Area Elected Officials Attend Municipal Government Overview Course

Front – Lonnie Dison (Rocky Top), Jennifer Ramsey (Harrogate), Marianne Reese (Dandridge), Laura Ogle-Graham (UT-MTAS), Dawn McMillen (UT-MTAS)
Back – Neal Pucciarelli (Cumberland Gap), Richard Phillips (Plainview), Rex Clark (Decherd), Robert Griffith (Rocky Top), Chris Fair (New Market), Marvin Braden (Blaine), Robin Smith (Decherd), Charlie McKnight (Blaine)

Marianne Reese of Dandridge and Chris Fair of New Market were among the municipal government officials who participated in Level I of the Elected Officials Academy on January 27 and 28, 2017 in Luttrell.

The Elected Officials Academy is a program designed for elected officials. The curriculum designed for the academy was developed to give municipal officials an overview of the varied aspects of their role as municipal leaders.

The Academy is a component of the comprehensive municipal training program provided by the University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS).

The purpose of the academy is to provide officials an overview of municipal leadership responsibilities and to offer networking opportunities with other local officials to share ideas and gain new insight from their peers. Topics covered in the Academy include the following: Foundations and Structure of Tennessee Municipal Government; Municipal Charters, Codes, and Open Records; Ethics and the Open Meeting Law, Municipal Finance; and How to be an Effective Council.

MTAS, an agency of the UT Institute for Public Service, provides technical assistance and training to cities and towns across the state: their governing bodies, mayors, city managers, city recorders, and city department heads.