By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.—It was a time for Henry County candidates to share their platforms and visions for the future of their cities and county at Tuesday evening’s Meet The Candidates forum sponsored by Forever Communications.
The forum was broadcast live on 94.1 WLZK and will be re-broadcast on a podcast at a later date to be announced.
The forum was held to provide candidates in the county’s contested races a platform to share their qualifications and proposals, and share their opinions on local issues.
Moderator for the event was Lance Pierce, Station Manager for the Forever Communications’ Paris and McKenzie stations.
Safety precautions were undertaken, with spaces disinfected during breaks between sessions, social distancing between candidates and masks. Each candidate was given time for a two-minute opening statement and one-minute closing statement with questions posed from Pierce.
Present for the forum were:
Henry County Mayor Candidates John Penn Ridgeway and Tim Wirgau. Candidate Carlton Gerrell, who has been ill with COVID-19, sent a prepared statement that was read by Pierce.
Henry County Sheriff Candidates Damon Lowe and Josh Frey.
Paris City Commission Candidates Jackie Jones, John Etheridge, James Wyatt and Earl Kendall.
Henry Mayor Candidate Dustin Odom. Candidate Dane Allen was ill and sent a prepared statement.
Henry Alderman Candidate Keith Qualls. Aldermen Candidates Charlotte and Charles Barnes were unable to be there due to a death in the family and both sent prepared statements. Faye Lowery and Cindy Rainey did not appear.
Henry County Mayor
Tim Wirgau is a former State Representative, local business owner and was a Henry County Commissioner for several years. “I’m immersed in Henry County,” Wirgau said. “I almost wish every year could be an election year because it’s so nice listening to these candidates and hear how excited they are about our county.”
John Penn Ridgeway is Vice President of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in McKenzie and said one of his main concerns is work force development. “If we want to give the future to our young people, we have to start in elementary and middle schools training for their future careers.”
Ridgeway said, “The No. 1 need we have moving forward are quality of life issues such as health care, our education systems which continue to be in the forefront of our area.”
Asked whether as County Mayor he would have issued a mask mandate, Ridgeway noted that the area counties without mask mandates have experienced many more cases of COVID-19. “Is that the reason? I don’t know. COVID-19 is real and we’ve seen it first-hand. If I’m elected, I’ll sit with the folks who have the most education on this issue. I don’t know if I would have issued a mask mandate. That’s an educated decision that I wouldn’t make by myself.”
Wirgau said “I’m not going to throw darts at the present administration. It’s easy to say this should have been done or not. But that’s unfair. We’re in unprecedented times.” He said he always carries a mask with him at all times. “It’s called respect for others’ feelings. Be respectful of others and lead by example.”
Both Ridgeway and Wirgau said they are concerned with the small communities in Henry County. “We’re losing our small towns,” Wirgau said. “You see the same people hosting the festivals in these communities. Those are the days those communities get to shine.” The County Mayor needs to be concerned “about all corners of the county. We must encourage young generations that their communities matters. Every one of those corners of the county are the reasons Henry County is such a great place to live.”
Ridgeway said the county mayor needs to recognize the importance of the rural way of life. “Anything you can do to help the quality of life for the rural areas” should be a priority, he said.
In his prepared statement, Carlton Gerrell noted his lengthy public service, which includes three terms as Paris Mayor. He noted his experience with the Paris-Henry County Chamber, industrial commission and other committees and commissions. “I have the skill set” necessary for serving as County Mayor.
Henry County Sheriff
Damon Lowe is Chief Deputy and since the resignation of former Sheriff Monte Belew, has been Interim Sheriff. Lowe said he has spent some 35 years with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, working in every division and department. He moved through the ranks from patrol to sergeant, investigator, captain, supervisor, Chief Deputy, Interim Sheriff.
“Experience matters”, Lowe said, noting he has the experience of working for the department and the public.
Lowe said he has been serving as the sheriff since Belew’s resignation and knows how the department operates and what it needs. As Chief Deputy, he worked with Belew on operating several successful programs at the department, including The Shed, animal shelter, Deputies for the Hungry, etc.
“I’m a proven leader and we have great men and women in our department and I want to continue to lead the department and continue those programs and add to them,” he said.
Lowe noted that he had been a part of every program put together at the department during Belew’s time as sheriff. “I want to continue with those but we’ve got to add to them and create new programs for people, too.”
Paris Police Lt. Josh Frey noted he began his law enforcement career at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in corrections, then moved to the Paris PD, where he has worked patrol, as K9 handler, and as investigator before he went back to street patrol as lieutenant supervisor of the night shift.
Frey said he has been invested in the county from a young age, noting he has been involved with community, church and youth activities. “I want to make this a safe and great place to live,” Frey said.
He said he feels his years of experience and his youth and energy are plusses. “I want to lead from the front, setting the example. The sheriff’s office has a lot of great programs and I have ideas for other programs, too, such as hunter safety, boater safety, jail ministries.”
Frey said one of Belew’s good programs was the Metro Crime Unit “and I was one of the founding members of it. I’ve worked on drug investigations for 10-12 years and I know what it takes to combat that.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lowe said he has had to make tough decisions since becoming Interim Sheriff, such as temporarily shutting down the GED, parenting, and ministerial programs in the jail. “They were very active,” but COVID had spiked in the jail, involving a couple of corrections officers, too, he said. “Those programs are much needed, but I have 156 inmates to oversee and we can’t take the chance of them getting sick. It’s an every day battle. We have to be cautious with the inmates. They’re my responsibility and they have to be taken care of.”
Asked about how the sheriff’s office should handle potential racial tensions, Lowe said he has already met with community leaders on those issues “and we need to add training” on those issues for staff. “A lot of people in our county have experienced things I’ve never experienced and I never will and we need to be sensitive to that. Henry County is blessed to have the relationships we have here. We want to have a community-oriented sheriff’s office. I want to see Henry County stay together.”
Frey echoed those sentiments, noting, “Things are changing daily and we see a lot of unrest (elsewhere) but our officers have to strive to treat each and every person with respect.” He said, “We’re very fortunate to live in Paris and Henry County. For the most part everybody gets along. From talking to people, some people have shed light on things that I never thought of and that opened my eyes. We would need training for these different situations.”
Paris City Commission (4 candidates running for two seats)
Jackie Jones presently is the Vice Mayor of Paris and has served on the commission for six years. Jackie Jones also grew up in Paris and has economic development experience. She has been on city commission for six years and is Vice Mayor. “You’ll see me out a lot at events because I believe in being part of what’s going on in Paris,” she said.
A native of Paris, she cited ongoing projects such as the sidewalk projects as important for the city and noted five locations have been identified for drainage issues, noting that will be a long-term fix. She noted the recent Eiffel Tower improvements, including the Splash Park “and there are so many projects going on that I want to see all the way through”. One of those projects is an area proposed at Eiffel Tower Park for handicapped children.
John Etheridge was born and raised in Henry County, left when he was young, came back at 27 because he and his wife believed Paris was a “wonderful place raise our children and have our lives and we have not been disappointed.”
Etheridge was the General Manager of Paris BPU for several years, is currently chairman of the County 911 Board, is past president of the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce and has been involved in other activities such as youth leagues, Cancer Society, Heritage Center. “I’m proud of Paris which has been doing many wonderful things and I think I have the experience to help it grow.”
Etheridge said he is a fiscal conservative and pledged to listen to citizens. “Transparency and integrity are two things that are needed” in government, he said. He noted he has been attending Paris City Commission meetings for a year to learn more about what was happening with the city.
A Henry County native, James Wyatt is a Union University graduate and is a teacher with the HCHS theater arts program. He said, “I’m constantly being told this is a retirement community and that’s true.” But he said, it’s also possible to simultaneously draw the younger generation to Paris.
Wyatt has been involved in several activities, such as the Citizens’ Academy, where he learned a lot about the operation of the city of Paris. Wyatt also cited the recent Eiffel Tower Park improvements as definite positives for the city, but said he would like to see improvements at the city’s other parks, too.
Wyatt said an open-door policy is important for officials and said he welcomes comments from citizens about their concerns. He said he can be reached through his Facebook page.
Earl Kendall said he returned to Henry County because “This is my county and I came back because I love it.”
Kendall said he is concerned with the drainage issues at Johnson Park, which is an historic site in Paris since it is named for the late Dr. Mordecai Johnson, who was the first Black President at Howard University. The flooding there “is ridiculous.”
Kendall’s career was with the TVA and his specialty was working with drainage issues, he said.
Henry Mayor
A Henry County native, Henry Mayoral Candidate Dustin Odom is a businessman—he actually owns six businesses now—and is a member of the Henry Volunteer Fire Department. He also has served as Alderman for several years.
He said his business experience will help as Mayor. “The city is a business. It’s not there to profit but it’s still a business. Being with the Fire Department, I’ve been involved with the rebuild of the department and I’ve done the leg work such as locating $20,000 fire trucks for $8,000.”
Odom said he wants to do as much to improve the quality of life for Henry citizens if he can. He is concerned with rebuilding the city of Henry “starting at the bottom and going to the top”
Issues that are important to Henry citizens are zoning restrictions, high water bills, drainage and flooding issues, roadways that need paved.
Pierce asked whether Henry should have a police department and whether the Henry County Sheriff’s Office could handle the calls received at Henry. Odom said the city of Henry has very little crime so in that respect, no, Henry wouldn’t need a police department. “But state law says any incorporated city has to have a police department and we can generate revenue through the police department. I know people aren’t happy with the camera tickets but we are locked into a contract and we generate $50,000-$60,000 a year for the city and that’s keeping rates down in other areas. And it’s allowing us to keep people employed and it’s not costing the city a dime.”
In his prepared statement, Candidate Dane Allen said transparent government is important and that he wants to make Henry “a place all are proud to call home”. He said he is diligent about wanting a balanced budget and reducing citizens’ bills.
Henry Alderman
A Henry native, Keith Qualls has been with the Henry Volunteer Fire Department for 37 years, several as chief. Qualls has been an Alderman for several years.
He said his biggest desire is ‘to do what’s right for the town. It’s my hometown and I try to make a difference here.’
Qualls said the best way to build partnerships between government and citizens is just to talk to as many people as you can. “When I was going around getting signatures on my petitions, I heard from a lot of people about problems and issues they have. I think just getting out and talking to people is the way to build partnerships.”
Qualls said, “I believe we need to do what is the right thing to do for the most people. Maybe we can’t please all the people but we can please most people. We want to make the most positive impact.”
The areas that need most improvement in Henry are the roadways and the high water bills. “I honestly don’t know if the water bills are something that we can fix, but it’s on my wish list.”
In Charlotte Barnes’ prepared statement, she said she has lived in Henry for 50 years, was a teaching assistant at Henry School, worked with 4-H, was Treasurer of the Booster Club. She said the city of Henry should strive to be the neat, clean town it was 50 years ago. It was a quaint little town then, she said, and community spirit seems to be lacking now. “We can do better if we work together,” she said. She is running for re-election as Alderman.
In his prepared statement, Charles Barnes said he is proud of the work accomplished by the city over the past four years he has been on council. He said he is a veteran and worked for Champion Homes 39 years and has a ‘get it done’ attitude. He said poor management over the last decade has saddled the town with debt.
Top photo: Moderator Lance Pierce poses questions to Henry County Sheriff candidates Josh Frey, left, and Damon Lowe, right.
Pierce checks the controls while County Mayor Candidate John Penn Ridgeway answers a question.
County Mayor Candidate Tim Wirgau answers a question.
Photos by Shannon McFarlin