Attendees at Tuesday morning’s Breakfast with the Mayors had a chance to go down memory lane and gain some perspective on how Franklin and Williamson County have grown over the past several decades and how government officials have embraced opportunities and met and overcome challenges.
Hosted by Franklin Tomorrow and held at Rolling Hills Community Church, the quarterly event featured Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson and Franklin Mayor Ken Moore leading off the discussions. Guests were three former Franklin mayors — Lillian Stewart (1987-89), Jerry Sharber (1989-2003) and John Schroer (2007-11) — as well as former County Executive Robert Ring. Dr. Jeff Betherum (1977-87) was unable to attend. Mayor Tom Miller, who served from 2003-07, died in 2020.
Here are excerpts from the speakers.
Ken Moore
“I appreciate the legacy that these mayors have created for us that are currently serving. You look through a long list of things that have happened, and it is [their] leadership that made those things happen. We’ve had some luck along the way where people have picked us, but basically it’s been that leadership and that vision to create one of the best places to live and to work and to raise our families. I value that relationship that I have with Rogers and the other mayors in our county and that opportunity to work together and talk about issues.”
Rogers Anderson
“All the successes that we have often had are from a good foundation, good planning that these men and women [put forth. Success] came from the leadership in those early days — whether it was through aldermen or commissioners, and certainly in the executive branch of government. …
“I do know one thing, that as our community continues to grow and with its challenges, it is imperative that all of us as leaders in our churches, cities and county figure out ways to work together when we possibly can, because at the end of the day that’s what’s good for everyone.”
John Schroer
“I really felt that Franklin wasn’t being led the way I would have wanted it to be led. I had spent 13 years on the [Franklin Special School District] school board. We had done a lot of things. … Really, in my history of political jobs, I’m sort of a change agent. I hate taking over something and keeping it the same way. I think that’s my arrogance, quite frankly, but it just is. I want to put my stamp on something. …
“I think the whole community said it was time for a change, time we did something. …
"We ride on the shoulders of those people that came before us, and we do need to add to whatever that is. … Our only goal is to make it better than it was when we started.”
Jerry Sharber
“When I considered running, I always approached everything from a perspective of having a vision. And I could see Franklin differently than what it was at the time. … I could see Cool Springs looking like it looks today. It was a matter of figuring out how to make it work. …
“The interesting thing to me about [CoolSprings Galleria] — and I will always remember this — was the day we had the groundbreaking, [The construction company] forecasted the date and time the mall would open. … To this day, I still remember it was Aug. 7, 1991, at 9 a.m. That was forecasted over a year prior, and it opened Aug. 7, 1991, at 9 a.m.”
Lillian Stewart
“I had a desire to preserve Franklin’s traditional quality of life. It seemed idyllic to many people. It was not perfect, of course, and there were serious things that needed to be addressed. I was interested in that. I wanted Franklin to make policies that would be beneficial for everybody, and that would include newcomers and all cultural and economic groups within our jurisdiction. So that’s what made me want to run for the mayor's position."
Robert Ring
“It was certainly different (in 1982, when he first became county executive). The population, I think, was 58,108. We had a very rural government as we were becoming an urban society. When we analyzed where we were, the biggest problem we had was revenue. How could you build a quality public school system, provide all the services that county citizens wanted with only a property tax? … The tipping point really came when the development community started bragging about the school system as a draw for people coming into the county. That was a real leg up for us.”
Visit the Franklin Tomorrow Facebook page to view the whole program from Tuesday morning.
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