JOHN COFFELTEditor

The Coffee County Republican Party hosted political forum held Monday, Feb. 5 at Coffee County Central High School gave members of the public opportunity to pose questions to those participating in the upcoming primary election.

The three main sessions were for contested races for the County Commission District 2, Property Assessor and County School Board Seat 1.

Fielding questions for the Property Assessor race were Republican candidates Jenna Amacher, Elissa Keele Fletcher and William Huel Goldson.

“I certainly believe fiscal conservatism, lower taxes and fair and equitable assessments, Amacher said.

Longtime employee in the Propriety Assessor office, Fletcher carefully detailed the tasks and statistics of the office. “If elected as Property Assessor, I will provide fair and efficient appraisals on the property,” Fletcher said.

Goldson, a retired US Marine, said that following his reenlistment after Sept. 11, 2001, he was the oldest candidate to ever graduate the Quantico newly commissioned or appointed officers’ Basic School at age 41. “I’d like to bring a fresh perspective to the office and take advantage of the leadership, management and organizational skills that I leaned being a small business owner and in the military,” he said.

Vying for school board seat one to represent Districts 1/3/4, are candidates Holly Mathews, incumbent Gary Nester, and Sherie Petty.

Mathews, a longtime employee of the Tullahoma engineering firm Jacobs Technology, promised to be accessible to parents to hear their concerns and to reduce obstacles when those parents want to speak at board meetings. “Unity is strength,” Mathews said. “It is imperative that safety in our schools is the highest priority.”

Perry has 30 years of experience in public, private and homeschool education. She spoke about being a pastor’s wife and a mother of four children.

“We really decided that leadership is important,” Petty said. That interest led her to attend Stimpson Training and Leadership on a corporate level.

Nester is a longtime local veterinarian and businessman, expanding All Creatures Veterinary Clinic to four clinics and 70 employees. He served on the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the Coffee/Grundy County Cattleman Association and 12 years on the school board.

“My record speaks for itself,” Nester said. “I rarely miss (meetings)… and I’ve never passed on a vote and I won’t in the future.”

Candidates in attendance at the Forum seeking the County Commission District 2 seat were Manchester Police officer Benton Brown and Manchester City School Board member Lee Sullivan. The third qualifying candidate, Manchester firefighter Roger Chambers was unable to attend due to a recent auto accident.

Brown has been with the police department for eight years and a school resource officer for five of those. “I appreciate the opportunity to run for the seat,” Brown said. “I hope I serve it well, if I’m elected. Feel free to reach out…I’ll give everyone my contact and you can come by and we’ll sit down and have a cup of coffee.”

Sullivan, who is also running an uncontested reelection campaign for Manchester City School Board along with Susan Parsley, operates an insurance office in Tullahoma.

“I bring an aspect of the business side of it,” Sullivan said. “I’ll do my part to represent … the citizens of my district.”

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.