JOHN COFFELTEditor

Vying for the three aldermen seats in the August 1 election are political newcomers Harold “Rocky” Jones, Joe Pat Cope, Shannon Fletcher and John “Bull” Fletcher who with former Alderman Wilma Thomas and veteran candidate James Threet are on the ballot with incumbents Julie Anderson and Ryan French whose terms end in 2024.

Anderson was elected in 2024 to fill the seat left vacant by Chris Elam, while French was initially elected in 2009.

Current Mayor Marilyn Howard, whose term ends in 2024, chose not to see reelection.

On the ballot for the Manchester City Election on Aug. 1 for mayor will be former alderman Bill Nickels, and aldermen Bob Bellamy and Joey Hobbs.

Bellamy said he chose to run because he thinks he can help the people of Manchester.

“I want guide the city of Manchester through the growth it’s facing. I have no agenda. I want to put Manchester first by treating employees and citizens with respect and an open door. Together we can make a difference,” he said.

Hobbs said that he is running for mayor to lead the city of Manchester into the future.

“We are all aware of the unbelievable growth that our city is experiencing. This means that we need to address the current issues in our infrastructure to accommodate this growth while also planning for future growth. Part of that planning includes addressing the needs that have been created by the rapidly growing student population in our Manchester City Schools District. The city also needs to be competitive with employee pay and benefits so that we can retain the best employees. I believe that if we are fiscally conservative and responsible, we can address these growth- based needs without raising property tax.

With the death of County Mayor Judd Matheny, a county mayor race will be added to the August ballot to fill the opening. The Coffee County Republican and Democratic parties will soon hold caucuses to appoint a candidate and independent candidates have through noon, June 7 to qualify, according to Coffee County Election Administrator Andy Farrar.

At the state level incumbent Rush Bricken will face independent Veronica Owens of Coffee County for the District 47 seat in the House of Representatives. Republican incumbent Janice Bowing will face Democrat Wayne Steele of Fayetteville for the 16 District seat in the State Senate.

Bill Nickels was contacted via text and email for this story.

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.