April 23, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
Three candidates seeking to succeed Bobby Johnson as Third District County Commissioner addressed members of the legislative body during a committee of the whole meeting Thursday night at the county complex.
Jack Barton, Susannah Cripps Daughtry, and Anthony Scott each introduced themselves to the commission giving their background and reasons why they wish to serve. They also answered questions put to them.
A successor to Johnson is expected to be appointed by the county commission during its regular monthly meeting Monday night.
Johnson tendered his resignation at the end of last month’s commission meeting saying he had other business to take care of. The commission voted to accept the resignation. Since then the vacancy has been advertised. So far Barton, Daughtry, and Scott are the only persons who have responded with an interest in filling the position.
The appointee will complete Johnson’s unexpired term which ends on August 31, 2022. Johnson was in his first term as commissioner. He was elected in 2018.
The commission Thursday night heard from each applicant beginning with Barton, a former county commissioner, who wants to return.
“I have lived in DeKalb County since 2001 having moved here when I got married. I am originally from Cookeville. I am a 1990 graduate of Tennessee Tech and I have three children, Tess, Ben, and Camille who are all in our local school system. I work for Averitt Express as a regional manager in our truck load division and I still own a printing business in DeKalb County. During my time here I have been a Jaycee, a member of the library board and for fifteen years I have been on the Jamboree board and nine of the those years I served as the president and coordinator of the Jamboree. I still serve on the Jamboree board and this is our 50th anniversary this year. I served eleven and a half years on the county commission. I was elected to two terms in the second district and when I moved out of that district I ran and won in the third district. I served in a lot of capacities and thoroughly enjoyed my time in county government. I have served on many committees, primarily budget and planning, and at some point purchasing. Since leaving after the most recent election I have attended most of the meetings because I want very much to stay informed of everything going on in the county and to see how our progress is. I don’t have a particular political agenda. My desire is just to be on the county commission and help in some way. I love this county and I think I have a lot of institutional knowledge that I gained through the time I served on the county commission that I could be of some benefit in our further progress and development of the county we all know and love. I care about our county’s future,” said Barton.
Daughtry is a pharmacist and business owner.
“I was raised in DeKalb County by Susan and Gary Cripps and I come from a long line of DeKalb Countians who believe strongly in the value of public service. After graduating from DeKalb County High School I attended Tennessee Tech and then went to the Auburn School of Pharmacy. After graduating there I married and moved to Dothan, Alabama where I lived for about twenty five years. I have always considered Smithville to be my home even during those twenty five years. When the opportunity came available for me to open the pharmacy in Smithville I jumped at the chance because my ultimate goal has been to come back home. During my twenty five years of being a pharmacist I have had the opportunity to work in several different settings. I have worked for a major retail chain pharmacy as a staff pharmacist, a pharmacy manager, and ultimately a district manager. I supervised thirty one pharmacies in four different states and I had ninety two pharmacists working for me at that time. I have owned and operated independent pharmacies and I have served as a consultant to physician groups who were seeking to put pharmacies within their clinics. I feel that my education, my profession, and my diverse business experience has provided me with the skill set that would make me an asset to the DeKalb County Commission. I have a lot of experience in managing resources but also in retaining resources. I know how to develop budgets and to manage budgets effectively and operate within those budgets. I have good people skills which comes from working with my patients, other healthcare providers, and with my employees. The most important thing I have learned in my career and through my education is the value of good research and having all the facts. Being able to discover the facts, understand the pros and cons and both sides of any issue is important so that I can make the best possible decision in any case. I don’t go into this seeking to be a seat warmer or a non-contributor. While I believe I can contribute to the commission I am aware that I do have a lot to learn. I am a quick study and I am willing to put in the time and the work to bring myself up to speed. I would greatly appreciate your support and I do look forward to working with you for the good of DeKalb County,” said Daughtry.
Scott is a lifelong resident of DeKalb County.
“I have lived here my entire life. I was born and raised here. I went to school and graduated here and after that I went to MTSU where I obtained degrees in accounting, science, and finance. I taught as an adjunct professor in finance for about two years. I took my masters in business administration from Tennessee Tech and I am about to embark on another masters at Florida State in about a month or so. Obviously education is very important to me. I love the county. I work out of town and I choose to do that. I choose to drive. I also choose where I live. I drive an hour and a half to two hours to work every day so I can live in this wonderful community. I have been very involved in the community pretty much my entire life. I sit on the board at the hospital. I recently joined the DeKalb County Fire Department. I have a true desire to serve the county. I have also been very involved in the development of downtown Smithville. I have made significant investments in a lot of properties here trying to help bring businesses in and a lot of the revitalizations. I am a consultant and work with healthcare and hospital organizations. My role is to help them get better and collaborate with each other to develop multi-year plans and strategies to achieve their objectives which is not that different than government. Every community has problems but having a multi-year plan, collaboration, and identifying what the problems are, and prioritizing is really the key to solving problems. Throughout my professional career, I have managed people and budgets so if given the opportunity a lot of my goal would be to come at this very analytically with thought processes and thinking of not one, two, or three years but ten years down the road,” said Scott.
The county commission will meet Monday night, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the county complex auditorium.