by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The three candidates who seek election to the Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners have shared information with the Messenger about themselves and why they want to serve on the board. Read on to learn more about Randall Henley, Tracy McBee, and Charlie Smith. Voting is underway at the SUD office during regular business hours and will continue through Jan. 23.

“I’d like to finish things I started,” Randall Henley said when asked why he sought election to the SUD board of commissioners. Henley previously served two terms and stepped down when term limited. A rules change enabled him to seek reelection. Born and raised in Sewanee, Henley volunteered for the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department for more than 40 years. His Sewanee based business, Henley’s Electric and Plumbing, has given him first-hand knowledge about installing, maintaining, and servicing water and sewer works. During his previous tenure as a SUD commissioner, Henley successfully lobbied for locating a booster pump in the Midway community to increase the low water pressure. As a commissioner, Henley would strive to keep water rates down and to lower tap fees. He sees water availability and deterioration of aging pipelines as the biggest challenges facing SUD. Henley would like to see SUD apply for grants to replace pipelines and equipment and to do as much work as possible “in house” to keep customer costs down and competitive with neighboring utilities.

Tracy McBee sees supply and infrastructure demands from the expansion of housing in Sewanee and questions arising from supplying water to the proposed Jump Off sand plant as SUD’s biggest challenges. “SUD’s primary concern should be how these changes will affect our community as well as individual families,” McBee insisted. McBee has lived in Sewanee for more than 45 years and has family members from Sherwood to Jump Off. In her position as a graphic designer at the University, she interacts regularly with faculty, staff, students, and community members, just as she did during her 25 years of service for the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department as a firefighter, financial officer, and administrative assistant. For more than 20 years, McBee has volunteered as a primary organizer for David Green’s Operation Noel. No stranger to making financial decisions and collaborating on multi-voice projects, McBee hopes to bring the critical thinking and decision-making skills honed in her employment and volunteering to service as a SUD commissioner committed to the task of “being a voice for the people.”

Current SUD commissioner Charlie Smith has served two terms, all eight years as president. During Smith’s tenure SUD took measures to protect employee retirement; weathered COVID revenue loss and unplanned expense from the highway project; paid for extensive waterline improvements without borrowing money; and installed a new headworks screen to safeguard employees from hazardous sewage waste. Looking to the future, Smith cited the challenge posed by the retirement of long-time employees with critical knowledge of SUD’s operations. He also stressed University and residential development would tax SUD’s wastewater treatment capacity, calling for careful “planning and budgeting.” A longtime Sewanee resident, Smith graduated from the University in 1974. After employment as a state and University forester and manager at the Monteagle Assembly, Smith started CW Smith Construction, in business now 37 years. His volunteer service for the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department spanned 41 years. Encouraging residents to vote in the commissioner election, Smith said, “This is one of very few local offices where your vote has a direct impact on your wallet. I hope you take the time to cast your ballot.”