One of the campaign issues 2022 Murfreesboro mayoral candidate Tony Lehew has already addressed is the desire to transition Murfreesboro city government from its longtime system of an elected part-time mayor and an appointed city manager position, moving instead to a system with a full-time mayor. Lehew, seeking the job after serving as a Murfreesboro firefighter for 35 years, expanded upon this idea.

Murfreesboro Pulse: You say you would like Murfreesboro to move to having a full-time mayor. What are the drawbacks to the current system, and how would the change help the city as a whole and those who are employed by the City of Murfreesboro?
Tony Lehew: There are over 150,000 citizens in the City of Murfreesboro; they deserve full-time representation. The charter for the city of Murfreesboro is around 100 years old, and we are still using that same outline to define our local government. At the time the charter was adopted, the population and the needs of the city were much smaller. The growth of this city requires someone whose full-time focus is on the needs of our growing city. In other words, we need someone at the helm who is accountable to the voters at all times.

A part-time mayor is exactly that: part-time. Our city would be much better served by someone whose full-time job is the welfare and betterment of Murfreesboro.

Under the current city charter, the mayor is not answerable to city employees, even if they live and vote in the city. All employee issues are addressed through the city manager, and without litigation or council hearings the manager’s word is law. This is not the best format for fair treatment of hundreds of city employees. Removing this buffer between city workers, mayor and city council would greatly improve work relations and give employees a true say in their own careers.

What would this do to the Murfreesboro City Manager position?
I am not a supporter of any high-powered, tax-funded leadership position that is not answerable to the general public. City manager is one of the highest-paid positions in the city. It is also a position that is appointed and not elected. As far as city affairs goes, the position acts as an unelected mayor and is not accountable to the voters of Murfreesboro; the position is only answerable to the city council. If the city of Murfreesboro had a full-time mayor, there would not be a need for a city manager.

Do you intend to try and implement this during your term, if elected? Or is your intention to get it set up for those following you in office?
I have every intention to bring a full-time mayor to Murfreesboro as quickly as possible. The time has come for this change. I would work with the city council to determine a time frame and plan of action to change the way the city is managed.

Don’t most cities the size of Murfreesboro have the model of a full-time elected mayor, rather than the Murfreesboro model of a part-time elected mayor and a full-time appointed city manager?
Yes, in the exploratory research I’ve done, most cities, and many even smaller ones, have full-time mayors.

Have any of the current Murfreesboro City Council members brought up this issue?
I know that it has been discussed, and I can say for a fact I have discussed this issue with some of them and they are supportive of this fundamental and needed change.