Commission appoints Kenneth Hackett as Wilson County trustee

The Wilson County Commission appointed Kenneth Hackett as county trustee on Feb. 18 after a nominations and secret ballot process at the county commission meeting.

Commissioners nominated two candidates: Commissioner Chandler nominated Kenneth Hackett; Commissioner Breese nominated Tracy Gallerno, the county’s chief deputy trustee. Both nominees addressed the commission. Tracy Gallerno described her 10 years as chief deputy trustee and said she had tried “to run a tight ship” and would continue to be a “good steward” of county funds. Kenneth Hackett described his supervisory and leadership experience and said he intended to continue key practices of the office, including competitive bidding for interest on taxpayer funds.

Commissioners cast ballots; county staff collected and tallied the votes. The transcript records the nomination, candidate remarks and subsequent oath but does not supply a complete numeric roll call for the appointment in the text. After the count, the chair announced Mr. Hackett as the appointee and administered the oath of office; the oath on the record included the pledge to support the constitutions of Tennessee and the United States and to “faithfully perform the duties of the office of trustee for Wilson County, Tennessee.”

Outgoing trustee Jim Major was recognized earlier in the meeting; the commission thanked him for nearly 20 years of service. The appointment fills the vacancy and allows the newly sworn trustee to assume duties immediately, pending any administrative onboarding required by the trustee’s office.