Michael Phagan, CPA to run for Trustee
Michael Phagan, CPA
Michael Phagan, CPA, CMFO, Baneberry City Manager, announced he will be seeking the office of Jefferson County Trustee in the May Republican primary.
Michael has a history of service to citizens in Jefferson County. He was previously a County Commissioner for the 3rd District. In that capacity, he served as the Chair of the Commission’s Long-Range Planning Committee and was a member of the Facilities Committee, the Nominating Committee, as well as the Budget Committee. He also served on the Witt Utility District Board of Directors before leaving it and serving as Interim General Manager. In addition, he was previously on the Jefferson County School Board where he served on the Building, Policy, and Sports Committees.
Michael is currently employed as the City Manager for the City of Baneberry. In this capacity, he is responsible for all aspects of city administration, including fiscal affairs, which mirror duties of the county Trustee. He has executed these duties with great financial success on behalf of the Jefferson County citizens within the city limits. He is also the Certified Municipal Financial Officer for Baneberry, as well as a Certified Public Accountant and the sole owner of Michael Phagan, CPA.
He formerly served as the Jefferson County Schools – Director of Facilities, Transportation, and Business Affairs, where, as Owner’s Representative, he led the project team for the largest multi-million building program in the county’s history. To the team’s credit, each project within that program came in under budget and without a missed day or a delay in the start of school. He also later served Jefferson County students as the school system’s Work-Based Learning and Safe Schools Liaison.
“I love Jefferson County and I feel I can continue to make a difference in public service by utilizing my skills, experience, work ethic, and leadership ability in the Trustee’s office. This office requires integrity and dedication, along with the financial skills to allow our citizens to have confidence in their Trustee,” he stated. “I want Jefferson Countians to know that I will be there for them beginning Day 1. They will see my dedication to them, the job, and this County, because I will show up prepared to successfully lead the office and move it forward with efficiency and effectiveness. My family and I are at a point where I can do more to serve Jefferson County and I want to give back to the county that has been so good to me,” he added.
Michael grew up in Jefferson City and White Pine and graduated from Jefferson County High School in 1984. After graduation, he joined the United States Army, serving on bases in Kentucky, Texas, and Europe. After completing his military service in 1987, he enrolled at East Tennessee State University where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in accounting. He joined the Department of Energy as an auditor in Oak Ridge and then served as Lead Auditor, Liaison Accountant, and eventually Senior Accountant for nine DOE satellite offices. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1994 and previously maintained a professional membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is currently a member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants. In 2018, he earned a Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.
He is a graduate of LEADERSHIP JEFFERSON COUNTY and the East Tennessee Regional Leadership Program. He is a former member of the White Pine Lions Club. He also has been active in youth sports serving as a coach for football, basketball, and soccer teams, and he served as a Tiger Cub Den Leader. In addition, he served as the Secretary for the Jefferson County Republican Party’s Executive Committee.
“Dedicated, dependable, and qualified are the traits that I feel I can bring to this job along with a passion to be present and work hard for the citizens of Jefferson County,” he concluded.
He is married to Channie Church, his college sweetheart, and they have one grown son, Shay, a daughter-in-law, Claudia, and grandson, Levi. Channie is currently an educator at White Pine School; teaching first grade for the past 27 years in the Jefferson County School System.
Michael and Channie make their home in Baneberry and worship and serve at Leadvale Missionary Baptist Church in White Pine, where he serves as a deacon, drives the church bus, and sings in the choir. He is the son of Jerry and Joyce Shaver of White Pine and brother of Carolyn Phagan Malzone.
