school system administrators impose on teachers. Using their personal Twitter pages as their platforms, and not The Tennessean itself, these two reporters, Elaina Sauber and Emily West, seemed to favor the “Cultural Competency” videos school system officials force teachers to watch. These videos also preach about America’s supposed dysfunctional history. WCS teachers must watch them through an In-service training program. What Sauber and West say about these “Cultural Competency” videos on social media matters — that’s because they both write about Williamson County for The Tennessean. Sauber, for instance, co-wrote a story this week titled “Williamson GOP claims schools are ‘indoctrinating’ students with video series on inclusion.” Sauber seemed to use her Twitter page to try to make the case racial tensions may still exist in Williamson County and local GOP members are wrong to criticize the “white privilege” training. But Sauber cited racially-charged cases out of the county that are six to 20-years old. West, using her Twitter, seemed to lecture a Williamson County parent about social justice. West also seemed to say she knows more about…

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Pushed by UnifiEd, Hamilton County School Board Uses Consultants, Committees to Tell Community Its Schools Are Unequal in Diversity

Williamson County and Knox County Schools have been making headlines with their white privilege and “cultural competency” training for teachers, but so far there is no sign that trend has spread to Hamilton County Schools – yet. Williamson County has forced teachers to learn about “white privilege” in required in-service training days, The Tennessee Star has reported in a series of stories. Knox County Schools are spending $170,000 out of their $928,677 in-service budget on cultural competency training for teachers. Hamilton County Board of Education has been working with diversity consultants for the past couple of years to desegregate schools through means that would include busing. They formed committees and workshops to label the district as inequitable for minority students. One diversity group attacked two school board members last year for opposing their plans. Dr. Marsha Drake, the district’s chief equity officer, launched an Equity Task Force in 2018. The Hamilton County Board of Education in May 2018 voted to begin seeking funding to pay for the Howard Group, a consultant agency, to identify “the larger factors that put some students on unequal footing,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press said. The board asked the Howard Group to work with the…

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Two Mothers Launch New Facebook Page to Get Facts About What Is Happening with Williamson County Schools

Two parents with children attending Williamson County Schools have created a Facebook page to help parents organize and get more information about what is going on within Williamson County Schools. Some parents say school system officials keep them in the dark. This, a week after The Tennessee Star revealed teachers in the school system had to watch “Cultural Competency” videos preaching “white privilege.” The Facebook page, WCS TN Parents Want Facts, went live Thursday night. The group’s two creators, Stefanie Miles and Karrie Marren, told The Star Friday they want to make the page a place for transparency — and not a place for political arguments. “We couldn’t find any kind of group of organized and concerned parents,” Miles said. “It sounded like a lot of people had concern, but I didn’t know where to go to talk with other parents and there didn’t seem to be any kind of organization in that regard, so I thought, ‘Well, let’s just start a page and see if we can start some conversations, just to find out facts.’” Miles said issues of “white privilege” and diversity and culture are important — but she also said “those are discussions for the home.” Miles…

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More Williamson County ‘Cultural Competency’ Videos Warn Teachers to Use Politically Correct Language

In Modules No. 1 and No. 2 of the Williamson County Schools Cultural Competency video series, teachers are told the term “illegal alien” is “oppressive.” But that’s just one example among many of a leftist, politically correct narrative that school system officials try to drill into their teachers through these videos. “For example, assuming that a person from South America has ever tasted a taco or an enchilada is a way we might tokenize or appropriate Latino culture,” an off-screen female narrator warns teachers. Another supposed nugget of wisdom the narrator passes down: “Using coded language like ‘ghetto,’ ‘thug,’ or even ‘helicopter parents’ can fuel biased behavior and unintentionally reinforce stereotypes,” the narrator said. “It is important to be careful and precise regarding word choice when communicating with students and their families.” The narrator continues her fixation on race by telling teachers never to assume Asians are math prodigies or that other groups possess stereotypical characteristics. “Culture goes far beyond race, country of origin, or even ethnicity and can include the total way of life of a particular group of people, including systems, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings,” the narrator added. The Tennessee Star obtained Modules No. 1 and No. 2…

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Williamson County Parent of Sunset Middle School Student Says Alleged ‘Racist Incident’ at School Claimed by Tennessean Never Happened

A Sunset Middle School parent familiar with details of what The Tennessean alleged last Friday was a “racist incident” that occurred on January 18 at Sunset Middle School in Brentwood told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview on Thursday, “The alleged incident at the school did not happen.” “That was a lesson in the classroom about the Irish settlers. The lesson was how people locked arms to block the Irish settlers. That is where that all came from, and it has been grossly exaggerated into this story where students locked arms to block minority students. There was no Trump wall being built. There was no students arm-in-arm blocking any other students. None of that happened,” the parent told The Star. The parent, who confirmed they have a child who currently attends Sunset Middle School, contacted The Star by email on Thursday and offered to talk anonymously about the allegation, as well as the current environment at Sunset Middle School. This parent, our first source for this story, portrays a situation where media accounts of alleged racism at the school are a gross mischaracterization. Another person familiar with the alleged January 18 “racist incident,” a second source for this story, confirms the…

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Williamson County Resident Skeptical of Looney Claim the SPLC Can ‘Hit it Straight Down the Middle’ with ‘White Privilege’ Training

Brentwood resident Frank Wegerson was unhappy reading about the reported white privilege “Cultural Competency” series Williamson County teachers are having to watch. Wegerson said he was also worried about the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center holding a workshop in Franklin that county teachers will attend. So Wegerson emailed Superintendent Mike Looney Wednesday morning – and, much to his surprise, he got an almost immediate response. Only minutes after pressing the ‘send’ button, the Brentwood resident said Looney read the email and called to tell him that he wanted the conference to go “straight down the middle,” without “bias toward the left or right.” Looney told Wegerson he doesn’t watch CNN or FOX News because he believes both networks push an agenda. “He didn’t commit to anything,” Wegerson said of Looney. “He simply said that he was going to look at it some more.” Wegerson also sent Looney an article FOX News personality Tucker Carlson wrote warning people about the SPLC’s leftist politics. “He [Looney] just thanked me for sending him the article and said he wanted to hit it down the middle, wanted to be straight, not going too far left or right and I thought, well, that’s interesting because…

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Williamson County Schools Teacher on ‘White Privilege’ Training: ‘They Basically Are Telling White Teachers That We Are Racist. It is Super Offensive.’

A Williamson County Schools teacher who was forced to sit through the Williamson County Schools Competency Training Series video on “white privilege” contacted The Tennessee Star on Wednesday and delivered a searing critique of the in-service training created and mandated by Williamson County Schools superintendent Mike Looney. “Please investigate this as I am a Williamson County school teacher and had to sit through the ‘White Privilege’ training. It was a joke. They basically are telling white teachers that we are racist. It is super offensive,” the teacher, who requested anonymity, told The Star. “We can’t speak up for fear of losing our jobs,” the teacher added. “You have the power to investigate and hold the leaders of Williamson County accountable,” the teacher told The Star. “Teachers can’t, we need our jobs but are being forced to endure such offensive assumptions. I judge/see all students’ character. This is what speaks to any teacher. The idea that because a person is white, they are privileged, is ludicrous and offensive,” the teacher continued. “I am attaching a copy of papers we were given during the training,” the teacher continued. You can see those papers below: [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/scan-1.pdf” title=”scan (1)”] As The Tennessee Star reported this month,…

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Williamson County Schools Spending 22 Percent More on In-Service Training for Teachers This Academic Year

The Williamson County School System is serious about prioritizing its In-Service teacher training, so much so administrators spent 22 percent more on it for this 2018-19 school year versus the prior one. According to the school system’s budget, administrators spent $689,989 on their In-Service/Staff Development training this school year. For the 2017-18 school year, administrators budgeted $564,508. This school year’s budget for the In-Service teacher training is a 57 percent increase over what it got in the 2013-14 school year, $439,847. Other budgeted items, including materials and supplies, got less than a 1 percent budget increase over the previous school year, while workers compensation insurance got a 2 percent increase. Budgeted liability insurance costs remained the same, while the school system’s building and contents insurance got a 17 percent decrease. You can see the budget breakdown for In-Service training expenditures by Williamson County Schools from the 2013-2014 academic year to the 2018-2019 academic year here: As The Tennessee Star reported this week, as part of this In-Service teacher training, Williamson County School System officials made teachers watch a video that tried to instruct them on how to teach students about “white privilege.” The 26-minute in-service training video, the third in…

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The Tennessean Claims ‘Racist Incidents Are Occurring in Williamson Schools’

The Tennessean published a story Friday which claimed “racist incidents are occurring in Williamson Schools.” The story made specific reference to only one such incident, however, and apparently relied on the word of just two parents to verify that it occurred. Those parents — Revida Rahman and Inetta Gaines— are both members of the district’s cultural competency council, which “was formed last year by WCS superintendent Mike Looney after parents expressed concerns about field trips to plantations,” according to The Tennessean, which also reported that the incident occured in January at Sunset Middle School in Brentwood when some students at the school allegedly “linked arms in between classes, forming a human chain, and then barred non-white students from passing.” “The students likened it to President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall,” the paper reported, adding: Rahman and Gaines, both African-American, verified that the wall incident happened at Sunset Middle, along with a number of regularly occurring inappropriate incidents: use of the N-word on school buses, history lessons that glorify slavery and insensitive field trips on the state’s history with slavery. Gaines, however, according to the Brentwood Homepage, has no children attending Sunset Middle. “I don’t have a student at Sunset Middle, but I have friends that have…

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BREAKING: Two Williamson County School Teachers Resign After School Director Mike Looney Holds Secret Meeting Closed to Media

The two Williamson County school teachers who asked students to hand out tasks to their pretend slaves have reportedly resigned from their jobs because of a “strong backlash from the community.” This, after parents met with Williamson County School Superintendent Mike Looney Tuesday night — a meeting reportedly off-limits to the press. Brentwoodhomepage.com reported the news Wednesday. As reported, the two teachers are Kim Best and Susan Hooper, and they teach at Sunset Middle School in Brentwood. The parents reportedly called for Best’s and Hooper’s resignations, according to Brentwoodhomepage.com The website quoted Inneta Gaines, who said the county school system has a problem with “cultural insensitivity.” “I don’t have a student at Sunset Middle, but I have friends that have students there,” Gaines reportedly said. “One in particular, there was an incident that happened about building a wall in a classroom, this [being] the Trump wall. This is stuff that’s going on in our school that doesn’t get brought to light.” Gaines told the website it “was not an appropriate assignment to give, especially in the political climate we’re in, especially with the diversity training that they (teachers) are supposed to be getting.” As The Tennessee Star reported this week,…

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Questions Surround Who Approved ‘White Privilege’ Training for Williamson County Teachers

Williamson County officials had the ultimate power to approve an In-service “white privilege” training curriculum for their teachers last month, said a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Education Wednesday. But that’s inconsistent with the TDOE’s standards and practices on In-service teacher training, as specified on that department’s website. Tennessee’s education commissioner, according to the rules, has the final say approving any In-service training plans. Local school system officials submit those plans to the education commissioner months before the start of the new school year. “In-service days shall be used according to a plan recommended by the local superintendent of schools in accordance with the provisions of this section and other applicable statutes, and adopted by the local board of education,” the TDOE website said. “A copy of this plan shall be filed with the State Commissioner of Education on or before June 1 the preceding school year and approved by him.” The Tennessee Star asked TDOE officials Tuesday and Wednesday whether officials from that department had approved Williamson’s “white privilege” In-service training curriculum? TDOE spokeswoman Chandler Hopper, in an emailed statement, said the following: “Tennessee is a state that believes in local authority, so the content of inservice trainings…

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EXCLUSIVE: Williamson County Schools Indoctrinated Teachers on How to Teach Students About ‘White Privilege’ With In-Service Training Video

Williamson County School System officials recently made teachers watch a video that tried to instruct them not on ways to teach students reading, writing, and arithmetic — but it instead tried to indoctrinate teachers on how to teach students about “white privilege.” The 26-minute in-service training video, the third in a series about cultural competency, profiles several people whom the video describes as “Williamson County Voices.” The video does not identify anyone, nor does it make clear if these people are school system employees or county residents not formally affiliated with the school system. One man, though, identified himself as a school administrator. In the video, they and the narrator discuss social justice causes, the perks white males supposedly have that others do not, America’s supposed dysfunctional history, and how unfair it all is. At the beginning, an unidentified female narrator encourages teachers to “recognize the construct of privilege and its implications.” (emphasis added) “Our second goal is for you to have built confidence in your ability to engage in courageous conversations about privilege,” the narrator said. “If we as educators do not build our capacity to discuss challenging topics with our colleagues then how can we teach those skills…

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Huge Turnout at Williamson County GOP Victory Party

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–A huge crowd turned out for the Williamson County GOP Victory Party held at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Saturday night. More than 300 people attended the event, which featured speeches from Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada, and State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), among others. Blackburn, Casada, and Johnson are all residents of Williamson County. Though not a resident of Williamson County, Green is a resident of the 7th Congressional District he represents in Congress, which includes much of Williamson County. The event’s success was a tribute to the organizational leadership of outgoing Williamson County Republican Party Chairman Debbie Deaver, a grassroots conservative leader who began her tenure with a stunning victory two years ago over a more established opponent in February 2017. Deaver’s victory was one of the first stories reported by The Tennessee Star, which launched just days before, on February 6, 2017. Musical entertainment for the event was provided by State Sen. Johnson and his band, the Austin Brothers.    

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Fired Williamson County Teacher Sues to Clear Her Name

FRANKLIN — A former teacher dismissed from her job in Williamson County wants the people who allegedly helped to get her fired to retract a written statement they made about her. And that woman, Nedra Finney, is using the courts to try to make that happen. Finney and her Nashville-based attorney Michael Clemons filed a defamation lawsuit against two parents she says wrote a letter that cost her her job. The parents, who are unidentified, allegedly wrote a letter to members of the Franklin Special School District and accused Finney of mistreating their child and acting unprofessional on the job. Finney told The Tennessee Star the accusations are untrue. On Tuesday, Finney and Clemons attended a hearing where those parents, who did not attend, made a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Finney filed against them. In her lawsuit, Finney said all she wants is for the parents to write a letter retracting the statements they made about her — and to cover the cost of her legal fees while she tries to exonerate herself. “My understanding is the parents refuse to write a letter of retraction of the false statements,” Finney said. “I didn’t pay much attention to the (Brett)…

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Tennessee Star Report Exclusive: Williamson County Democratic Chair Holly McCall on Her Bid for State Party Chair

On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy spoke to Holly McCall, Williamson County’s Democratic Party chair and discussed her thoughts on the Democratic Party’s current national narrative about her grass roots movement to replace current Tennessee Democratic Party State chair Mary Mancini. They continued the discussion about the Democratic image challenges McCall faces and her position on how to turn things around.  At the end of the segment, McCall touches upon the difference between Southern Democrats and the rest of the country and how the message needs to be talked about sanely and found it unfortunate that some Democrats were unwilling to speak to The Tennessee Star. Gill: We talked yesterday with incoming house speaker Republican Glen Casada and today we thought we’d give you the flip side with Holly McCall who actually ran against Glen Casada for that state house seat in Williamson County a couple years ago. She is the chairman of the Williamson County Democratic Party and wants to be chairman of the Democratic Party for the state of Tennessee. Mary…

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Controversial Thompson’s Station Mayor Napier Re-Elected by 11 Votes After Provisional Ballots Counted

  Williamson County Election Administrator Chad Gray says that all provisional and contested ballots in the November 6 election for Thompson’s Station Mayor have been tabulated and that current Mayor Corey Napier has won by 11 votes. Napier defeated challenger Mike Roberts by receiving 1,283 total votes to Roberts’ 1,272 votes. Napier had a 12 vote margin when votes were counted on Election Day and until provisional votes were included, after which Roberts picked up one additional vote. Of six provisional ballots cast in Thompson’s Station, only one counted in the final tally. That vote went to Roberts. Napier’s time as Mayor has been surrounded by controversy, including ongoing lawsuits and contentious Board of Mayor and Alderman meetings.  Napier has also seen his wages as Mayor garnished due to unpaid personal taxes.  His extremely narrow margin of victory is unlikely to diminish the conflicts that his leadership has created. One of Napier’s allies on the Board of Mayor and Alderman was re-elected on November 6, Brandon Bell. Shaun Alexander will replace Ben Dilks, who did not seek reelection. Alexander ran his race in close cooperation with the Roberts’ campaign. One of the critical issues the City must address immediately is…

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Blackburn and Lee Campaign in Williamson County as Early Voting Period Begins

As early voting kicked into gear on Wednesday, Republican Senatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn and Republican Gubernatorial nominee Bill Lee urged a hometown Williamson County crowd of over 200 voters to head to the polls. The midday rally in Franklin featured local officials and candidates, yard signs, bumper stickers and food from Chick-fil-a. After being introduced by State Senator Jack Johnson, Lee mentioned that a young man earlier in the day had told him that he “just cast his vote” to elect him Governor. “It really struck me,” Lee said, “that the young man and thousands just like him are pushing a button next to my name and entrusting me with their future and the future of our state. I don’t want to let him down. I don’t want to let down the kids in the inner city that I have worked with or in the farming communities where I have spent time. I recognize the responsibility that they are placing on me and I will do my very best to show that that trust in me is deserved.” Lee went on to point out that Blackburn has been his Congressman as the has served Williamson County and the rest of…

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State Senator Johnson Hosts Annual ‘Boots And Jeans, BBQ And Beans’ Sunday in Franklin

Boots, barbecue, blue jeans and beans are meeting up with politics once again in Franklin. State Senator Jack Johnson (R-TN-23) is holding his 12th annual “Boots & Jeans, BBQ & Beans” event Sunday at 4 p.m. at The Factory In Franklin. Johnson’s event will feature live music from the Austin Brothers and Martin’s BBQ. The event also will feature an all-star lineup of Tennessee GOP figures, including: State Senator Randy McNally (R-TN-05), lieutenant governor U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Bill Lee, Republican nominee for governor State Senator Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-22), Republican nominee for Congress Brandon Ogles, Republican nominee for State House District 61 State Representative Glen Casada (R-TN-63) State Representative Sam Whitson (R-TN-65) Speaking about the event, Johnson said, “I am thrilled and honored to be able host my 12th annual Boots & Jeans, BBQ & Beans event. My family and I look forward to this all year and seeing all of our friends and neighbors come together for a family-friendly afternoon of BBQ and live music.” Event details and tickets are available here. Johnson has lived in Middle Tennessee since graduating from Texas State University with a degree in education, according to his…

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Audit Reveals Theft in Williamson County Government

Williamson County Parks and Rec

The former assistant adult sports coordinator for the Williamson County Parks and Recreation stole more than $7,600 from that department over a two-and-a-half-year span, according to an audit released Tuesday. In their report, members of the Tennessee Comptrollers’ Office called out Daniel Lawson as the culprit. That money belonged to the county’s adult softball league program, the audit said. The Tennessee Star attempted to reach Lawson through his personal Facebook page Tuesday, but he did not return our message before day’s end. The investigation began after WCPR officials found a discrepancy and reported missing money. For reasons unspecified, their investigation took them straight to Lawson. “Lawson failed to turn over money he collected from patrons as payment for softball league registration and out-of-county fees,” according to a press release. “In several instances, Lawson met patrons at an offsite location and collected cash or checks naming him as the payee. Lawson should have remitted these funds for deposit into the WCPR bank account. Instead, he kept the money for his personal benefit.” Lawson, the release went on to say, also altered WCPR computer records to hide what he did. All of this took place between January 2015 and August of last…

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Commentary: What Happened to Williamson County?

Williamson County

by Ira Weiss and Don Barnett   As you travel about Williamson County you can’t help but notice the construction sites everywhere. Maybe it is time to take a closer look before you wake up one morning to find you no longer live in the suburbs or exurbs, but live in an environment that looks more like a city replete with tall buildings, massive traffic – including commuter rail and heavy bus and truck traffic, and other urban necessities. What is driving the higher growth in Williamson County? In 2012, the Williamson County Commission contracted with the Williamson Chamber of Commerce – which also calls itself Williamson Inc. – to promote growth. The result has been growth on steroids. In fact, the Chamber is contractually obligated to secure a minimum of 25 corporate relocation and expansion projects for the current fiscal year alone.  As part of its mandate it must achieve a level of job growth in Williamson County that is at least 25% higher than that of the national county average.  And all of this deal-making is happening in private with almost no input from county residents. For its efforts to promote hyper growth the Chamber has received nearly…

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73 Percent Increase in First Day of Primary Early Voting in Williamson County Compared to 2014

early voting 2018 primary

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–A total of 911 ballots were cast on the first day of primary early voting in Williamson County on Friday, a 73 percent increase from the 526 ballots that were cast in the county on the first day of early voting in the August 2014 primary. The Brentwood HomePage provided these details: There are only two locations open for early voting in the county—the Election Commission’s office in Franklin and the Brentwood Library. At the library 340 people voted, while 505 people voted at the office in Franklin. After adding in votes from absentee ballots and nursing homes, there were 911 people voted Friday. . . Republicans made up the vast majority of voters. The Williamson County Commission reports that 606 people voted in the Republican primary while 297 voted in the Democratic primary. Eight people voted only in the general election. Supporters of several candidates, including State Senator Dr. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) , Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) , and Jeff Ford,  stood under a tent just beyond the 100 foot boundary with signs for their candidate of choice at the Williamson County Administrative Building in Franklin. Green is running unchallenged in the Republican primary to replace Blackburn as…

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Williamson County House 61 Voters Almost Unanimously Support School Resource Officers in Every Tennessee School

security at schools

A new poll conducted among likely GOP voters in the Nashville suburbs of Brentwood and Franklin by Triton Polling shows that voter concerns about traffic congestion, illegal immigration and rising crime are at the top of the list. Recent school shootings have also resulted in over 90% of the Republican voters in the District supporting placement of School Resource Officers (SROs) in each school across the state in order to increase security in our schools. The survey of 361 likely Republican Primary voters was conducted June 18-22, 2018 and has a margin or error of 5.1%. “School shootings across the country are clearly top of mind among parents in Tennessee,” Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill pointed out. “Currently only about half of Tennessee schools have an armed SRO, and 90.5% of the voters in this district support making sure that every school has that protection.” 65.3% of those polled supported state funding to ensure that level of protection of schools. Governor Bill Haslam included some funding for SROs in his final state budget, and several candidates for Governor, including Beth Harwell and Randy Boyd have expressed support for the Governor’s plan and that they intend to expand upon it.…

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Former Williamson County GOP Chair and First-Time Candidate Julie Hannah Hits the Bricks in Her Campaign for Register of Deeds

Conservative firebrand Julie Hannah is taking her years of experience as a Williamson County Republican Party member and Chairwoman and using it in her unique campaign to be the county’s next Register of Deeds. “People think campaigns are all about big rallies, television ads, and media interviews but at the local level it is door knocking and personal connections that make the difference in winning or losing. That’s why my focus is on going door to door throughout Williamson County,” Hannah said in a statement, adding: “I want to bring my experience in the private business arena to provide consistent professionalism to the office. For me, being Register of Deeds is not about having a position, it is all about serving people and doing the job so well that it never really draws much attention. The Williamson County Register of Deeds is a fairly obscure office that not many people are familiar with. “You’re running for what? is almost always the first question I get,” she quipped. “Having the chance to meet people at their front doors and ask for their votes has been amazing out. I’ve never been more more optimistic about our future with having had the chance to meet families…

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Sales Tax Increase Passes by 2-to-1 Margin in Low Turnout Williamson County Election

A referendum to increase county sales taxes in Williamson County from 2.25 percent to 2.77 percent passed by a 2-to-1 margin in a low turnout election held in the dead of winter on Tuesday. “Out of the 12,365 ballots cast, 66.1 percent (or just over 8,000 voters) voted for the increase, while 33.9 percent (just over 4,000) voted against the referendum,” WSMV reported after the polls closed Tuesday and all the votes were counted. “This is an extremely low turnout so far,” Williamson County Administrator of Elections Chad Gray told WSMV before the polls closed on Tuesday. After all the votes were count, Gray’s initial comments were confirmed–only about 9 percent of the county’s registered voters ended up casting their ballots. About 6,000 participated in early voting between January 17 and February 1, and a little over 6,000 voted on the actual election day, Tuesday. Supporters of the county sales tax increase said the additional funds were needed to pay for new public schools in the Williamson County School system. Opponents decried the increase as insufficient for the claimed purpose, and the wrong mechanism for financing new school construction. But the supporters were well funded and politically clever to schedule…

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JC Bowman Commentary: The Role of a School Board

Tennessee Star

Local school boards reflect the needs and aspirations of the communities as well as the interests and concerns of professional and nonprofessional employees. We believe non-partisan control is what is best for our communities. This is best ensured when educational policy is made by representatives vested in the community they live, and whose undivided attention and interests are devoted strictly to education of the children in that district. What we stress in a nutshell: Public education is a federal concern, a state responsibility, and a local operation.

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Williamson County Mayor, Business Leaders Push for Sales Tax Increase; GOP Chair Calls It ‘A Band-Aid’

A panel consisting of Williamson County officials and business leaders held an open forum meeting Monday, when, within a discussion of the strong growth and expensive ‘to-do’ list of the county, the specter of a sales tax increase was once again raised, a proposal Williamson County Republican Chair Debbie Deaver calls “a Band-Aid.” The panel meeting – dubbed ‘FrankTalks’ – is a regular occurring program. The Williamson Herald reported Monday’s meeting was paneled by Franklin Mayor Ken Moore; Lisa Wurth, Benchmark Realty and former president of the Williamson County Association of Realtors; Ellie Westman Chin of the Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Richard Herrington, Franklin Synergy president and chairman of Williamson Inc. Matt Largen, president and CEO of Williamson Inc., also participated The current local contribution to the state sales tax in Williamson county is 2.25 percent. While lauding the growth of the county with the addition of several medium and large businesses and the people who follow, the panelists seem to support a half-percent increase  – which represents a hefty 22 percent hike, resulting is a new tax rate of 2.75 percent. Lisa Wurth said property taxes are only paid by property owners, “but we have a lot of apartment dwellers,” the…

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Candidate Rebecca Ann Burke Responds to Jeff Ford’s Candidacy for District 61 State Rep. by Calling Him Out as a ‘Phony Conservative’

State House Representative Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) announced in late October that after two decades of service, he would not seek re-election in 2018. The decision came after long-time conservative activist and firebrand Rebecca Ann Burke declared her intent to challenge him for the State House District 61 seat. This week, fellow Republican and current Williamson County Commissioner Jeff Ford announced his candidacy to replace state Rep Sargent – a move met with a vigorous response from Burke. “Mr. Ford presents himself as a conservative, but he is looking like anything but. He is willing to cut deal with members of the Swamp, the GOP establishment, to further his campaign. He has placed his campaign in the hands of a local political operative that the media reports has a history of hiding donations to use against strong, conservative candidates,” she said, adding that Ford does not live within the boundaries of District 61. Burke is referring to Gregory Gleaves of the political consulting firm, DirectEdge, who has reportedly skated a little too close to the ethical and legal bounds. In August 2016, Rocky Top Politics detailed evidence of Gleaves’ efforts to disguise money donated by political enemies to defeat conservative incumbents in the Tennessee…

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Mayor Rick Graham Re-Elected in Spring Hill; 3 New Aldermen Win as Incumbents Fall

“Voters in the April 13, 2017, Spring Hill Municipal Election re-elected Mayor Rick Graham to a second four-year term,” the Spring Hill City website reports. “Incumbent Alderman Amy Wurth, who ran unopposed, was re-elected to Ward 1, and three new aldermen will join the board: Jeff Graves in Ward 2, Kevin Gavigan in Ward 3, and Vincent Fuqua in Ward 4, the only seat without an incumbent in the race,” the site adds. “There was a significant victory for conservatives in Thursday’s Spring Hill election,” a source familiar with Williamson County politics tells The Tennessee Star. “In Ward 2, Alderman Jonathan Duda was not re-elected even though State Rep. Sam Whitson, a big supporter of Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increase, had a mailer and ads supporting him. Jeff Graves, the actual Republican candidate won in Ward 2 over Duda by the largest margin of any of the contested races,” the source says. Duda’s mailer included these words of praise from Whitson: “As a member of the Transportation Committee and your State Representative of the 65th District, I know that Jonathan Duda is doing the hard work that is necessary to complete the major road projects that are desperately needed to…

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Showdown in Williamson County: Conservative Grassroots Debbie Deaver Vs. Establishment Tom Miller in Fight for GOP County Chair

Tennessee Star - Deaver v Miller

For some, Tuesday, Feb 28 might be just another National Chocolate Soufflé Day, but to the Williamson County Republican Party loyalists, it’s time to pick a new GOP Chair. The election in 2015 of outgoing Chairwoman Julie Hannah was a great victory for the conservative grassroots. Of the two candidates running to replace her, many activists believe Debbie Deaver represents a continuation of Hannah’s high-energy, principled leadership. Party insiders agree the choice between the two candidates emerging from the Willamson County GOP Convention earlier this year is stark:  Establishment-supporting, Moderate Tom Miller, or conservative crackerjack, Deaver. Miller served as a Franklin alderman-at-large from 1997-2003, then was elected the Mayor of Franklin for a single term in 2003. However, although Miller enjoys a nearly ubiquitous reputation as a “nice guy,” some Republican activists fear the longtime Realtor and Franklin resident will “do nothing” but take orders from the Establishment Party Leaders in Tennessee like Governor Bill Haslam, and Senators Bob Corker and Llamar Alexander. “If Tom Miller is elected to the Williamson County Chair, we will go from being a strong conservative party organization, to simply being a big-government, liberal tax-and-spend organization,” said activist and Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips.…

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