Jonesborough Mayor Chuck Vest resigns to lead Washington County elections; Kelly Wolfe named mayor

Mayor Chuck Vest told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that he has accepted a position as Washington County administrator of elections and announced his resignation effective immediately.

The move prompted Vice Mayor Adam Dixon to nominate Kelly Wolfe to serve as mayor; the board held a roll call and introduced Wolfe as the town's new mayor during the same meeting.

Vest said the job offer came unexpectedly and cited family and work-life balance as reasons for stepping down after nearly two decades of municipal service. "I've accepted a position as Washington County administrator of elections," Vest said during his remarks, and later told the board, "I'll be resigning my seat effective now." He reviewed accomplishments under his tenure, including raising the town employee average pay to roughly $51,000 and long-term infrastructure planning such as the water treatment plant and a new transmission line to Persimmon Ridge.

Dixon moved to nominate Kelly Wolfe, saying he believed she would provide steady leadership for the town's ongoing projects. After the nomination and a roll-call procedure, the board announced Wolfe as mayor and the meeting proceeded with her in that role.

The leadership change comes while the board is advancing multiple capital projects and a budget package that the board approved on first reading at the same meeting. Vest said he felt the town was in "great hands" with the current aldermen and senior staff and encouraged the community's continued volunteer engagement.

Wolfe will assume the mayoral role immediately; the board did not announce any interim staffing or schedule for filling the vacated alderman seat during the meeting.

Speakers quoted in this report spoke during the meeting's mayoral nomination and announcements or in direct remarks to the board.