Image Credit: Beth Tripp City of Alexandria Tn Alderman / Facebook & Ichabod / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
In the approximately 995-resident town of Alexandria, Tennessee, the newly elected mayor has had a rocky start to her administration as all three of the town’s police officers tendered their resignations in little more than a week. And the resignation of the police force is just the latest in a seeming string of troubles for the small town.
Mayor Beth Tripp was elected on August 1st to fill an unexpired term and was the only official candidate on the ballot, garnering a mere 88 votes although there were write-in campaigns by two other individuals.
Tripp, despite claims that she needs time and patience to work through mismanaged issues left to her by previous elected officials, is no stranger to Alexandria’s inner workings and struggles. Tripp lost a bid for mayor in August of 2022, but has served on the City Council and has been a member of the Alexandria fire association. Jonathon Tripp, who appears to be her husband, was also elected to a full four-year term as Alderman.
Alexandria Chief of Police Travis Bryant, Officer Brandon Deffendoll, and Officer Jackson Franks all resigned between August 16th – 24th in protest of the new mayor after Bryant alleged that Tripp was “micromanaging” the department. She also reportedly confronted Bryant with claims the police department was not doing its job, including not patrolling enough in her own neighborhood, despite Bryant’s assertion that it is a low-crime area.
Bryant stated of the mass quitting, “To just up and leave like I did, it bothers me. But it is just what I felt was in the best interest for myself, and I had to do that.” Bryant has worked under two mayors previously, yet believes Tripp to be inexperienced and unwilling to, “sit down and talk,”.
At a well-attended city council meeting on August 27th, Tripp informed residents she is actively searching for new police officers and also addressed the town’s struggle with brown cloudy water and many residents not having garbage collection.
It appears Tripp has quite an uphill battle ahead of her with a town that doesn’t seem totally confident in her abilities to manage it.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroot organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
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If you only vote in the “Big One”, as Archie Bunker once memorably stated, and you can’t bestir yourself to vote in your local primaries and general elections, you might find that life is not as pleasant as you might wish.