L

With the election only ten days in the mirror, I met with a relaxed and refreshed Mayor-elect Lynn Sebourn. We met in the courtyard at the Sweet Bee Coffee Shop on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Mayor-elect Sebourn’s answers to my questions were direct and confident. It is evident he has a clear vision for our community and is anxious to get started leading Tullahoma.

1. What brought you to Tullahoma and when?

I moved to the Tullahoma area in 1990 so I could attend school at UTSI. I was a recent graduate of the University of Missouri-Rolla where I was from.

2. Tell us about your family?

We have three children Lyndsey, Jared and Hope. My wife of 31 years, Teresa, died in November of last year. (Editor’s note: Teresa Sebourn was a beloved teacher at Bel Aire Elementary School for many years.)

3. Let’s talk about your campaign first. Because there was a chance the BMA might pass the charter changes and move the City election to November from August, that sort of froze the candidates. When the charter changes did not pass, you had to move pretty quick. Did you enjoy campaigning?

Oh yes, absolutely. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with people and learning what was on their mind. A really good experience.

4. What were the highs campaigning?

I enjoyed meeting people I did not know and getting to know them a little. I also enjoyed the Forums that were held.

5. Did you have a low point while campaigning or did self-doubt ever creep in like what in the world was I thinking?

No low point at all. The biggest challenge was finding time to campaign.

6. Did you campaign door to door and what was that experience like?

Yes. I figure I visited about 500 homes spread out all over Tullahoma. I had gone door to door before when campaigning for my County Commission seat. One side note … it’s amazing how many dogs there are in Tullahoma.

7. Why did you decide to run for Mayor?

I wanted to continue to help with economic development. I want to position Tullahoma with strong but stable growth. And I thought it important to settle things down at BMA meetings.

8. Let’s move to election night. Any butterflies? Tell us what was going thru your mind before the results started coming in?

I felt pretty confident but I did not expect to do as well as we did however.

9. It became obvious pretty quick you were going to win. Again, your emotions at that time?

I was relieved and excited the campaign was done. I felt I could relax at that point.

10. You earned 73% of Tullahoma’s voters votes for Mayor. That must be very gratifying. Do you consider that a mandate to move ahead in certain areas?

In a way yes especially in two areas. I think the citizens expect civility at BMA meetings and growth is going to come. Again, I think people understand that but they want sensible and controlled growth.

11. Were you expecting such a large margin of victory?

No. I was just hoping to get 50%. Did not expect 73%.

12. Now moving to governing and leading the community. You have chaired Tullahoma’s economic development board for 14 years. In your new leadership position, will you place emphasis on economic development? Why or why not?

Yes, absolutely. I will need to resign from the TAEDC (Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corporation) but I will stay engaged with the TAEDC. I will also stay involved and engaged with the State in economic development initiatives.

13. What will be your priorities as Mayor? What do you want to accomplish as mayor?

I will work on several things initially. Economic development, city planning efforts and making BMA meetings more civil will be my priorities. Multiple people have reached out to me concerned about the homelessness issue in town.

14. Although Alderman-elect McGee has served on the BMA only to complete an unexpired term, you will one of 4 new members of the BMA. I don’t recall ever having four new members at one time. There will be a steep learning curve for the four of you. What will you be doing to bring everyone up to speed as quickly as possible?

We are planning several training sessions for the new BMA members plus I know MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) offers training sessions for newly elected officials. I also plan to visit with city department heads and organizations affiliated with city government.

15. Have you spoken to Mayor Ray Knowis or City administrator Jason Quick about the transition?

Yes. I will be meeting with Mayor Knowis and he will fill me in I know. I have met with Jason (city administrator Jason Quick) to discuss the transition and training.

16. According to research by former City administrator Jody Baltz, in Tullahoma’s 172-year history you are Mayor number 49. Has that really sunk in yet?

Absolutely humbling to be elected and given the opportunity to serve. I just hope to do a good job for the people of Tullahoma.

17. Alderman Kurt Glick also ran for Mayor. You were quoted in the News as thanking all the candidates for running a clean race. Have you spoken to Alderman Glick since the election? Do you expect any friction between the two of you going forward?

No. Hope not.

18. Do you know what the job of Mayor pays?

My understanding it’s $15,000 a year.

19. What is your full time occupation? How will you balance the time required of being mayor with your full time job?

My company is Applied Technology Solutions based out of Huntsville. My job title is Hypersonic Facilities Subject Matter Expert. My job is flexible time wise as long as I get my 40 plus hours a week in. I will certainly depend on the professional staff in city government.

20. What was your employer’s reaction to your election as Mayor?

He was happy and very supportive of me doing this.

21. You won your election handily. What message did you take from that?

Our campaign message was the correct message to work together and move Tullahoma forward.

22. Have you spoken to Mayor Ray Knowis since the election? Did he offer any advice going forward?

We have spoken a couple of times casually. He congratulated me.

23. What excites you most about being Tullahoma’s highest elected official?

The chance to influence and move Tullahoma forward.

24. What do you believe are Tullahoma’s biggest challenges?

Sensible and controlled growth while maintaining our quality of life and small town feel. Plus it is critical to maintain our retail advantages.

25. Ok, let’s get to know Lynn Sebourn the person a little better. What is your favorite thing to do in Tullahoma?

Probably go to shows at South Jackson Performing Arts Center.

26. What place in town will people find you most frequently?

Church and restaurants around town.

27. What do you consider to be Tullahoma’s biggest asset?

People.

28. What do you hope to accomplish in your first 90 days as Mayor?

Get the Comprehensive Plan resolved.

29. What are a few of your long range goals?

Create housing for the average person and young families, recruit good quality jobs, make good use of the airport and the additional jobs coming to AEDC and the I-24 Industrial Site

30. What are your hobbies?

I enjoy music, photography and getting outside fishing and hiking.

31. What kind of music do you listen to?

Everything especially country, classic rock and pop.

32. You have talked about civility at BMA meetings. How do you plan to improve?

Training on Robert’s Rules of Order especially sections on civil discourse and enforcing two rules: no interruptions without being recognized and no personal attacks.

33. How do you deal with criticism about yourself on social media?

I don’t feed the trolls.

34. It is my understanding several regional and national retailers want to call Tullahoma home? What keeps them from coming here?

The biggest issue is finding a place to put them. They all want to be on the busiest places on North Jackson but they are full. Others want to find local investors but sometimes can’t.

35. Tullahoma has for many years had a poor reputation with builders and developers. It seems to be improving. What else can be done to improve the relationship between organizations within Tullahoma city government and builders and developers?

I want to have conversations with all the parties and find out where the friction points are and address them.

36. I understand at South Jackson Goes Country Friday night, you were given a special surprise gift.

Yes, I did not know about that. A nice engraved gavel from the Center.

37. What are you most looking forward to as Mayor?

Get out and visit with volunteer organizations and see what can be done to help them.

38. You received nearly $15,000 in campaign contributions from over 100 people. That must feel very gratifying.

Yes, very much so. I felt as though we had the support of the community.

39. How do you plan to keep the community informed and seek community input on issues?

Certainly the newspaper and have an online presence.