‘Honor to be chosen by your peers:’ Williams new TML VP

Farragut Mayor Ron Williams was elected a vice president of the Tennessee Municipal League during the League’s annual business meeting recently held via video conferencing.

Mike Werner, Gatlinburg mayor, was elected president.

TML elects three vice presidents, one representing each grand division of Tennessee. Williams was nominated by a five-member nominating committee composed of municipal officials statewide. He was then elected for a one-year term by a majority vote of the TML membership.

“It is a honor to be chosen by your peers,” Williams said, adding he already was heavily involved with the organization — five years as a non-active member, then five years as an active member — and noted one change “will be more meetings to attend.”

TML’s vice presidents are traditionally in line to succeed the president, and Williams said if it follows suit, he possibly could be in line to be president of the organization in the future “if the Committee discusses it and votes accordingly.”

As a member of the TML board of directors, Williams will propose and help determine legislation municipalities need for passage into law, and will establish policy priorities for the League. The other vice presidents are Mayor Ken Moore of Franklin and Mayor Bobby King of Hendersonwille.

Founded in 1940 and based in Nashville, TML is a nonprofit organization founded by cities and towns for mutual assistance and improvement.

Representing 99 percent of Tennessee’s municipal citizens, the organization advocates for needed legislative action by the General Assembly, represents municipal interests before state departments and agencies, and — working through the National League of Cities in Washington — seeks to influence federal legislation and policies affecting municipal governments.

The TML board also includes past TML presidents, mayors of Tennessee’s largest cities, eight district directors and eight at-large directors.