Williams elected TML vice president

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 committee composed of municipal officials statewide. He was then elected for a 1-year term by a majority vote of the TML membership.

TML's vice presidents are traditionally in line to succeed the president. Williams said if that follows suit, he possibly could be in line to be president of the organization "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 passed into law and will establish policy priorities for the League.

Other vice presidents are Ken Moore, Franklin mayor, and Bobby King, Henderson mayor.

“It is a honor to be chosen by your peers,” Williams said, who added he was already 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.”

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, D.C. — 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.