Early Voting begins today (Friday, July 18) for the August 7th DeKalb County General Election, the Smithville and Dowelltown Municipal Elections, and the Tennessee Democratic and Republican Primaries.
Locally, voters will be electing a Sheriff, Road Supervisor, General Sessions Judge, County Mayor, County Clerk, Circuit Court Clerk, Register of Deeds, and Trustee along with all fourteen county commissioners, five school board members, and three persons to fill vacant constable positions.
In the 13th Judicial District, voters will elect five judges, a District Attorney General, and a District Public Defender.
City elections are being held in Dowelltown to fill three aldermen seats and in Smithville to elect a mayor and two aldermen.
Across the state, Democrats and Republicans will be choosing party nominees for Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative (Congressman), State Senate, and State Representative, along with State Executive Committeemen and women. Primary winners will face off in the November Tennessee General Election.
Voters in August also will be asked whether or not to retain several state judges
Because of the lengthy ballot, voters are encouraged to take advantage of early voting in order to avoid possible long lines at the polls on election day.
Voters are also urged to study the sample ballot in advance before coming to the polls. You can view the sample ballot by clicking the PDF link below:
DelalbTN-PG14-NewspaperTyposFixed.pdf (107.55 KB)
Early voting begins July 18 and the last day is August 2. All Early Voting will be in the first floor courtroom of the courthouse. The hours are as follows:
Mondays– 1 p.m.to 6 p.m.
Tuesdays– 9 am. to 1 p.m.
Wednesdays– 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursdays– 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays-9.a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturdays- 9 a.m. to Noon
Offices to be on the ballot and the candidates running for those positions in no particular order are as follows:
County Mayor: Chris Bratcher, II (Independent), Chris Smithson (Republican), and Tim Stribling (Democrat)
Sheriff: Larry Flair (Democrat) and Patrick Ray (Republican)
General Sessions Judge: Mingy Colwell Bryant (Republican) and Bratten Hale (Butch) Cook, II (Democrat)
Road Supervisor: Wallace (Butch) Agee (Republican) and James D. (Jimmy) Sprague (Democrat)
County Clerk: James L. (Jimmy) Poss (Democrat)
Circuit Court Clerk: Katherine Pack (Democrat)
Register of Deeds: Jeff McMillen (Democrat)
Trustee: Sean Driver (Republican)
County Commission (Two to be Elected)
First District: Bennett Armstrong (Democrat), Mason Carter (Republican), and Elmer Ellis, Jr. (Democrat).
Second District: Joe N. Johnson (Democrat), Bobby Joines (Republican), James “Jimmy” E. Midgett (Independent) and Clarence Trapp (Democrat)
Third District: Jack Barton (Democrat), Bradley Hendrix (Democrat), and Wesley Nokes (Independent)
Fourth District: Wayne Cantrell (Democrat) and Jonathan Norris (Democrat)
Fifth District: Jerry Adcock (Republican), Rick Cantrell (Democrat), and Anita Puckett (Democrat)
Sixth District: Betty Jean Atnip (Democrat), Jeff Barnes (Democrat), and Danny McGinnis (Independent)
Seventh District: Kevin Robinson (Democrat) and Larry Summers (Democrat)
Constable
First District: Chad Curtis (Democrat) and Lee Plummer (Republican)
Second District: Tony D. Lawson (Independent), Jonathan Low (Independent), and Chris Tramel (Republican)
Third District: Travis Bryant (Independent) and Lou Ann Sanders (Independent)
Board of Education (Non-Partisan)
First District: Matt Boss and Danny Parkerson
Second District: Jerry Wayne Johnson and Charles Robinson
Third District: Jim Beshearse, Kenny Rhody, and Jonathan Willoughby
Fourth District: Billy Miller
Seventh District: Brandon Cox, Johnny Lattimore, and Emitt Shaun Tubbs
13th Judicial District:
Criminal Court Judge, Part I: Gary McKenzie (Republican) and William Fred Roberson, Jr. (Democrat)
Criminal Court Judge, Part II: David A. Patterson(Republican)
Circuit Court Judge, Part I: Amy Hollars (Democrat)
Circuit Court Judge, Part II: Randall A. York (Democrat) and Jonathan Young (Republican)
Chancellor: J. Lee Burgess (Republican) and Ronald Thurman (Democrat)
District Attorney General: Tony Craighead (Democrat) and Bryant Dunaway (Republican)
District Public Defender: David N. Brady (Democrat) and Craig Fickling (Republican)
Smithville Municipal Election:
Mayor: Wallace Caldwell and Jimmy W. Poss
Alderman: Gayla Hendrix and Jason Murphy (Two to be Elected)
Dowelltown Municipal Election:
Alderman: Brad Driver, Keith Farler, and Ronald Griffith (Three to be Elected)
2014 Judicial Retention Questions (Should the following judges be retained “yes” or “no”?)
Cornelia A. (Connie) Clark: Supreme Court At Large
Sharon Gail Lee: Supreme Court At Large
Gary R. Wade: Supreme Court At Large
Thomas “Skip” Frierson: Court of Appeals Eastern Division
John W. McClarty: Court of Appeals Eastern Division
Charles Susano: Court of Appeals Eastern Division
Michael Swiney: Court of Appeals Eastern Division
Andy D. Bennett: Court of Appeals Middle Division
Frank Clement: Court of Appeals Middle Division
Richard Dinkins: Court of Appeals Middle Division
Neal McBrayer: Court of Appeals Middle Division
Holly Kirby: Court of Appeals Western Division
Steve Stafford: Court of Appeals Western Division
Norma McGee Ogle: Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Division
D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.: Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Division
James C. Witt, Jr.: Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Division
Jeffrey S. Bivins: Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Division
Robert W. Wedemeyer: Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Division
Thomas T. Woodall: Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Division
Alan Glenn: Court of Criminal Appeals Western Division
Camille R. McMullen: Court of Criminal Appeals Western Division
Roger A. Page: Court of Criminal Appeals Western Division
John Everett Williams: Court of Criminal Appeals Western Division
All three of DeKalb County’s representatives in the Tennessee General Assembly will face a challenge for re-election this year.
Clark Boyd of Lebanon will try to unseat State Senator Mae Beavers of Mount Juliet in the August 7th Tennessee Republican Primary in the 17th District. The winner will be unopposed in November.
State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver of Lancaster will be unopposed in the August Tennessee Republican Primary in the 40th District but she will face Sarah Marie Smith of Carthage in the November Tennessee General Election. Smith is unopposed in the August Tennessee Democratic Primary.
Smith challenged Representative Weaver in the November General Election two years ago.
Meanwhile, Candace Reed of Lebanon will be looking to defeat Republican State Representative Mark Pody of Lebanon in the November General Election in the 46th District. Neither Reed nor Representative Pody face a primary challenge in August.
Other candidates in the August Tennessee Primaries:
Republican State Executive Committeeman-District 17: Albert McCall of Lebanon and Dwayne Craighead of Celina.
Republican State Executive Committeewoman-District 17: Jennifer Winfree of Lancaster, Yvonne G. Hunter of Lebanon, and Pat Fields of Old Hickory.
Democratic State Executive Committee Woman-District 17: Rachel Givens of Lebanon
Democratic State Executive Committee Man-District 17: Aubrey Givens of Lebanon and Bob Black of Lebanon
U.S. House of Representatives (6th District):
Republicans: Diane Black of Gallatin and Jerry Lowery of Sparta
Democrat: Amos Scott Powers of Doyle
Governor:
Republicans: Bill Haslam of Knoxville, Donald Ray McFolin of Nashville, Mark Coonrippy Brown of Gallatin, and Basil Marceaux, Sr. of Soddy Daisy.
Democrats: Charles V. “Charlie” Brown of Oakdale, Kennedy Spellman Johnson of Murfreesboro, Ron Noonan of Sparta, and William H. “John” McKamey of Piney Flats.
U.S. Senator:
Republicans: Lamar Alexander of Walland, John D. King of Knoxville, Joe Carr of Lascassas, George Shea Flinn of Memphis, Fred R. Anderson of Maryville, Erin Kent Magee of Knoxville, Christian Agnew of Mt. Juliet, and Brenda S. Lenard of Sweetwater.
Democrats: Gary Gene Davis of Nashville, Gordon Ball of Knoxville, Larry Crim of Antioch, and Terry Adams of Knoxville.

A nursery in Smithville will be closing one of its operations here this fall, a move that is expected to affect as many as 257 workers.
The Berry Family of Nurseries, located on Vaughn Lane in Smithville, has filed a mandatory Employee Dislocation Notification with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development announcing a closure by September 30. But while the operation on Vaughn Lane will be shutting down, WJLE has learned that the Berry Family of Nurseries’ second location in Smithville on Short Mountain Highway will continue in operation.
The Vaughn Lane nursery grows mostly perennials, shrubs, and roses and the workforce varies from as few as 125 during the winter season to as many as 450 during the spring. The Short Mountain Highway location employs around 200 workers and grows ornamental, flowering, fruit, and shade trees.
Berry purchased the Short Mountain Road operation from H.J. Judkins and Sons Nursery several years ago and later acquired the Vaughn Lane nursery from Zelenka, who had purchased it from Knowles & Sons Nursery in 2001.
The Berry Family of Nurseries was founded in 1993 and is based in Irving, Texas with nurseries in Cornelius, Oregon; Hulbert, Oklahoma; Sims, North Carolina; Grand Haven, Michigan; and Quincy, Florida in addition to the Smithville locations.
The company grows colorful plants, seasonal blooming plants, ground cover and fragrance roses, sweet fruit trees, perennials, hydrangeas, azaleas, woody ornamental plants, and lilacs. It serves customers through various garden centers and big box stores in the United States.
In addition to the Smithville closure, Berry also plans to shut down its operation in Oregon, affecting 100 workers there.

Smithville Police have recovered some stolen property and made an arrest in two recent theft cases.
40 year old Steve Mabe, Jr. is charged with theft. His bond is $8,000 and he will be in court July 31.
Chief Randy Caplinger said that on Sunday, July 13 at around 2:30 a.m. Mabe allegedly stole a flat bed utility trailer, a canoe, and a spool of line for a weed trimmer from the property of the Smithville Golf Course. Mabe was identified as a suspect in the investigation and a search warrant was drawn up and executed at Mabe’s home on Earl Avenue. During the search, police found the utility trailer and the trimmer line. Mabe also directed the officer to where the canoe was hidden. Police also found a chainsaw, weedeater, hunting bow and gas cans which were stolen in May from another resident in town. Mabe was placed under arrest.
28 year old Corey Winchester is charged with aggravated burglary. His bond is $10,000 and he will be in court July 24. Chief Caplinger said that on Wednesday, July 9 Winchester allegedly broke into a residence on West Broad Street through a window. He was later seen walking down the street trying to hide the window screen under his shirt.
42 year old Richard Turner is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court July 24. Chief Caplinger said on Thursday, July 10 police were called to Holmes Creek Road where Turner was found lying passed out on the creek bank very close to the water. The officer awoke Turner and detected a strong odor of alcohol on his person. He was also unsteady on his feet.
29 year old Jason Whitefield is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court July 24. Chief Caplinger said that on Thursday, July 3rd police responded to a residence on Forrest Avenue on a complaint of domestic violence in progress. Upon arrival the officer learned from persons at the residence that Whitefield started fighting with them after they found him asleep in a vehicle and woke him up.
According to the arrest warrant, “She (a relative of Whitefield) tried to get the keys out of the car. He woke up. She told him he didn’t need to be driving because of his condition. He grabbed her to move her out of the way. Her mother came over and tried to break up the argument. Whitefield hit her causing her to fall to the ground. Another person at the scene reported that Whitefield had hit him seven times. One of the victims was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries. Whitefield was placed under arrest.
28 year old Michael London is charged with domestic assault. He is also cited for simple possession of a schedule III drug (Hydrocodone). His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court July 31. Chief Caplinger said that on Tuesday, July 10 London allegedly assaulted a woman at Evins Manor Apartments on Foster Road. When asked to leave, London put his hands around the person’s neck and commanded the person to go outside and talk. He was determined to have been the primary aggressor. While making the arrest, an officer found in London’s pocket, pills believed to be Hydrocodone.

The DeKalb Firefighter’s Association is endorsing candidates for county mayor and the county commission in the DeKalb County General Election on August 7th.
The endorsements are the result of candidate responses to surveys recently published by the Association. “A few weeks ago the DeKalb Firefighters’ Association mailed a public safety survey to all candidates running for the offices of County Mayor and County Commission. This survey contained questions pertaining to public safety in DeKalb County”, according to the Association.
“Candidates had until June 16 to return their surveys”. According to the Association, “All of the following candidates who returned their surveys have met approval for endorsement in the August 2014 General Election.
County Mayor—Chris Bratcher, Chris Smithson, and Tim Stribling
District 1-Mason Carter and Elmer Ellis, Jr.
District 2- Joe Johnson, Jimmy Midgett, and Clarence Trapp
District 3-Jack Barton
District 4-Wayne Cantrell
District 5-Rick Cantrell and Anita Puckett
District 6-Betty Atnip
“Not all candidates submitted a response to our survey. This is not a reflection that they do not support public safety,” according to the Association.

A Dowelltown man is charged with the aggravated assault and rape of a woman last week.
29 year old Joseph Stephen Audas of Circle Drive, Dowelltown is under a $35,000 bond and he will be in court July 24 on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated rape.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, July 10 Audas allegedly tied the woman’s wrist and hands with a belt and held her down at knifepoint while hitting her in the face. During the assault, Audas allegedly struck the woman’s left ear and cut her under the chin and throat with the knife. He then allegedly raped the woman by digital penetration while armed with the knife and threatened to kill her if she refused to cooperate.
36 year old Steven Anthony Nelson of Tracy City, Tennessee is charged with violation of bond conditions and coercion of a witness. His bond is $10,000 and he will be in court July 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, July 8, a deputy was dispatched to the hospital where he spoke with a woman who reported that her husband, Nelson had come into her home while she slept. When she awoke, the woman found Nelson standing over her. Nelson allegedly got the woman out of bed and threatened her, saying that if she did not drop domestic assault warrants against him, his father would come to her home and shoot her in the face. Nelson continued making threats against the woman until she left the residence.
Nelson was previously arrested on Thursday, July 3rd for the domestic assault of his wife. In that case, Sheriff Ray said a deputy responded to a South College Street apartment in reference to a domestic assault which occurred at a residence on Allen Street. The officer spoke with a woman who said that she and her husband, Nelson had gotten into a verbal argument and that he began threatening her. The woman said she picked up a pan from the kitchen sink to keep her husband away from her but Nelson pushed his wife to the ground and began hitting her, causing a cut to the nose, a swollen eye, and scrapes to her elbows. Nelson’s friends, who were present, pulled him away from the woman. She then left the residence. Nelson was determined to have been the primary aggressor and he was arrested.
21 year old Ann Kathryn Pursell of Circle Drive, Dowelltown is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,500 and she will be in court July 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, July 10 a deputy was dispatched to Pursell’s home in reference to a physical domestic in progress. Upon his arrival, the officer spoke with Pursell and a man. According to the man, Pursell punched him in the face, scratched the right side of his face, and the back of his neck. Pursell admitted to punching and scratching him and she was placed under arrest.
63 year old Joseph Lawrence Battle of Backbone Road, Sparta is charged with driving under the influence. He was further issued a citation for driving on roads laned for traffic. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court August 21. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, July 11 while a deputy was patrolling on Highway 70, he spotted a white Nissan Maxima cross over into the opposite lane of travel several times. The officer conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. The driver, Battle stumbled out of the car. The deputy had him to get back in the automobile. He then asked the man for his license and inquired about what he had been drinking. Battle replied that he had consumed a few glasses of wine. The officer got Battle out of the vehicle and detected an odor of alcohol on his person. Battle submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He also took a blood test and was charged.
40 year old Chrissy Michelle Evans of West Main Street, Dowelltown is charged with domestic assault and violation of bond conditions. Her bond is $10,000 and she will be in court July 17. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, July 12 Evans allegedly assaulted her husband apparently at his residence on Sims Street in Dowelltown. During the altercation, she ripped the shirt off of him and left marks on his chest and left arm. After an investigation it was determined that Evans was the primary aggressor. She was placed under arrest. Evans had violated her bond conditions in a previous case by coming around her husband. Those bond conditions expire on December 23, 2014.
22 year old Amanda Marie Hatfield of Adcock Cemetery Road, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court July 17. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, July 13 a deputy responded to Hatfield’s residence in answer to a domestic call. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with Hatfield and a man. Both said there had been an altercation and that Hatfield had started it by punching the man. Hatfield also allegedly bit the man on the arm, leaving a contusion. Hatfield suffered a busted lip after the man punched her in the mouth. In another incident that day, Sheriff Ray said Hatfield started an argument with the man and began spitting on him while he was holding children. By her own admission, Hatfield was the primary aggressor in both situations. She was placed under arrest.

Daily operating hours of the Dowelltown Post Office may soon be reduced in a cost saving measure by the U.S. Postal Service.
Tracy Mofield, Post Office Operations Manager for the Tennessee District, held a community meeting at the Dowelltown Post Office Tuesday to explain the changes. The proposal is to reduce the window hours from eight hours to six hours a day Monday through Friday. Saturday hours would remain the same. Similar plans have already been enacted at both the Alexandria and Liberty Post Offices.
The Postal Service recently sent out surveys to Dowelltown customers with five options from which to choose. Mofield said 86% of the respondents favored the option to realign the hours of operation.
“In Dowelltown, a total of 783 surveys were sent out and 149 of them were returned. Of those 149 surveys, 86% or 128 chose realignment of hours of the options given as their first option. Three chose the delivery option which means they (customers) could do all their business from delivery of the route by the rural carrier. No one chose the village post office option. Four said they could do their business at a nearby post office. Fourteen made no selection,” said Mofield.
“These were the five options given and overwhelmingly the option chosen was the realignment of hours. Of course if there was an option in there of leaving my post office the same, that would certainly be the most overwhelming response. We realize that but we’ve got to do what’s fiscally responsible in trying to keep the organization viable for future generations and keeping a presence in these rural communities,” said Mofield.
After reviewing the surveys that were returned and taking into account Postal Service operational needs, Mofield said retail hours for the Dowelltown Post Office will likely be: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. with lunch from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Saturday hours will be from 8:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. Total Saturday window service hours will not be reduced and access to delivery receptacles will not change as a result of the POST Plan realignment of weekday window service hours. Access to delivery receptacles will not be reduced from current hours.
The final decision is expected to be made no sooner than thirty days after Tuesday’s meeting. A notice will then be placed in the lobby of the Dowelltown Post Office letting all the customers know the date the new hours will go into effect.
The Dowelltown Post Office serves one route and an auxiliary and is staffed by Post Master Cathy Marler and Dana Clark, Post Master Relief. Rusty Caplinger is a Rural Carrier. Liz Antoniak and Sandy Brown are Rural Carrier Associates.
(Pictured above: Tracy Mofield, Rusty Caplinger Cathy Marler, Sandy Brown, Dana Clark, and Liz Antoniak)

Not only will Smithville property rights voters be casting paper ballots in the August 7th Municipal Election for mayor and two aldermen, but it appears they will do the same in the November 4th city liquor referendums.
During the July monthly meeting held Monday, the Aldermen adopted on first reading an ordinance establishing a procedure permitting those non-resident property owners to vote by absentee ballot. Under the ordinance, city property rights voters may only vote by absentee or paper ballot in the city liquor referendums. They would still be free to vote in person at their own precinct or during early voting for other offices on the November 4th Tennessee General Election Ballot.
Without such an ordinance, the city’s property rights voters would likely have to go to two places to vote on election day. This process only applies to property rights voters, those who live outside the city in DeKalb County but who have property inside the city and are qualified to vote in a city election.
Earlier this year, the aldermen adopted a separate ordinance establishing the same procedure for city property rights voters in the August 7th Smithville Municipal Election
The ordinance passed on first reading Monday for the November 4th referendums states, “Whereas, T.C.A. 2-6-205, establishes a procedure permitting those non-resident property owners to vote by absentee ballot if an ordinance is passed within the requirements set out in said statute:
Now, Therefore, be it ordained by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, that
Section 1. By passing this ordinance it does hereby require that those non-resident property owners voting for the referendums which are on the ballot for the November 4, 2014 ballot shall be required to vote absentee for said referendum.
Section 2. This ordinance shall be effective only for the November 4, 2014 ballot for the City of Smithville.
Section 3. The DeKalb County Election Commission shall notify the non-resident property owners as set out in T.C.A. 2-6-205 of the requirements of this ordinance.
Section 4. This ordinance shall take effect from and after its final passage and be effective only for the November 4, 2014 election.
In the referendums on November 4, city voters will be asked to vote either “yes” or “no” on whether to “Authorize consumption of Alcohol on the premises in the City of Smithville” and to “Authorize retail package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in the City of Smithville”.
Second and final reading passage of the ordinance is expected at the next city council meeting in August.
Meanwhile, in other business, Mayor Jimmy Poss reappointed Tony Hagan to the Smithville Electric System Board. His new term expires July 1, 2018.
Mayor Poss also reappointed Hilton Conger to the Smithville Electric System Board. His term expires July 1, 2016.
Alderman Jason Murphy was appointed as the city’s representative on the 911 Board.
The aldermen approved the mayor’s appointments.

DeKalb County native and former professional baseball player Greg Tubbs was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Friday, July 11 in New York.
Tubbs, who is now an assistant baseball coach at Cookeville High School, played in the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates-affiliated Buffalo Bisons in 1991, 1992 and 1994. He joins former Bisons manager Eric Wedge and long-time Buffalo-area scout Bob Miske in being selected for the Hall of Fame.
During his three years with the Class AAA Bisons, the outfielder hit .283 (370-1,307) with 60 doubles, 19 triples, 12 home runs, 121 RBI and 67 stolen bases in 364 games. He’s third in the modern era in total hits (370) and is one of only two Bisons players since 1985 to have 100+ hits in three separate seasons.
(VIEW VIDEO INTERVIEW OF GREG TUBBS ON HALL OF FAME INDUCTION AT www.Milb.com Below)
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Tubbs first joined the Bisons in 1991 and led the Herd in runs scored (71), triples (11) and stolen bases (34) while hitting .273. The 11 triples in that campaign tied for the American Association lead and are still the fourth most in a single season by a Bisons hitter. In 1992, Tubbs led the Bisons with a .282 average while hitting 32 extra-base hits and stealing 20 more bases. After spending the 1993 season in the Cincinnati Reds organization, Tubbs returned to Buffalo in 1994 to hit .282 with 22 doubles, 45 RBI and 13 stolen bases in his final professional season.
Originally drafted by the Braves in the 22nd round of the 1984 June Amateur Draft, Tubbs played 11 combined seasons in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh’s and Cincinnati’s farm systems. In 1,243 minor league games, the outfielder hit .285 with 1,267 hits and 262 stolen bases. Tubbs made his Major League debut with the Reds in 1993 and hit .186 (11-59) with a home run and two RBI in 35 career games.
A 1980 graduate of DeKalb County High School, Tubbs was a talented football player as well as a baseball standout. He played college baseball at Austin Peay.
Tubbs played for former DCHS Football Coach Wayne Cantrell. During his senior year, Tubbs helped lead the Tigers to a 9-1 season. Their only loss was to York Institute 6-0 in the season finale. As a rushing quarterback, Tubbs ran for almost 1,000 yards that year.

WJLE is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting on Saturday, July 26th from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend at the radio station.
Light refreshments will be served.

The program will air LIVE throughout the day hosted by WJLE Manager Dwayne Page and former Manager Ralph Vaughn.
“A special thanks to Ralph for helping us organize this event,” Page said.
“We would especially like to have former employees of the station and family members of former owners to join us that day along with anyone who has ever had a radio broadcast with us over the five decades. If you can’t be here in person, give us a call for a brief interview by phone,” said Page.
“Local ministers, sports figures, coaches, newsmakers, advertisers, public officials, and loyal listeners are urged to stop by to share special memories and to help us celebrate,” he added.
Remember, that’s Saturday, July 26th from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at WJLE.
On behalf of station owner Leon Stribling and the current staff, Dwayne Page (Manager), Dale Carroll and Brian Lehan (Announcers), Dora Estes (Accountant), Julie Underhill (Traffic Director), and Jeff Nokes (Engineer), we hope to see you here!

In an effort to save money and relieve each school of the in-house burden, the DeKalb County Board of Education is considering contracting with a company to provide custodial services at all schools in the county.
Representatives of GCA Services Group addressed the School Board Thursday night and made a proposal to contract with the system for $400,000 for the first year with annual renewal options for at least up to five years. All current custodial staff working for the school system, recommended by the principals would be hired by GCA. All chemicals, equipment, and consumables would also be provided by GCA for maintaining the buildings year round.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby said he has contacted several school systems where GCA works and all have given him a good report. “I have not found anybody that had anything negative to say. The quality of work they do that I have heard about and looked at is extremely good,” he said.
The school board took no action Thursday night. A special meeting is set for Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 p.m. to make a final decision.
According to its website, GCA Services Group, Inc. is a leading national provider of quality facility services, including janitorial/custodial services, contamination control for cleanroom manufacturing, facilities operations and maintenance, grounds management, in-sourced production staffing and labor management, diversified staffing, and more.
With over 34,000 employees in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, GCA serves a variety of sectors, including K-12 schools, higher education, manufacturing, corporate office buildings, and others. GCA’s management team is recognized as one of the strongest and most experienced in the industry.
Craig Colquitt, Senior Sales Director said GCA would partner with the school system, improve the cleanliness and look of the schools, train the current staff of custodians, provide them health insurance and benefits, and give them an opportunity for promotions. “We are in 35 school districts in the state (Tennessee) and in 250 school districts across the country. We consider ourselves allies, partners. We know your current concerns are for your principals, teachers, and your employees. They are for us too,” Colquitt said.
“One thing we do when we come into a district is that we talk to the principals first and foremost. Any of these employees who are doing a good job, we want on our team,” said Josh Helton, Senior Regional Manager. “We need your employees. We want to train them. We know how important it is to hire locally and to give these people a chance to move forward,” he said.
“We provide upward mobility and promotions. We’re in a lot of districts so if there are people here who are capable of doing more, we want to give them that opportunity if they want it to move up into a managerial position and even further,” said Adam Miles, Sales Director.
Employees who do a good job on a daily basis would also be rewarded through a regular recognition program. “We have an employee of the month and a building of the month at every location and every school system. We usually present a gift card or offer some form of recognition and a plaque. We also do a building of the month to recognize the entire crew at that school. That usually involves a dinner, lunch or whatever they (employees) like to do. Maybe a sporting event,” said Helton.
In addition to the daily chores, GCA would be responsible for cleanup for after school activities. “All school related activities, ball games, PTO events, and board meetings, we’ll be there to clean up before and after and take care of things,” said Miles.
“In addition to the cleaning inside of the buildings, we will patrol the perimeter within twenty five feet of the school and clean up trash and debris”, Miles said.
Although not part of the contracted clean up responsibilities, GCA provides beautification projects as a value added service. ” Maybe the outside grounds need a little work too. We’re not just about inside strip and wax. We can come in and plant, mulch and do things like that to beautify those areas,” said Helton.
While principals would no longer be directly over the custodians, they would still have input with GCA. “If principals are concerned that they will lose control of their building if they are not calling the shots, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. They are what makes this thing work. Every day, we’ll check in with them, especially the first quarter or so and make sure they have what they need and are happy. We would have a designated account manager, a direct contact for all principals and the day porters and night crews at each school will have a supervisor over them,” said Miles. GCA would further maintain an on-call list of employees who could be summoned to work in the event of an absence by a regular custodian due to illness or other reason.
Sixth District Board member Doug Stephens asked how GCA could save the school system money. “What you presented is very impressive but how can we either be so bad or you so good that you can save us $50,000 a year,” he asked?
“Purchasing power. All equipment, training and consumables are provided by us and we’re getting our equipment and consumables at a much lower rate than you can. All those costs to you, we’ll absorb including insurance, benefits, and workman’s comp,” said Helton. We keep our workman’s comp costs down with proper training, equipment, education, and supplies they (custodians) need. If we are stripping and waxing a floor, they’re (employees) are going to be in glasses and stripper shoes. We want them to go home the same way they arrived. Anything less than that on our part is unacceptable,” added Miles.
Part of the savings on equipment is coming from the fact that we’re buying the equipment full price but we’re negotiating that. We’re getting a better price than you do. You’ll buy it at full cash price. We’ll depreciate that over five years. If we don’t maintain the contract for five years we’re out. So it behooves us to keep it for five years because we’ve bought new equipment and depreciated it over that period of time. That’s part of the savings. With 36,000 employees, we can negotiate on any kind of supply with our buying power,” said Colquitt.
We can offer you a significant savings from what you’re spending in house while inheriting all of your recommended employees. We have the leadership that is ready to go. We’ve got the turn key service, if you want us in here we can take care of you from start to finish, from unlocking the building to locking the building and everything in between. We’re here. If you need us, you call us, even if it’s an emergency in the middle of the night. We want to be a partner. We want to take care of the buildings. We want to be proud of it and we want the students and the staff to show up and say this building looks great. It’s simple and easy, which is what the principals like the most,” said Miles.
With the consumables, such as trash bags and toilet paper provided by GCA, schools would no longer have to bear that expense, which usually runs from two to four thousand dollars a year, and paid for through fundraisers.
First District member John David Foutch asked about GCA’s health insurance plan for employees. “I am interested in the employees insurance compared to what ours are paying now. Whether it’s comparable. If it’s way out of line, it’s not being fair to the people who have been loyal to us. I think they have done a good job. A lot of them work for insurance,” said Foutch.
“All the insurance they currently have, we offer,” said Miles. “Insurance costs will vary based upon packages offered but we have multiple packages including major medical and dental and they (employees) can retrofit it however they see fit. We work with United Healthcare and Humana. United offers a Bronze, Silver, and Gold plan,” he said.
Board Chairman Johnny Lattimore asked GCA to provide some numbers in terms of costs for individual , spouse and family health insurance plans during the special meeting Tuesday night.
GCA pledges to be actively involved in the community.”We do a lot of things in the community we’re really proud of. As far as sponsorships go, as far as sports, we know how hard it is to get funding for coaches. We’d love to chip in on that and sponsor events. Anything local in the community we can put our name on and help you guys with that, we’d like to do that as well,” Helton said.
*****(Foot Note)*******
Craig Colquitt of GCA Services Group, Inc. is a retired American football punter who spent eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1978–1981, 1983–1984) and Indianapolis Colts (1987). He was a member of two Super Bowl Champions with the Steelers in 1978 and 1979. He is the father of two current NFL punters, Dustin and Britton Colquitt. His brother, Jimmy Colquitt, was a punter for the Seattle Seahawks in 1985. All four played college football at the University of Tennessee.[1] Craig was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Hall of Fame July 16, 2009