Congratulations to Rick Hall who is heading back to the Rutherford County Commission after commissioners voted 14-6 Thursday night to put him in the District 3 seat left empty when Michael Wrather resigned.
Hall beat out Wesley Smith for the appointment, with support from two former commissioners – Will Jordan and Wayne Blair and several current members. Hall will return to familiar territory. He represented District 12 in Smyrna from 2006 to 2010 before landing in District 3 when redistricting moved the boundaries. His supporters pointed to his years of experience and track record of tackling tough community issues as reasons he was the right choice for the job.
Hall will waste no time addressing the county’s biggest challenges—managing explosive growth, dealing with landfill issues, lengthy convenience center lines, and other problems.
New research from the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research shows Rutherford County has overtaken Hamilton County in population, making it the state’s fourth largest. For anyone stuck in traffic on our roads and I-24 or watching overcrowded schools this ranking comes as no surprise. The county’ fast growth has brought higher housing costs, more congestion, increased crime, and changes that long-time residents say have transformed the community they once knew. Many echo the sentiment that things were simpler before the boom hit. Yes—I miss the ‘good ole days’ when homes for were affordable, no fentanyl deaths and less crime.
Smith, who got the other six votes, couldn’t make it to Thursday’s meeting because of work commitments out of town. Even though he tried to juggle his schedule, it just didn’t work out. Commissioners did let everyone hear remarks Smith had made earlier to the Steering Committee, so they knew where he stood.
Since 2018 Commissioner Wrather has served and dedicated his life to our community. Anyone who has ever ran and served in public office knows that you often miss many kids or grandkids ball practices and often other family events. Since he was first elected in 2018, I found Commissioner Wrather to always be a statesman listening to constituents and having a sincere willingness to work well with his fellow commissioners, state legislators and most importantly listening to local residents. The commission had their hands full with some big projects from new public safety and health buildings, a few more schools, Middle Point Landfill and planning out infrastructure improvements.
Hall, who does a Tuesday morning radio show on WGNS with Wayne Blair, will hold down the District 3 seat until voters decide who they want next year.
