Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins have announced that Dennis Stanley, Dekalb County Administrator of Elections, passed the Certification Exam for Administrators of Elections this week in Nashville.
“This certification demonstrates Dennis Stanley’s dedication to meeting the highest of standards in his efforts to serve Dekalb County,” Hargett said. “Dekalb Countians can be proud to have a public servant of this caliber.”
The exam is a rigorous, one-day exam held at least once a year in Nashville. By passing the exam, participants demonstrate they have the level of knowledge and understanding required to be successful county administrators of elections in Tennessee.
“I applaud Dennis for his hard work, commitment and focus in studying for the exam,” Goins said. “I am proud of his great accomplishment.”
“I also applaud Dennis for this great accomplishment,” added Walteen Parker, DeKalb County Election Commission Chairman. “In addition to studying for the exam, Dennis has worked hard to save taxpayers’ money during his short time as AOE by cutting the Election Commission budget and controlling expenses for the Liberty and Alexandria elections. He and Deputy Clerk Muriel Wallace also have a great attitude toward helping the public. This office truly is ‘voter friendly’ and ‘taxpayer friendly.'”
Stanley’s certification also insures the county government will continue to receive $18,000 annually in state funds to help with the operation of the election office.
(Pictured from left: Mark Goins, State Coordinator of Elections, Dennis Stanley,
DeKalb County Administrator of Elections, Tre Hargett, Secretary of State,
Wayne Pruett, Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Tennessee Cordinator.)

The DeKalb County unemployment rate for the month of July was still in double digits at 10.7%, but down from 11.3% in June. The rate for July 2008 was 6.1%
The DeKalb County Labor Force for July was 10,100. A total of 9,020 were employed and 1,080 were unemployed.
Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July 2009 was at 10.7 percent, 0.1 percentage point lower than the June rate of 10.8 percent. The United States’ unemployment rate for the month of July was 9.4 percent.
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for July 2009, show that the rate increased in 14 counties, decreased in 78 counties and remained the same in three counties.
Lincoln County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 6.9 percent, down from 7.0 percent in June. Scott County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 19.6 percent, up from 19.5 in June, followed by Lauderdale County at 19.5 percent, down from 19.7 percent in June.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 8.3 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the June rate. Hamilton County was at 9.1 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the June rate. Davidson County was 9.2 percent, down 0.1 from the previous month, and Shelby County was 10.4 percent, unchanged from the June rate.

An employee of the DeKalb County Road Department died Wednesday after the pavement roller he was operating went off the road and plunged down a steep embankment in Lakeview Mountain Estates
Dead is 61 year old Alfred E. Young of Smithville.
Sergeant Mark Dial of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that Young was trying to make a left turn from Mullican Drive to Lakeside Drive when the pavement roller went off the embankment. Young was thrown from the roller and died at the scene.
The accident was reported to 911 at 12:55 p.m.
County Road Supervisor Kenny Edge told WJLE that about ten men from his department were in the area making road repairs and maintenance on Mullican Drive, Lakeview Circle, and Floyd Drive. According to Edge, two men were chipping, four men were driving gravel trucks, one man was operating a grader, two were putting down oil, and Mr. Young was operating the roller. The other men were apparently working on the road ahead of Mr. Young at the time of the accident, and none of them saw what happened.
According to Sergeant Dial there were no witnesses to the accident but a resident in the area apparently heard a noise and went to investigate. The witness reportedly looked over the embankment, saw the roller and then called 911.
Members of the DeKalb County Fire Department’s Cookeville Highway Station and Extrication and Rescue Team responded along with the DeKalb County Rescue Squad, EMS, and Sheriff’s Department.
Sources say the roller was found approximately 50 to 75 feet down the embankment off Lakeside Drive and the body was discovered about 20 feet from the equipment.
The fire department’s rescue team and the DeKalb County Rescue Squad assisted EMS using ropes and a rescue basket to remove Young’s body from the scene. An ambulance then transported it to the hospital.
The accident was investigated by Sergeant Dial, assisted by the Trooper Dewaine Jennings of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Two 25 ton tow trucks and a 45 ton wrecker were needed to pull the pavement roller up the hill to the side of the road at Lakeside Drive Wednesday night.
Edge says Mr. Young was a good friend and employee and his heart goes out to the Young family.

Interested in obtaining a GED?
A GED program is offered free in DeKalb County to anyone age eighteen or older. The classes meet at Smithville Elementary School starting September 9th and will be taught by Betty Hickey and volunteers Tom Werling, Tina Evans and her daughter Kim.
Hickey says the GED classes meet on Monday and Wednesday at Smithville Elementary School starting at 4:00 p.m.
“We have open enrollment. That means we accept people all year long from August when we start until the end of June. We shut down during the month of July. All of our classes are free because we are considered public education but the testing center charges a fee of $55.00 and you have to go to McMinnville or Cookeville to take your test. The Smithville Rotary Club and DeKalb Community Bank helps with this fee and right now the state pays $35.00 on this fee.”
“When you come, the first thing we do is give a test. That test gives us a grade level in reading, math, and English. From there, we can work with you, one on one, because our classes are usually pretty small. After we get your grade levels, then we can help you one on one with the areas you are low in until you are ready to go take your exam. The areas that you are tested in are science, social studies, reading, math, and English, which includes an essay. One good thing about the test is that you can go take your exam and you don’t have to pass all subjects at once. You can pass what you can, come back to us, and we’ll help you through the areas that you may be having more difficulty in.”
“I love to call them (students) my second chancers because they are given a second chance. They realize their mistake and they are so thankful and appreciative for classes that give them an opportunity to start over again. We have a lot of students who come back and thank us after getting their GED. It’s just a rewarding thing to teach.
Hickey says persons younger and older have taken advantage of this program. “We get a lot of people who have just turned 18. Our oldest student was 65. We have students of all ages.”
“I also want to thank my three volunteers, Mr. Tom Werling, who is the 2008 Volunteer of the Year in the GED program, Mrs. Tina Evans and her daughter Kim.”
For more information call 597-5404.

Officials of the City of Smithville and the DeKalb County School System have come up with a plan for dealing with traffic problems in the school zone at Northside Elementary School, but it may be several weeks before it can be implemented.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby says he met last week with Smithville Alderman and Police Commissioner Aaron Meeks, Smithville Police Chief Richard Jennings, Northside Elementary School Principal Dr. Gayle Redmon, and Transportation Supervisor Peggy Pursell.
Concerns were raised last week during a meeting of the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen that an accident could occur in the school zone unless the problem was addressed. The issue is that parents who pick up their children in the afternoons have to line up on the shoulder of Highway 56 north which makes it difficult for motorists exiting the school parking lot from being able to see around them. And because of the heavy traffic on Highway 56 during that time, many motorists leaving the school have to wait a long time before they can get back out on the road. Some say either the city, county, or school system should have an officer or trained civilian to direct traffic there during the mornings and afternoons.
Willoughby says the proposal is to extend the school zone at Northside Elementary to Smith Road and to have the buses enter and exit on Smith Road. Parents would no longer be permitted to park on the shoulder of the road but they would have more room to enter and exit the school from Highway 56. There are apparently no plans under this proposal to have anyone directing traffic. “We’ve looked at what we can do to address that, hopefully to alleviate some of the problem, I don’t know that it will solve the problem. We’ll be re-directing our buses to enter and leave through the Smith Road area. Therefore, the buses will not be lined up with car traffic in the mornings or afternoons, which we’re hoping will help some. We’re not going to start this right now, we’re going to wait for a few things to happen,. We’re going to move the flashing lights down there at Smith Road, then we will move (extend) the school zone a little bit further down the road. By doing that, we’re hoping to get those buses away from the cars. You know, four or five buses will take up a lot of car space. Hopefully, that is going to help some. And then the cars would be snaking through the parking lot, similar to what they have in the past. But we’ll be getting the buses out of the way. The cars would be entering and exiting the same place they have always have, the only difference is that the buses will not be entering or exiting in the places where they have in the past. The buses will only be entering and exiting at Smith Road..”
Again Willoughby says the plan has not yet been implemented. TDOT may have to grant permission to extend the school zone before the signs and flashing lights can be relocated and some minor work has to be done at the entrance to the school property from Smith Road in order for buses to have easier access.