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Davidson County commission appoints John Richardson as administrator of elections
Summary
The commission appointed John Richardson as administrator of elections after interviewing him; board members praised his stated commitment to nonpartisanship and asked staff to file his resignation from the state party as part of the record.
The Davidson County Election Commission voted 4–0, with one absence, to appoint John Richardson as Davidson County administrator of elections.
John Richardson told commissioners he had submitted his resignation to the Tennessee Republican Party executive committee and that the resignation became effective Oct. 5. Richardson said he also provided letters of recommendation and urged commissioners to judge him by his record and his pledge to follow the law. "My job is to obey the law," Richardson said during his interview with the commission.
Richardson described his approach to the office as "servant leadership," saying he would work to build trust with staff and the public. He acknowledged he would make mistakes and said he would "own them," and he told commissioners he would treat voters equally regardless of party. "Every person, regardless of their political persuasion, should be able to participate in the process," Richardson said.
Commissioners who questioned Richardson pressed him on his commitment to nonpartisanship and his ability to work with longtime staff. Several commissioners praised Richardson’s decision to resign from the Republican Party executive committee to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
During discussion after the interview, Commissioner Byrd and others urged the commission to consider retaining outgoing administrator Jeff Roberts in a temporary advisory or consulting role to help Richardson through the upcoming midterm calendar. Commissioner Byrd said he would pursue options for retaining Roberts’ assistance on an hourly or contract basis so the new administrator could "hit the ground running."
Commissioner Dooley made the motion to appoint Richardson; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The clerk recorded the vote as four in favor, none opposed, and one absent. The commission directed staff to add Richardson’s submitted resignation and letters of recommendation to the meeting record.
Roberts told commissioners he would be available to assist with onboarding and that staff would work out the logistical details with Richardson after the appointment.
Richardson will assume administrative responsibilities after staff and legal steps to finalize the appointment are completed; the commission did not set an exact start date during the meeting.
