Fifth town council member chosen today

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The four remaining members of Nashville Town Council will have a familiar face joining them on the board starting Thursday.

Tyra Miller will fill the vacant fifth council seat. Council members chose Miller from a field of seven candidates during a two-and-a-half-hour special meeting this afternoon/evening.

The seat became vacant last month when Vice President Alisha Gredy purchased a home outside town limits, rendering her ineligible to continue serving on town council. Miller will serve out the remainder of Gredy’s term, until Dec. 31, 2023, and then could run in the 2023 election if she chooses.

Miller is a 32-year resident of Nashville, has raised a family here, and has owned or managed six businesses in town, three of which are currently operating. In addition, she serves on the Nashville Redevelopment Commission.

Miller’s candidacy was endorsed by the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Brown County Chamber of Commerce.

She said she felt humbled to be chosen when the council had such a hard choice to make.

For many years, she said she relied on others to make decisions and handle things for the town. “I feel like it’s my turn now,” she said.

“I’m anxious to learn.”

Lance and Tyra Miller pose for a photo after their restaurant the Bird’s Nest Café won the Brown County Beautification award for landscape design at the Brown County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting Jan. 31, 2019. | Brown County Democrat file photo
Lance and Tyra Miller pose for a photo after their restaurant the Bird’s Nest Café won the Brown County Beautification award for landscape design at the Brown County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting Jan. 31, 2019. | Brown County Democrat file photo

The council employed a method of evaluating and ranking the candidates which they had not used before. After questioning each candidate, council members named their first, second and third choices. First-place candidates received five points, second choices three points, and third choices one point. Then, the two candidates with the most points went into final consideration so that council members could build a consensus and make a motion to nominate one of them.

David Rudd made the motion to appoint Miller, which passed unanimously.

Emily Stone, also a 32-year resident of Nashville, was the second-highest point earner. She was a chef for the original Big Woods restaurant before becoming manager of The Toy Chest, where she still works. She had six years of experience volunteering on the Habitat for Humanity board and said she wants to step back into that type of public service. Council members encouraged her and the other candidates to get involved in other town boards if they weren’t chosen for the council.

Five other people were under consideration.

Penny Scroggins has been co-owner of Bear Hardware since 1999 and now works as a real estate agent. Her biography on the Carpenter Realtors webpage lists her as a lifelong Monroe County resident, but she told the council that she recently purchased a condo on West Main Street in Nashville and had registered to vote there. Scroggins also has served on the Nashville Development Review Commission since 2015 and on the Nashville Parking and Public Facilities Commission (also known as the food and beverage commission) since 2018.

Dan Klaker has been a town resident since 2011 and has volunteered as a Nashville police reserve officer since 2012. He served on the Brown County Redevelopment Commission for a year. He works in insurance from his Nashville home.

Jim Hays is a retired salesman and serves on the Nashville Metropolitan Police Merit Commission and as the town’s representative on the Alcoholic Beverage Commission. He’s lived in Brown County since 1972.

Mark T. Smith used to be on the Morgantown Town Council and on the Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson school board, but now lives in Nashville, for about 18 months so far. He drives a bus for Brown County Schools.

Raymond Modglin was a candidate on the ballot of the 2019 election for town council, but lost to Gredy. He told the council that he has built five companies in the real estate, mortgage and insurance fields. A four-year resident of Nashville, he is the current president of the Nashville Redevelopment Commission.

Miller will be sworn in before the next Nashville Town Council meeting, which is this Thursday night. In addition to regular reports, the agenda includes a presentation on a stormwater master plan and discussion about changing the town’s noise ordinance.

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