Franklin BOMA Candidates Debate Development, More Ahead of Early Voting

Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen candidates are pitching their platforms ahead of early voting, which begins on Wednesday.

Voters will cast ballots for wards 1-4, with candidates including incumbent Ward 2 Alderman Matt Brown, Ward 2 candidates Erinn Watkins and Bhavani “B.K.” Muvvala (the latter of which ran for an at-large BOMA seat in 2023), incumbent Ward 4 Alderman Patrick Baggett, and Ward 4 challenger Rodney Taylor.

Incumbent Ward 1 Alderman Beverly Burger and Vice Mayor Jason Potts, who serves Ward 3, are running unopposed and are both endorsing Brown and Baggett in their reelection bids.

All seven candidates took part in an Oct. 6 forum hosted by Williamson Inc. at Columbia State Community College’s Franklin campus, with Potts and Burger issuing brief statements ahead of the traditional forum that included the remaining five candidates in contested races.

Bown said that he wants to be reelected to “continue to lead with grace instead of grievance,” while Watkins pitches herself as a “problem solver” who alleged that BOMA doesn’t adequately listen to citizens. Muvvala insists that “Franklin is my passion.”

Taylor said that he wants to “bring common sense to city government,” while Baggett said that he works to bring a “tactical solution” to problems.

Brown and Baggett defended their positions, votes and statements while in office — at times defending each other, unprompted — against criticisms from their challengers, mainly Watkins and Taylor. Numerous times, Brown and Baggett argued that BOMA was already actively addressing concerns voiced by their challengers.

“We're a team, by the way,” Baggett said. “There's eight of us, and none of us can do any of this by ourselves.”

Much of the debate centered around growth, development and traffic, with Watkins saying that “We don't want Franklin to turn into Spring Hill,” having previously advocated for a moratorium on development.

Brown argued for working to negotiate with developers on behalf of citizens, and Taylor argued for more planning, questioning if the Envision Franklin plan is actually a “real … measurable, quantitative, comprehensive city plan.”

During a previous Williamson County Republican Party forum on Sept. 30, Taylor pushed back against the idea that he supports a “moratorium,” arguing instead that he’s in favor of “planned development,” which could include “tapping the brake a bit right now.” Muvvala said that his philosophy on development is “roads before rules.”

Watkins pitched a vague idea to “encourage a partnership with developers to come up with some type of plan” to build affordable housing for first responders, teachers and nurses,” with Taylor pitching a variety of “workforce housing” solutions, including converting office buildings to affordable houses and advocating for local government to partner with “hospitals or schools or large employers to help subsidize housing for their employees.”

“Promising a moratorium and vilifying developers is not a good way to engender a partnership to get them to build obtainable housing,” Brown said, with Baggett adding “slamming the door is not good either, so my approach from the start has been not to go to the extreme and have a moratorium, but to start and raise impact fees and develop our comprehensive plan, as we did two years ago, and that will lead to smarter growth and infrastructure.”

The Sept. 30 GOP forum only included participation from Baggett, Taylor, Watkins and Muvvala, and while the race is non-partisan, some of the questions catered to the largely partisan audience, including a question on whether each candidate would have approved the 2025 Franklin Pride festival at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, which was unanimously approved by BOMA earlier this year.

Watkins and Taylor both said that they would have voted against approving the festival, while Muvvala did not answer.

Early voting takes place from Oct. 8-23, with the general election set for Oct. 28. More information about the election can be found online here.