Candidates for Wilson County Mayor participated in a town hall forum Thursday, July 23, moderated by Nick Beres, from Nashville TV station News Channel 5 and Justin Beasley, former Sports Anchor for WSMV Channel 4, at the Farm Bureau Expo Center.
Each question came from community members prior to the event, and during the town hall, Wilson County NAACP Chapter President Dion Jones gathered additional questions from attendees.
Each candidate responded about county employee retention.
Democrat candidate Christina Puza-Smith, a teacher in the county, said that is an important aspect as the county works to balance growth and spending to utilize county employees efficiently.
Independent candidate Gayle Hellemn said she would focus on first responders, as some have left Wilson County for nearby agencies offering higher salaries to meet the cost of living. She commended the County Commission for raising salaries for five years in a row. She also said creating a positive workplace culture will help with employee retention.
Incumbent Republican Randal Hutto said a pay study was done years ago to determine average salaries per position after he took office in 2010 and was told pay was one of the issues the county government was facing at the time. County employees have received an annual 2% pay raise. Within the past three years, a referendum was passed giving teachers a 23% average increase in pay. Additionally, an 11% raise was approved for the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department so the county can be more competitive with nearby communities.
Beres asked about working relationships between the County Mayor and municipality mayors and how to resolve conflicts.
Helemn said conflicts are inevitable when people meet, but credited Leadership Middle Tennessee for providing education on how to mitigate and manage conflict. She also said there is value in conversation while having healthy debates where common ground can be found, but there should be no petty arguments.
Hutto said good relationships need development in and out of work, and added that the various mayors in the county have regular meetings to keep those relationships strong. An example he gave was the Lebanon Fire Department and Wilson County Emergency Management Agency working together to respond to fires that may not be in their technical jurisdiction, but the mutual aid is worth some extra paperwork if fires can be responded to more quickly.
Puza-Smith agreed that collaboration is a key element of fostering strong relationships. She again mentioned efficiency, that working relationships can increase efficiency in government and everything starts with a conversation.
One of the most discussed topics was growth.
Hutto said that 85% of the growth WIlson County is seeing happens in the cities, with only 15% in the unincorporated parts of the county. He added that 69% of the county is open space, and that an adequate land use plan can direct growth in a responsible direction.
Puza-Smith said that major factors the county should examine when considering growth are the impact on existing infrastructure and if the community can see a return on the investment in new development.
Hellemn said that more than 50% of the population in Wilson County is not native to the county. Attendees seemed shocked at the information. She said growth plans, such as the land use plan, should be evaluated frequently to assess the growth and determine how to move forward.
Beres asked about how each candidate would handle immigration concerns, including ICE’s attempt at building a detainment facility earlier this year.
Hutto said WCSO knows where ICE is operating in the community, but does not actively work with the federal agents out in the field. Due to an agreement that all county sheriffs were required to participate in, WCSO will hold detainees in the Wilson County Jail.
Puza-Smith was very critical of ICE operations, claiming that the majority of ICE arrests are “bad arrests” and not valid. She referenced that agreement all sheriffs must participate in, and described it as a program where the federal government “can just do whatever.” She said that immigration enforcement itself should be done, but does not agree with how ICE is handling it.
Hellemn said the facility, had it been made, would have had an extensive negative impact on local infrastructure and a significant drain on resources, including local law enforcement. The County Commission cited these in a resolution passed opposing the facility. She said immigration laws should be enforced fairly, and that detainees are still human and should be treated with respect.