County Mayor
Macon County Mayor
Shelvy Linville
201 County Courthouse
Lafayette, TN 37083
(615) 666-2363 (Voice)
(615) 666-5323 (Fax)
E-mail: maconmayor06@nctc.com
Shelvy Linville, County Mayor
 Tammy Russell Administrative Assistant |
 Anita Hesson Accounts Payable |
 Kristy Roberts Payroll/Personnel |
|
You may click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.
Macon County is governed by a County Mayor and a County Commission.
Elections
The County Mayor and the County Commissioners are elected every four years. The next election will be in 2010. The election is by popular vote at the regular August elections, and the County Mayor and County Commissioners take office on September 1 following the election.
Qualifications to Run for County Mayor
The Macon County Mayor must have been a county resident for more than one year, must be at least 25 years old, and not otherwise disqualified from holding public office by reason of criminal conviction or other legal disqualification.
No educational or experience requirements apply to the office.
The County Mayor may serve an unlimited number of terms.
Oath of Office
The County Mayor must take and subscribe to the following oath:
"I do solemnly swear that I will perform with fidelity the duties of the office to which I have been elected, and which I am about to assume. I do solemnly swear to support the constitutions of Tennessee and the United States and to faithfully perform the duties of the office of County Mayor for Macon County, Tennessee."
The oath may be administered by any officer legally authorized to administer an oath, which generally includes county clerks, judges and notaries public.
Duties
As Chief Executive Officer of the county, the County Mayor exercises a role of leadership in Macon County government. The primary duties focus on county financial management.
The County Mayor compiles a budget for all county departments, offices, and agencies, which is presented to the County Commission..
The County Mayor may examine the accounts of all county officers.
The County Mayor oversees the county’s payroll function for county employees.
The County Mayor oversees accounting functions such as bank accounts, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
The County Mayor oversees the Macon County personnel (human resources) function. This function is responsible for the legal hiring and firing of employees, recommending salary ranges and pay scales, administering employee benefits, etc.
The County Mayor oversees Macon County’s purchasing function. This would include buying supplies and services.
The County Mayor works closely with the County Attorney on all legal matters affecting Macon County.
The County Mayor oversees the county's insurance needs and liability issues.
The County Mayor sets the standard for ethics for Macon County. He or she must be familiar with the conflict-of-interest laws and disclosure laws which are applicable to Macon County and its employees.
The County Mayor oversees Macon County’s solid waste management program to insure it meets all new (and evolving) Tennessee standards.
The County Mayor works closely with the Macon County Chamber of Commerce in trying to find and attract new businesses and industries to Macon County.
|
Reality Check Many people equate the County Mayor’s job to the CEO’s job at a major United States Corporation. This is partly true, but it is wrong in many ways. Imagine a large corporation with a CEO [County Mayor] that is hired by stockholders [voters] on a four-year contract. Yet the stockholders [voters] also hire all of the department heads [Sheriff, County Clerk, Assessor of Property, Trustee, etc.] and give them complete authority to manage and control their own departments within the corporation. Furthermore, the stockholders [voters] hire a Board of Directors [County Commissioners] that has final budget and appropriations authority over all departments. In other words, the power that this CEO [County Mayor] has is actually very limited. So what is the true role of a County Mayor? Successful County Mayors are consensus builders in all aspects. They lead not by the authority given by law, but rather by the authority given through respect of the County Commission and the various offices representing Macon County government. Earning this respect requires a lot of relationship building and leadership qualities such as effective listening, knowledge, effective communications, team playing and negotiating. The public often does not understand the true role of a County Mayor in Tennessee. The general public thinks the County Mayor is in charge of the whole county (and at times the cities within the county as well!). This is simply not true. The County Mayor must listen to all people and all groups: the general public, the County Commissioners, the elected county officials, county employees, business leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, industry prospects, officials from the State of Tennessee and the U.S. government, representatives of local businesses, officials from neighboring counties, etc. He or she must carefully weigh what everyone is asking for, and he or she must be a leader in making sure the right things happen, in a fair and honest manner, to insure the continued growth and prosperity of Macon County and its citizens. |