Let me introduce you to John Thomas Bragg Jr. He is nicknamed Tommy, because his mother didn’t want him referred to as junior.

You may already know him; he is the son of Annie and the late, John Bragg, a former state representative. He is a retired Air Force (TN Air National Guard) Colonel, and he is the mayor of Murfreesboro.

Mayor Bragg’s actions, opinions and politics are well documented, as well they should be, after all, he is the mayor. But what really hasn’t been told is the story of the man. What are his ties to this community? What are the driving forces that brought him to be mayor of one of the fastest growing areas in the nation?

To start with, he is a native son, born Jan 8, 1947, and raised in Rutherford County. As a child, he and his family lived on South Tennessee Boulevard. In those days, it was still a gravel road.

“Our house was one of the first houses in the 400 block, and the 500 block ended in a fence, which now is Mercury Boulevard. I remember riding my bicycle down to Brinkley Market (now Davis Market) to get butter and milk for my mother,” Bragg said. “I also distinctly remember that the sidewalks weren’t all the same height. I was riding my bike, not paying attention and hit a bump and really hurt my leg. I was bleeding pretty good,” he added with a smile.

He first attended The Training School, which would later be Campus School. He rode his bike to school after transferring to the new Hobgood Elementary School. He later played baritone sax in the band at Central High School and in college.

“After college I never picked up a saxophone again,” he said.

Bragg graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1969.

“On June 10, I graduated from UT, was commissioned 2nd Lt. in the Air Force and at 5 p.m. that afternoon, I married my wife, Jeanne. Wedding days were a little truncated in those days with the war, people going to Vietnam. I took a one-week honeymoon, visited my wife’s family in Virginia and went to Washington D.C.,” Bragg said. “After that, I came home and started law school. I spent a year in law school and decided to go into the service full time.

“UT’s law school helped me make that decision,” he added with a smile. “I served 26 months active duty and came home and went into the family printing business. Jeanne went to work at The Cotton Patch and State Farm and later became a stay-at-home mom.”

In 1974, Tommy went into the Air National Guard and stayed 24 years. He retired in 1997 as a colonel.

“My first introduction to politics was the Stevenson-Eisenhower presidential campaigns. It was a bitter beginning, because Stevenson lost, twice. I remember being active in school elections; my friend (and later state senator) Andy Womack was a very popular boy and always seemed to win,” Bragg said.

The Kennedy-Nixon debates were another early memory for Bragg. His dad and grandfather were staunch supporters of Lyndon Johnson, as was most of the South.

“I remember the South being so concerned about the Catholic faith of John Kennedy and now I’m a Catholic,” Bragg said.

These early exposures to politics made Bragg more of an observer than a participant.

“I was editor of my school newspaper during the Goldwater-Johnson race and we were more into the Beatles in those days. If possible we would have elected Ringo Starr president,” he said.

Tommy ran for governor of the American Legion Boy’s State (a state sponsored civics class) and lost. “I realized at that point, it took a lot of people to run an election, which helped me when I ran for student body president.”

However, he lost that election as well. Tommy was off to a rocky start in politics. But when he was a senior in high

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“I was so proud of that honor and I was on top of the world. I was walking down the hall, saying hello and smiling, and patting everyone on the back. George White (now a local attorney) was then editor of the yearbook. He had compiled all the votes. He called me over, noticing how far off the ground I was after the honor. Hoping to help me down gently, George said, ?Tommy, it wasn’t unanimous.’

“My dad was in the legislature but he really didn’t push me into politics,” Bragg said. “I decided I was going to be the best I was in the printing business. Later, when I did decide to run, my dad was skeptical about me getting into local politics and advised me to be careful.”

The way Bragg got started down the road toward mayor came through a request from Judge Don Ash. Ash asked Bragg if one of his daughters could act as a court officer for about a month.

“I had retired from the printing business and my kids were all busy so I said ?I’ll do it,’” Bragg said.

After working with Ash and discussing politics with him and others, Bragg decided to run. The race was going to be a repeat contest between incumbent mayor Richard Reeves and councilman Jack Ross. But Mayor Reeves decided not to run, and Bragg was elected Mayor of Murfreesboro on April 16, 2002, over Ross by just 199 votes. Again, “it wasn’t unanimous.”

Before his election, there was a lot of discussion about the proposed convention and commerce center. There was a lot of opposition from those who didn’t want it to be taxpayer funded. One of Bragg’s first actions as mayor was to get the center back on track.

With the help of the Christy Houston Foundation (which purchased land for the new hospital) and investors, the city was able to raise the money without affecting the tax rate. Instead of just a convention center, the city would have a total retail, hotel and commerce area, all of which bring more money, more convenience and more opportunity to the area.

So the journey from Tommy wrecking his bike on the way to Brinkley market, to Mayor Bragg guiding a city with a population of over 100,000, has been one of a person deeply rooted and committed to Murfreesboro. The mayor is proud of his community. Just speaking with him will show you that. True to form, his final statement showed community spirit: “The strength of our neighborhoods is the key to the continued economic vitality of Murfreesboro.”

Looking back at Mayor Bragg’s two terms in office, he offered these highlights:

Parks and Greenway?“Our Greenway system is a real jewel. It started with Mayor Jackson and has doubled since then.”