E

Despite confusion about whether he was resigning from his position, Justin Stubblefield remains a Decherd alderman.

The subject of Stubblefield’s resignation was on the agenda at the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s Oct. 10 meeting. However, he told Mayor Mary Nell Hess he wasn’t resigning and requested that the board move on to conduct other business, which it did.

The board, which had been down one member due to Alderman John Corak resigning in September, unanimously appointed Shuler Gregory Hopkins, a Decherd resident who is a visiting assistant mathematics professor at The University of the South, to fill Corak’s position. Hopkins gave his oath of office on Oct. 12.

Corak’s resignation on Sept. 12 marked the second time in less than six months that Decherd had lost an alderman due to differences with other city leaders.

Corak, who was sworn into office on Jan. 4, filling a vacancy when Hess became mayor, walked out of City Hall just before the 7 p.m. meeting on Sept. 12 got underway, citing he had problems with how Hess had changed the board’s seating arrangement.

He also said he differed with her on not moving more quickly to hire a city administrator to fill the position that’s been vacant in a full-time capacity since June 2022. In the meantime, Eric Bradford, former Water and Wastewater Department superintendent who later moved on to another job, and Hess, more recently, have handled the city administrator’s tasks.

Hess said she changed the seating arrangement so that Vice Mayor Larry Fraley would be on her right side on the alderman’s bench. She said efforts have been made to hire a city administrator, and the position has been advertised through the Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service, which is where the most-qualified candidates would be looking.

Stubblefield has also expressed differences with Hess, but he said after the Oct. 10 meeting that the board needs to move past its divisions and fill the vacant city administrator’s position.

Mary Nelle Aveni would ultimately be hired as the new city administrator during a special-called meeting Tuesday. A full story on Aveni’s hiring will appear on the Herald Chronicle’s website and in print at a later time.

Stubblefield also said that Hopkins should be a solid addition to the board, based on his mathematics background.

Hess agreed by saying that Hopkins’ resume looks stellar, and his addition sets the board in a positive direction.

Stubblefield said he had considered resigning but had changed his mind. He added that if he were to resign, he wanted to be the one announcing it rather than it appearing before the board as an agenda item.

“I was elected to do a job,” he said, adding that’s what he intends to continue doing.