Mayor Ernest Burgess says this term his last
Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess confirmed Monday that he won his final four-year term Thursday and hopes to complete a new judicial building and other projects.
Mayor Ernest Burgess says this term his last Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess confirmed Monday that he won his final four-year term Thursday and hopes to complete a new judicial building and other projects. Check out this story on dnj.com: http://on.dnj.com/VhaFb2
Scott Broden, sbroden@dnj.com Published 9:42 p.m. CT Aug. 11, 2014 | Updated 7:42 a.m. CT Aug. 12, 2014
Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess in his office on Monday April 21, 2014. (Photo: HELEN COMER/DNJ )Buy Photo
MURFREESBORO – Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess confirmed Monday that he won his final four-year term Thursday and hopes to complete a new judicial building and other projects.
"That's the current plan," said the mayor, who will turn 75 by October. "Even though I'm 74, I'm naturally younger than that. I'm still able to do a day's work, whether it's office work or on the farm. I have been very fortunate to be healthy and to be able to work hard every day as needed."
Burgess won his third term as a Republican who captured 68.38 percent of the vote to beat out independents Heather Ann Brown, who had 20.82 percent, and Teresa St. Clair, who had 9.65 percent.
The mayor, who earns a state-established annual salary of $130,776, along with a fellow Republican, Trustee Teb Batey, ended the monopoly that Democrats held on all eight full-time elected county offices in 2006.
Since then, Burgess has overseen many government services, including establishment of a Fire Rescue Department to serve many rural areas in a fast-growing county that reached a U.S. Census estimated population count of 281,029 in 2013.
"We have to find a cost-effective way to continue to expand and improve the availability of fire protection services in our unincorporated area," said Burgess, who resides on a farm on Franklin Road.
The county added 12 full-time firefighters this year thanks to a two-year grant to work at the new station on Barfield Road, and the mayor intends to keep these positions funded through local sales tax and Hall income tax revenues generated from the rural communities.
The upgrade means having full-time firefighters on call 24 hours a day seven days per week, Burgess said.
The department includes two other full-time positions: the chief and a coordinator, who works on recruiting and training for the volunteer and full-time firefighters.
Judicial building project
Another goal for the mayor will be to help the county build a new judicial building that's estimated to cost $65 million on Maple Street between Lytle and Burton Streets a couple of blocks north of the existing Judicial Building on the Public Square in Murfreesboro. The future building is also supposed to have a nearby parking garage for $7 million.
"I'd like to see it completed and hopefully open before this next term is finished," said Burgess, who will start his next four years Sept. 1. "It's very important but a very capital-intensive, costly project."
The mayor will work with members of the county's Public Building Authority, the County Commission Property Management Committee, architects, engineers, a project manager, a construction manager, judges, judicial clerks and many others on the judicial building.
"We have to make sure it meets all of our needs efficiently and effectively and in a practical way," Burgess said during an interview at his office on the first floor of the County Courthouse on the Public Square across the street from the existing Judicial Building.
In heading to his final term, Burgess has discussed the judicial building project with many officials, including state Sen. Bill Ketron, a Republican from Murfreesboro.
"I think he's done an excellent job," Ketron said during a Monday night phone interview. "They really appreciate his leadership. He seems to possess a calming and steady-handed leadership, and that's important."
Ketron has had interest in the mayor's job in the past, having run unsuccessfully in 1990, 1994 and 1998 before winning his Senate seat in 2002, but he declined to say if he has interest in running again by 2018.
"We'll wait and read the tea leaves at that time," said Ketron, noting he's focused on serving his constituents for another four years because he's unopposed in the Nov. 4 general election.
Like Ketron, County Commissioners Will Jordan and Jeff Jordan praised the mayor's leadership.
"I have great respect for the mayor, and I'd hate to see him end his career," said Will Jordan, who was unopposed as a Republican in winning another four-year term Thursday. "But I do appreciate his service for the last several years."
Jeff Jordan, who is retiring after eight years on the County Commission, said Burgess has done an excellent job.
"I don't think there's any question about that," Jeff Jordan said. "He has a lot of vision. He reacts well to problems. He's a problem solver. Often times, he solves the problem before they actually bloom. He's ahead of the curve most of the time. I've enjoyed serving with him. I think he treats people with tremendous fairness."
A retired educator for Rutherford County Schools, Jeff Jordan also complimented the mayor for supporting the district's efforts.
"He recognizes the value and the absolute necessity of a good education," said Jeff Jordan, who recalled how the mayor was willing to accept when a majority of the commission favored appropriating funds to construct schools even after Burgess warned them a tax increase may be necessary to pay for the projects. "I believe he looks for common ground. He looks for compromise if necessary. He will implement what the majority wants even if he doesn't necessarily agree with it. He has a lot of good qualities as a leader, I feel."
Recycling campaign
In addition to completing the judicial building and expanding the Fire Rescue Department, Burgess said he wants to persuade more residents to recycle to cut down on the waste that's being hauled to Middle Point Landfill on East Jefferson Pike north of Murfreesboro.
"I want to keep all of our citizens properly informed about the future placement of our solid waste," Burgess said. "We want to re-emphasize the necessity for every citizen in this county to commit to improving the amount of waste we are recycling. We must do this, so that we can do everything possible to extend the life of the landfill in Rutherford County."
Many residents are doing a good job with recycling, but the county needs more people to do so, Burgess added.
"We can't wait 12 to 15 years from now when the landfill is full to decide we must recycle more," Burgess said.
The alternative to depositing the county's waste when Middle Point Landfill is full is to pay much more for hauling the trash to a much farther away landfill, the mayor added.
"It's going to cost millions of dollars per year," Burgess said. "We cannot afford it."
Burgess also hopes to explore options that a future mayor could pursue that would call for capturing gasses generated from the waste and converting them to electricity that could serve people here.
"It's a sophisticated process," Burgess said. "If another person serves eight to 12 years, they will have to find a solution. We hope there's a more efficient, more environmentally friendly approach within the next 10 years."
Contact Scott Broden at 615-278-5158 or sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.
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