Legislative Committee approves resolution calling for nonpartisan county elections, sends measure to full commission after 3–2 vote

The Franklin County Legislative Committee voted to send a resolution declaring the county "Nonpartisan" to the full Board of County Commissioners after a 3–2 vote at its March 9 meeting. The motion to approve the resolution was made by Commissioner Chuck Stines and seconded by Commissioner Eddie Clark; Commissioners Iris Rudder and Dave Van Buskirk voted no.

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioners Clark, Stines, Hughes and Goodman, states that "Franklin County, Tennessee is a Nonpartisan County" and asks the county clerk to forward the adopted resolution to the governor, State Senator Janice Bowling and State Representative David Alexander. The resolution says local officials have told the county that political party affiliation does not affect their service and asserts that party labels “only divides us where we need unifying.”

Committee members did not place extended debate on the public record in the minutes; the committee recorded the vote and the action to forward the resolution to the full commission for consideration. If the full commission adopts the measure, the resolution requests that the county's state legislators introduce a Private Act to change the county's election status.

The committee's vote was procedural: the committee approved sending the resolution to the full commission rather than enacting a change immediately. The resolution itself instructs the county clerk to record the resolution in the county records and to transmit copies to the named state officials. The full commission will consider the measure in a subsequent session.