Image Credit: Williamson Families
The same Mayor Rogers Anderson, who mandated masks and business restrictions in Williamson County and participated in skyrocketing county debt to $1.2 Billion, along with the attorneys that have long provided legal advice on such related topics, appear to be possibly involved with engaging in activities to restrict Commissioners’ and citizen civic engagement via resolution 9-23-46, which has language that appears to limit individual County Commissioners from calling or scheduling Town Hall meetings in their capacity as elected County Commissioners.
As informed, engaged, and civically minded citizens of Williamson County, we want our elected County Commissioners to have the full abilities of their elected leadership positions to Call for Special Meetings and Town Hall Meetings to engage with constituents in open forums allowing for civic discussion of real issues impacting Williamson County.
Recently, current very long time Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson and the mayor’s office staff had attorney Bobby Cook write Resolution 9-23-46, which seeks to change the Rules Regulations and Procedures of the Williamson County Board of Commissioners, which some have argued would significantly infringe upon the rights of elected County Commissioners to call for Special Meetings and Town Hall meetings to engage in civic discussions with constituents, and further restrict elected County Commissioners from utilizing county resources and locations for holding such meetings.
As of the writing of this article, the meeting notes from the last County Commission meeting are still in draft form. However, discussion of the resolution can be viewed on the last County Commission meeting video:
While problematic language can be found throughout the 9-23-46 document, paragraph two specifically states, “recently, there has been confusion among the Board of Commissioners concerning calling special called meetings or town hall meetings by individual members of the Board of Commissioners under the false pretenses that the meeting is an official Board of Commissioners meeting;” which leads one to question why such language was used. Upon a call to the Mayor’s office, office staff was asked who specifically was being characterized as acting under “false pretenses” and the staff representative mentioned that attorney Bobby Cook could better answer that question. A message was left for attorney Bobby Cook at his office on Wednesday.
The current Rules Regulations and Procedures of the Williamson County Board of Commissioners do not appear to state any rules for or against holding Town Hall meetings or Special Meetings. Considering past Town Hall meetings have been held by Commissioners, there does not appear to be any need to make a rule to allow for such meetings or create restrictions.
While the top upper left of the Resolution 9-23-46 states “Requested by: Rules Committee,” multiple calls and discussions Wednesday and today have yet to identify the rules committee member(s) that supposedly “Requested” the Resolution. Feedback with County Commissioners familiar with the situation has been that the Resolution was from the Mayor and attorney Bobby Cook. Interestingly on a related note, the vast majority of Resolutions are from the Mayor and attorneys, rather than County Commissioners, which leads one to ask, do County Commissioners have independent legal counsel or do they just rely upon what they are told by the contracted county attorneys who work closely with the Mayor?
It appears Mayor Rogers Anderson and attorney Bobby Cook’s Resolution 9-23-46 occurred in the timeframe after County Commissioner Christopher Richards held a Town Hall meeting in March of 2023 to discuss the problematic issues with the electronic voting systems recommended by the Williamson County Election Commission. Further, detail on related topics can be read about in the following link:
There will be a Williamson County Rules Committee meeting this Thursday the 28th at 4:30 pm in which another draft Resolution pertaining to Town Hall meetings written by Bobby Cook will be discussed. The meeting will take place in the executive conference room which is right across the hall from the Mayor’s office. Concerned citizens can attend and speak regarding these topics at the meeting. It is important to protecting the rights of our elected Commissioners to hold Town Hall meetings.
DATE/TIME: Thursday, September 28, 4:30 PM
LOCATION: Williamson County Admin Building 1320 W Main Street, Franklin TN 37064
Executive Conference Room, across the hall from the County Mayor’s office, which is Suite 125
(Go inside thru the center front doors. Walk till you reach the main hallway, take a left, about 100 feet down will be mayor’s office on the left and executive conference room on right. The entrance hallway to the conference room is decorated in UT orange and white tiles)
A concerned Williamson County resident sent this letter to Williamson County Commissioners and citizens:
Greetings County Commissioners and Concerned Citizens,
Considering there are not any rules for or against elected commissioners having Town Hall meetings or Special Meetings in the Rules and multiple such prior meetings have occurred, the restriction resolution is unnecessary and not needed. Further, it appears to be a veiled attempt by the attorney and mayor to censor and stifle elected Commissioners. Attached please find the County Commission Rules and the resolution.
The language in the resolution causes very significant and adverse infringement on the rights of elected commissioners and the public to engage in the discussion of civic matters in such meetings. It is highly problematic and exceedingly poor form for the Mayor and attorney Bobby Cook to push for such language in Resolution 9-23-46 and it appears to be an attempt at both censoring and undermining the elected positions of County Commissioners. Frankly, I was both appalled and astounded to read such language.
The feedback from the Mayor’s office staff representatives today was concerning. Since when is the Mayor’s office staff determining what meetings they will or will not schedule, or when commissioners will be treated as elected representatives versus civilians (as it pertains to meetings), or what meetings they will take notes for or not, or whether or not elected County Commissioners can hold meetings pertaining to County issues? The entire bureaucracy and facilities in Williamson County are funded by taxpayers.
If County Commissioners choose to hold a meetings in a County space, let them request directly to schedule such meetings. If and when such a request is rejected by the mayor or another county bureaucrat, myself and other citizens would like to see in writing where the said individuals have refused use of county space to elected Commissioners for such meetings.
Based on the timing and variables involved, it seems certain individuals are trying to censor meetings having to do with election integrity, property taxes, county debt, financial transparency, the short timeframes to consider last minute proposals and other relevant issues, and its problematic that the ones causing the aforementioned issues are trying to create censorship strategies to stifle Commissioner and public discourse in meetings pertaining to said issues.
The rubber stamp approval brigade tactics and systems employed by establishment politicians and bureaucrats in Williamson County are highly problematic in that it is questionable whether certain commissioners are even reading or comprehending what they are voting on. Citizens want truth, transparency, and financial responsibility from the County Commission. Considering recent discussions of potentially increasing property taxes, the situation with the election machines, and the current $1.2 Billion in County debt accumulated by the rubber stamp brigade, now is the time for freedom minded Commissioners to schedule another town hall meeting versus forfeiting their commissioner rights and elected leadership responsibilities via acquiescing to such nonsense resolutions. Just say NO to the nonsense!
Tomorrow, it would behoove the Rules Committee to stop volunteering to give up Commissioner rights and not waste time during tomorrow’s meeting reviewing yet another Bobby Cook revised DRAFT of Resolution 9-23-46, but instead spend time discussing how the Rules Committee can schedule a Town Hall to discuss the very significant aforementioned county issues.
Note: This article was originally published by Williamson Families HERE. Republished on The Tennessee Conservative by permission from the author.
3 Responses
Let’s look into the BOND warrant for Wmsn. County Atty, Bobby Cook et al. I have long thought it is time to recall or impeach or pull the Bond on Mayor Rogers. Who has this Mayor’s ear?!
Our county wants hand counted elections ballots, a voice in how tax money is spent in schools (whether we have a child in school or not!) And I personally am disgusted at all the newer, late model county vehicles and John Deere tractors I see everywhere. Our county officials are removing their own accountability to it’s citizens all the time. We are a representative gov’t and county officials are OUR SERVANTS. period. Let’s see those “expense accounts” and retirement benefits packages. We The People are the only reason these County officials have jobs. Servant jobs – not to be confused with private sector cushy money career jobs. Local Govt should never be a get rich career path. What “oaths” are taken? Sunlight is necessary IMMEDIATELY.
Too much power corrupts long term politicians. We need to investigate the money trails of our elected and unelected bureaucrats!
The fanatical centrists are organized and wealthy enough to buy half-page advertisements in the Williamson Herald extolling their slate of centrist/tepid conservative candidates in next month’s Franklin city elections. I urge all Williamson County conservatives to join Williamson Families so conservatives can be sure to have a voice in county politics as well.
my family has recently departed from Williamson County after noticing that in recent times the county has been moving left. An example is the Harland Farms fiasco. Also, Mayor Anderson has, in our opinion becme, in his old age, a typical arrogant “politician-for-life”. He has served for too long and it is time for him to GO, ASAP !