Mike Dent has announced his candidacy for one of the Tullahoma alderman seats on the ballot for the Aug. 6 election. His announcement reads as follows: “I am a career public servant. Upon graduation from Purdue University with a degree in chemical engineering, I served 20 years as an Air Force officer in roles including a navigator and program management overseeing multi-milliondollar contracts. In 2008, my wife and I accepted civil service jobs at Arnold AFB. I am currently the Acting Chief of the Engineering Division.

“Moving to Tullahoma 10 years ago is one of the best decisions my wife, Jan, and I have ever made. Tullahoma has been a good fit for us. It is a welcoming city that provides many opportunities to be a part of the community. I am a board member of the Trinity Lutheran Church Council. I am also on the Tullahoma Community Foundation Board and have recently joined Rotary. Jan serves on multiple nonprofit boards and provides marketing support for many others. Our daughter, Rachel is a graduate of TCS. Her positive educational experience within our city schools was instrumental in helping her recently achieve her goal of obtaining her Doctorate of Medicine in Dentistry. I am a running for Alderman because I want to use my experience and talents give back to our community.

“I think I can help our city leadership become a more positive and unified voice for our community. My platform is probably similar to many of the other candidates – improve our roads, bring good paying jobs to the area, provide opportunities for affordable housing, advocate for measured growth and no increase in taxes, are examples of what I think are desired accomplishments for our BOMA. How to achieve that platform is where I distinguish myself.

“While serving on various crews as an AF navigator, I learned the value of working together as a team towards a common goal. Individual members of the BOMA will not agree on everything, however I do think BOMA members can find initiatives to pursue that they all agree upon. If elected, I will help make that happen.

“My 35 years of experience managing large Air Force and Civilian contracts and budgets demonstrate I have the skills to meet the challenges the BOMA will face the next four years. As a Program Manager (PM), every day presented a new challenge. That experience taught me how to adapt to and overcome obstacles. I’ve managed shrinking budgets and dealt with personnel issues. I’ve mediated and resolved conflicts among team members which sharpened my team building ability. In summary, I like to solve problems and I’m persistent. My work history of managing people and money makes me the right person for the job/ “Tullahoma is a wonderful community in which to live, work, and play. We have a lot to offer. I would appreciate your support and will do my best to represent the citizens of Tullahoma with an open mind, positive outlook and commonsense approach.

“You may contact me at mikedentforalderman@gmail.com and follow me on Facebook.”

Early voting begins July 17th and runs through August 1st at CD Stamps, 810 South Jackson St. Election Day is August 6. To verify your voting place go to https://web.go-vote-tn.elections. tn.gov.”