JOHN COFFELTEditor

A proposed controversial hearing that aimed to remove five members of the Coffee County Planning Commission was pulled the agenda by the Coffee County Commission minutes into the Nov. 14 meeting.

“I don’t feel like we need to drag things through the mud,” Commissioner Terry Hershman, District 6, said concerning his motion to amend the agenda and remove the item. Commissioner Tina Reed seconded the motion that was approved 11-4, with the late Commissioner Claude Morse’s seat vacant, and Commissioners Lynn Sebourn and Rose Ann Smith absent.

The County Mayor Judd Matheny had sought the hearing for the removal of Planning Commissioners Carole Willis, Randy Harrel, Dennis Hunt, Paul Elam and Chairman Steve Cunningham for allegedly failing to satisfy the state’s required training.

The specifics of those allegations was not presented nor discussed by the Commission. The majority of what is known comes from the commissioners agenda packet including text messages between Hunt and the mayor, some training meeting sign in sheets and what was shared at a heated Rural Caucus meeting that was attended by about half the commission and chaired by Commissioner Hunt on Nov. 13.

Basically, Matheny says that the five members are out of compliance due to an alleged short coming in training documentation as spelled out in state code.

Chairman of Planning Steve Cunningham said at the caucus meeting, “Our Planning Commission is not created by (state) statute, our planning commission is created by (county resolution) … which makes the planning commission the convening authority.”

Cunningham said that the local planning commission and the full legislative body are the authority concerning local planning. He said that under that authority, that training goes only to local codes department.

“I want to keep government local,” Cunningham said. “I don’t think you need the state in here anymore than they have to be.”

At the full commission meeting, Matheny played a recording of a conversation between him and someone who is presumably Commissioner Hunt concerning the situation.

“Dennis,” Matheny asked in the recording, “what would be the optics of us having a meeting and going back three years and saying everybody signed (that)?

“—I don’t know that that would be appropriate,” the voice on the recording replied.

Matheny said on the tape that the person providing training at the time, Sam Edwards, advised him that he had two solutions, “go back and reconstruct the records or fire everybody and start all over.”

Matheny has said at various time including directly to the Times that that he refused to in his words “cook the books.”

Hunt said at the caucus meeting that Matheny stepped out of line by calling for the hearing.

“Only the legislative body can call for a hearing and we have not done that,” Hunt said.

Members of the public, many at times becoming heated exchanges with the mayor, shared concerns that the motives for the removals were more political in nature.

Resident Jenny McKee called the matter “shady politics.”

“Mr. Matheny can you please look me in the face?” she said. “You brought my community of Beech Grove’s name in your mouth and made your dumpster fire of an administration public.”

“Commissioners, you are being watched. Please conduct yourself like you are earning or trying to earn our votes. It upsets me greatly, sir, that I am here and I have to defend Dennis Hunt.”

McKee was an outspoken member of the group that in 2020 opposed legislation in the county that would have made it possible to establish a rock quarry in Beech Grove.

Quinn Sullivan, one of the founders of Save Coffee County TN (the grassroots organization that apposed the quarry) he called the matter a technicality on a piece of paper.

“Mr. Mayor wants to release our planning commission. Why is that?” Sullivan said. “Even a blind man can see what’s going on. The five members…cannot be influenced by politics on the board.”

Matheny paused the comments to note that the credibility of the five has not been called into question.

“State law has been violated how the records have been kept. That leaves us open to a great weakness,” he said. “I know where the mistakes are made (with growth in a county). We have to be prepared for the growth so we don’t end up like Murfreesboro, like Gallatin.”

County resident Sarah Bradley cautioned the commission not to think that the vocal segment on a crowded room represents the opinions of all present.

“I am appalled by what I have seen and heard from those opposed to this attempt to legitimize a planning commission that has not been in compliance of the plain language of a state statute,” Bradley said.

County Attorney Ed North questioned Hunt’s speaking at the caucus meeting and then his vote on the amendment to remove the hearing from the agenda.

“I wear two hats in Coffee County government,” Hunt countered. “One of them is secretary of our planning commission; the other is as an elected official. I represent my district. Full discloser, I will be voting my conscience as a county commissioner.”

North presented some details of the hearing at the caucus meeting, saying he could only advise commissioners on the law.

“If we are not in compliance of the law, I feel obliged to tell you that,” North said.

At the start of the commission meeting North drifted into questionable ground when calling for a recess for an attorney-client executive session. Executive sessions are limited per state code to briefings concerning ongoing lawsuits.

According to the mayor’s statements, if the planning commission is out of compliance, it could have far reaching impact on decisions that the board made at that time, including a narrow November 2020 vote that gave the special quarry district an unfavorable recommendation that could have impacted the full commissions’ rejecting the proposed change.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.