The city of Millersville, which straddles Robertson and Sumner counties, is usually considered a pretty quiet place. It’s “a pass through town” with “untapped potential,” as one resident described. Located along I-65 between Nashville and the Kentucky border, they added, “you blink and you miss it.”
But on Tuesday night about a hundred residents packed into the city commission chambers. And the mood was tense.
It was the first meeting since the controversial firing of the city’s fire chief, which prompted almost all firefighters in the department to walk off the job last week. Several other high ranking city officials have also been terminated in recent weeks. Meanwhile, recent additions to the city’s payroll say they’re moving Millersville in a “new direction.”
More: How a far-right political group rose to power in Sumner County
The controversy has prompted some citizens to try to change the way the city’s mayor is elected.
The recent history
The city of Millersville started moving in this new direction on Dec. 19, 2023, according to a city-issued press release. That’s when Alisa Huling won a special election to become the fifth member of the Millersville City Commission. She was sworn into office on Jan. 23, and just minutes later voted to fire city manager Scott Avery.
After a recess, Mayor Tommy Long presented the resume of Tina Tobin, who formerly ran for Sumner County Commission’s 7th district. She was endorsed by the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans, a far-right political faction that holds sway over public life in the county today after winning a majority on the county commission in 2022. A majority of Millersville commissioners — Long, Huling and Milton Dorris — voted to appoint Tobin as the interim city manager on the spot.
Cristina Templet, a commissioner who voted against Avery’s firing and Tobin’s hiring, alleged that Huling, Long and Dorris had conspired to oust and replace Avery ahead of the meeting, and in doing so violated open Tennessee’s meetings law. Templet’s husband has since filed a lawsuit against the city.
During that meeting, City Attorney Jack Freedle advised commissioners against the sudden action. Tobin fired Freedle the next day.
Since then, Tobin fired Millersville’s police chief, Rob Richman who had been on the job for just over a month after moving from Texas. His termination email claimed he was let go because the city was going in a “different direction,” but a press release sent out a week later from Millersville mentioned controversies that happened in his former job with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. For his part, Richman said that those issues weren’t brought to his attention immediately, but once they were, he dealt with them swiftly.
Tobin also placed the city recorder and assistant city recorder on administrative leave.
Most recently, Tobin fired Millersville Fire Department Chief Brandon Head. In the termination email, she wrote again that the city was moving in a “new direction.” Before he was fired, Head said Tobin’s newly-hired police chief paid him a visit.
“I was essentially interrogated about my loyalties to the city. Who — who I was loyal to, what commissioners favored me, who I favored. By direction of the city manager, he was sent in to find out where my loyalties were,” Head said.
After Head’s firing, all but one firefighter in Millersville walked off the job.
Back to the meeting
Tobin’s employment and pay took center stage at Tuesday’s meeting.
“She’s tearing our city apart, first of all. I don’t think she has experience. You all voted her in,” Templet said, referencing Long, Dorris and Huling. “I’m trying to see how or why she’s still here.”
Commissioner David Gregory said, as a far as he was concerned, both Tobin and the new city attorney, Bryant Kroll, had been working pro-bono.
Templet and Gregory tried to fire Tobin, but the other three commissioners outvoted them. Then conversation turned to Tobin’s pay. Templet asked when and whether Tobin had completed a background check and pre-employment screening. Other commissioners did not offer specifics, saying that was not part of the current discussion.
“You guys won’t answer anything,” Templet said. Long gaveled her out of order, and shortly after threatened to clear the room. (You can hear the exchange in the audio clip below.)
Long, Dorris and Huling voted to pay Tobin $78,000 annually.
Afterward, in public comments, community members voiced frustrations about unanswered public records requests. They voiced concerns about a lack of fire coverage and general distrust over recent developments in the city. Deborah Wade used part of her time to recognize Head’s service to the community. He had been with he fire department since 2006.
“I just want to thank Brandon Head and all of the ones who have labored so hard, and so diligently and fervently for this city,” Wade said.
A petition to change who picks the mayor
Now, some residents are signing up to have a more direct say in who gets to be the city’s mayor. At present, citizens of Millersville vote on city commissioners, and then the commissioners elect one of their own to serve as mayor, but a petition circulating now could help change that.
“This gives us the option to change that where we vote on the mayor,” Millersville resident Dustin Darnall tells WPLN News. “If we get 10% of the signatures of registered voters in town, we will be able to put a question on the ballot in August that says ‘Shall the mayor of the city of Millersville be elected by popular vote rather than the board of commissioners?'”
So far, organizers have gathered nearly 100 signatures. Darnall said they would need a little over 350 names to get the question on the ballot.
Emergency protection
While the city has hired a new fire chief, many residents still have lingering concerns about emergency services. Sumner County EMS says it has not received any communications from Millersville about personnel changes at the city’s fire department, and has been relying on word of mouth to understand who’s in charge. Sumner County EMS said in a statement that Millersville Fire Department will not be dispatched as medical first responders in the city.
Courtesy Sumner County A new release published earlier this week explains why Sumner County EMS is not dispatching Millersville Fire Department to medical emergencies in the city.
Millersville attorney Kroll said the newly hired fire chief does have proper licensure to provide medical first response. However a representative for Sumner County EMS says the city has not shared the necessary documentation. Millersville has mutual aid agreements with neighboring cities, but citizens still worry about longer wait times during an emergency.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM