Newsletter

Friday Recap November 21st, 2025

Bill Petty

22 Nov 2025 — 17 min read

My Comment

The potential sale of Williamson Health has created a lot of turmoil and concern for the citizens of Williamson County. A big part of the problem is that people don't know what is going on. Have they put out RFPs, are they negotiating with potential suitors, do we even know what the county actually owns?

On Tuesday, the property committee met with attorney Jesse Neal, who has been hired to represent the county commission. He explained his role and what the law is regarding the process. One thing that is abundantly clear is that the hospital cannot be sold unless the sale is approved by the county commission.

There were eleven commissioners at the meeting that lasted about an hour and everyone was given the opportunity to ask any question that he or she wanted. The commissioners who attended were: Ricky Jones, Barb Sturgeon and Jennifer Mason, all of whom are on the property committee. Others present were Lisa Hayes, Chris Richard, Mary Smith, Gregg Lawrence, Chas Morton, Paul Webb, Bill Petty, and Guy Carden.

I will be reporting, as I learn more, but, hopefully, my report below will help. For starters, you can go to the Williamson Health website to learn more.

U.S Representative district 7

We all need to get behind our Republican candidate Matt Van Epps as this is not a lay down election. The Democrats are well organized and energized. As I mentioned earlier, the vote differential between Republicans and Democrats in the recent primary was only 18%, 36,854 Republicans to 31,002 Democrats for a difference of only 5,852 votes. The Democrat establishment is zeroing in on this election and if they can flip this seat to blue, it will change the dynamic in Washington and give the Democrats a win that will reverberate around the country. We cannot let this happen.

Van Epps' opponent, Aftyn Behn, is a leftist who would fit right in with AOC and her cohorts. She literally hates Nashville.

How you can help

The Williamson County Republicans are organizing three ways to help:

Phone Calling. There is a simple app that you can download to make calls. It is incredibly easy to use as it dials for you and, if no one answers, provided a premade text message that take one click to send. If you are interested, there will be people at the WCRP office on the 22nd starting at 9:00am.

Address: 130 Seaboard Ln, Franklin, TN 37067

Phone: (615) 790-7642

Tent greeters for early voting. Starts on the 12th and runs through the 26th. Go here to sign up.

Pole Watchers during early voting. Sign up here

The voter registration deadline for the District 7 special election is Nov. 3, 2025.

Key dates:

Voter registration deadline: Nov. 3
Early voting: Nov. 12-26
Absentee ballot request deadline: Nov. 22
Election Day: Dec. 2

If you have any questions contact the Williamson County Election Commission at 615-790-5711.

Early voting Results as of Thursday

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The AI program I use is pretty accurate, but it does make mistakes from time to time and I don't always catch them. I provide agendas and videos/audios when I have them available and recommend that you watch the video and follow along with the summary to get the most accurate report.

One of the limitations of AI is that if a participant's name is not called out, then they are listed as participant 1, 2, etc. A limitation with audio, as opposed to video, is that one cannot always identify a person by voice alone. As imperfect as these AI summaries are, they still give a pretty good account of a meeting.

Williamson County School District

Monday November 17th

School Board Meeting Agenda Video

AI Summary

Overview

Board approved five-year capital improvement plan with key amendment moving middle school on split log property forward one year due to capacity pressures (Page Middle at 100%, Mill Creek Middle at 117%)
School calendars for 2026-27 and 2027-28 approved with late start/early release days and accommodation for presidential primary in spring 2028
Wireless communication device policy passed 10-2 on second reading after extensive debate, requiring district to develop secure storage procedures while allowing grades 9-12 phone access during lunch, effective August 1, 2026
Textbook selection policy amended to clarify one board member shall be appointed as non-voting committee member
14 students across 8 high schools earned perfect 36 scores on ACT
Superintendent Golden received TSSAA 2025 AF Bridges School System Administrator of the Year award for Middle Tennessee

Public comment on bell-to-bell phone policy

Dr. Nidhi Gupta supported bell-to-bell restrictions, citing research that smartphone presence affects attention, memory, behavior, and empathy
Typical teen receives 237 notifications per day, mostly during school hours
Gupta argued phone-free lunch provides cognitive reset rather than punishment
Ricky Gu presented survey data from 397 students showing 83% say phone usage during instructional hours has already decreased
94.3% of students listed schoolwork, academic pressure, or burnout as biggest stressors, only 4 students cited phones
67% of surveyed students use phones at lunch for something other than social media, including communicating with parents
John Paul Kukulka argued phones are essential communication tools and raised safety concerns about confiscation during emergencies
Terry Williams reported 41% of teens aged 13-17 have seen nudity or sexual acts online during school day, 60% of teenagers have sent nudes at least once
Her daughter at Independence High received unsolicited sexting images via Snapchat dozens of times in past year
Brian Bowman encouraged reconsideration of lunch restrictions, viewing them as overly restrictive and missing opportunity to teach responsible use
Ashwika Chitreddy proposed extending phone restrictions to board members during meetings to demonstrate consistency
Dr. Aileen Wright supported bell-to-bell policy citing 40% rise in persistent sadness among high schoolers and 57% increase in suicide rates since smartphones became universal around 2012

Public comment on student violence and safety concerns

Clint and Amanda Browning raised alarm about student with IEP who has violated code of conduct more than 12 times since start of year
Student has punched students and teachers, choked classmates, and assaulted parent in hallway
More than 3 victims needed medical care after assaults
On October 2nd, student went after their daughter with scissors over personal property dispute
Family believes lack of action is fueled by nepotism as student doesn't live in William County but family works for district
Board policy and federal protections cited as preventing removal despite violent behavior

Public comment on special education due process

Scott Selman's 18-year-old intellectually impaired daughter was involved in vaping incident at Summit High School
Daughter was questioned by 2 assistant principals and 2 school resource officers without parent present or support person
Parents were only contacted after daughter was legally charged with possession
Incident occurred in self-contained class of 6-10 students and went unnoticed by adult in room
Family reached out to Golden with no response for several weeks until advocacy group sent formal letter
After 4 weeks and repeated attempts, investigation concluded with no accountability for school
Family requested increased supervision in special needs classrooms and review of policies for questioning students with cognitive impairments

Five-year capital improvement plan

Board approved plan after 2-month review process with presentations in October
Plan includes intent to fund requests and projected construction schedules through 2030
Dr. Johnson moved to accelerate middle school on split log property from 2026-27 ITF column to 2025-26 column
Amendment moved $17 million ITF request forward one year based on capacity data showing Page Middle at 100% and Mill Creek Middle at 117%
Golden noted slight enrollment decrease of less than 1% over last 2 years but regional growth in District 5 continues
District will likely need rezoning before new school construction begins
$17 million for split log middle school includes site work and architectural design due to substantial rock on property
Proposed school opening moved from fall 2031 to fall 2030 with amendment
Education impact fee fund currently has $97 million available for growth-related capital projects
Board approved capital plan as amended 12-0
Fairview Elementary, built in 1962, identified as oldest school needing replacement with larger capacity building

2026-27 and 2027-28 school calendars

Calendars include proposed late start and early release days for professional development
2027-28 calendar accounts for presidential primary in spring 2028
Structure maintains expanded Thanksgiving and winter breaks based on positive family feedback
Graduation window maintained with commitment from Golden to coordinate with high school principals to avoid conflicts with TSSAA state competitions
17 schools serve as election sites, mostly elementary schools but includes 2 high schools and couple middle schools
Board approved both calendars 12-0

Naming of facilities policy

Policy 3.210 approved on first reading 12-0
Added detail for naming portions of facilities rather than just new schools
Includes recommendation processes and potential for honorary naming through financial contributions similar to college model
Golden recommended approval to return to policy committee for further detailed discussion

Report cards and GPA calculation policy

Policy 4.600 approved on first reading 12-0
Proposal addresses GPA recalculation for students transferring into district during high school career
Change driven by University of Tennessee granting automatic admission to students in top 10% of class
District wants to define GPA calculation on front end so families understand impact before college admission decisions

Textbook selection policy and board member role

Policy 4.401 moved off consent agenda at request of board members for discussion
After debate, Galbraith moved to amend line 23 changing "shall subscribe to oath" to "may subscribe" then ultimately struck entire sentence after "committee"
Amendment passed 10-2, removing requirement that appointed board member subscribe to oath required by state law
Ms. Osbrooks previously opined board members already have financial responsibility as board members making separate oath unnecessary
Final policy clarifies one board member shall be appointed to serve on committee as non-voting member
Policy approved as amended on second reading 12-0
Social studies adoption process scheduled for next year will be "very significant, very detailed process with a lot of volume of textbooks"

Student and staff spotlights

14 students earned perfect 36 score on ACT representing 8 high schools
Students from Brentwood (6), Centennial (2), Franklin, Fairview, Independence, Page, Ravenwood, and Summit high schools
Mason Hickman from Fairview High won national award in 2025 Student Television Network challenge
Page High Future Farmers of America won state title in land evaluation
Summit High volleyball team won TSSAA state championship
Multiple cheer and dance teams won state championships including Brentwood, Centennial, and Ravenwood
Brentwood High girls cross country won TSSAA Class 3A state championship
Independence High boys cross country won TSSAA Class 3A state championship
Superintendent Jason Golden honored with TSSAA 2025 AF Bridges School System Administrator of the Year for Middle Tennessee
Andrew Hedges from Thompson Station Middle School earned TSSAA 2025 AF Bridges School System Official of the Year in Middle Tennessee
Golden emphasized middle school teacher officiating high school games addresses basic shortage of officials in Tennessee

Wireless communication device policy amendments and debate

Policy 6.312 debated extensively with amendment from Dr. Reeves on second reading
Dr. Reeves initially proposed requiring secure storage (school designated area, district-approved pouch, or vehicle) with exception allowing grades 9-12 access during lunch
Reeves cited attending TSBA conference and observing Warren County's implementation and vendor solutions
Sample Faraday cage pouch demonstrated costs under $20 per pouch, would block all signals including smartwatch notifications and earbuds
District has over 14,000 high school students, making potential pouch cost approximately $280,000
Golden expressed interest in piloting Faraday cage pouches to minimize classroom distractions but not ready to commit to full implementation
Golden noted current policy working to reduce instructional time phone usage but acknowledged inconsistent enforcement during transitions
Multiple board members raised concerns about logistics, enforcement, storage solutions, and consequences
Mr. Welch noted Forsyth County (case study district) actually allows high school phone access during lunch despite being cited as bell-to-bell example
Welch compared William County achievement scores to Warren County: 145% higher overall, 101% higher in ELA, 167% higher in math, 70% higher in science, 340% higher in social studies
Board Chair Brown proposed compromise amendment striking Reeves' specific storage language and replacing with: "The district shall develop a procedure by which students' wireless communications devices can be securely stored during the school day, except that students in grades 9 through 12 will have access to their devices during their assigned lunch period"
Brown's amendment to Reeves' amendment passed 11-1
Amended policy then passed 11-1 as amendment to original policy
Final policy as amended passed on second reading 10-2 with effective date of August 1, 2026
Golden confirmed district will need to adjust policy language at future date but substantive changes now set for August implementation
All 9 high school principals had requested allowing student phone access during lunch

Superintendent evaluation instrument

Board approved evaluation instrument 12-0
Instrument populated with goals previously set and approved for Golden
Evaluation will occur in June 2026
Golden indicated he may bring new instrument for following year in late third or early fourth quarter based on discussions about school performance metrics requiring earlier planning

Williamson County Commission

Tuesday November 18th

Property Committee Agenda Audio Committee members: Ricky Jones (C), Barb Sturgeon (VC), Brian Clifford, Jennifer Mason, Matt Williams. Commissioners Clifford and Williams were absent. Other commissioner who attended were: Guy Carden, Lisa Hayes, Gregg Lawrence, Chas Morton, Bill Petty, Chris Richards, Mary Smith, and Paul Webb.

AI Summary

Action Items

[ ] Jesse Neal - Clarify county ownership of hospital assets Research and document exactly what assets the county owns related to the hospital (building, land, contents, equipment, etc.) to clarify what would be included in any potential sale.
[ ] Gregg lawrence - Draft post-transaction covenant letter Draft a sample post-transaction covenant letter outlining county commission expectations for any hospital sale, soliciting input from all commissioners before drafting. This should be ready for review at the next property committee meeting.
[ ] Jesse Neal - Provide formal list of all hospital board members Obtain and provide a formal list of all hospital board members, including their roles, whether they work at the hospital, and any other relevant background information.
[ ] Ricky Jones - Schedule next property committee meeting in December Find a Wednesday in December 2025 that works for scheduling the next property committee meeting (avoiding Christmas Eve), alert the entire commission, and schedule the meeting. Jesse Neal should plan to attend.
[ ] Jesse Neal - Confirm access to RFP information and all bids Confirm with hospital counsel that the county commission will have access to view the RFP documents and all bids received when the time is appropriate, and establish the timeline for when this information will be disclosed.
[ ] Jesse Neal - Provide debrief of conversations with hospital counsel Provide regular updates and debriefs to the county commission regarding conversations and discussions with hospital counsel, including progress on issues and information requests.
[ ] Jesse Neal - Develop framework for county commission engagement Create and propose a framework outlining the step-by-step process for county commission engagement, including when the county will receive information, how commissioners will provide input, and the sequence of events from the current strategic planning phase through final decision-making.
[ ] Jesse Neal - Request timeline and rationale documentation from hospital Request from the hospital a documented timeline showing how they came to the decision to explore a sale, what has transpired from July 2025 to November 2025, including milestones, decisions made, rationale for those decisions, conversations held, and which potential bidders were evaluated and why. This should include their decision tree and the data driving their process.
[ ] Jesse Neal - Send case studies of hospital sale processes from other counties Provide summaries and case studies showing how the hospital sale process was conducted in other counties, including examples of successful post-transaction covenants and commitments, community priorities identified, and enforcement mechanisms used.

Overview

County Commission has final authority to approve or reject any hospital sale—this is established in the Private Act and not delegable to any other body
Hospital Board is currently using strategic planning exception to evaluate options privately, which is customary and allows them to protect asset value during evaluation
Jesse Neal confirmed commissioners will see all RFP information and bidder details before making any decision—the question is timing, not whether disclosure happens
Typical hospital transaction timeline is 1-2 years based on Jesse's experience with similar processes
Hospital has $191 million of debt plus another $20 million that would need to be addressed in any transaction
Property committee will serve as primary venue for ongoing meetings with Jesse Neal to review process and gather information
Post-transaction covenants (service commitments, naming rights, community priorities) identified as critical area where county should focus negotiation energy

Public comment on transaction timeline concerns

Rob Harris commented he used to buy and sell hospitals professionally so the process isn't new to him
Rob questioned why there was no RFP to select Kaufman Hall as the broker for the hospital
Rob expressed concern the process is moving too fast for what is probably the biggest transaction the county has ever done
Rob recommended slowing things down despite Kaufman Hall being a good broker

Customary hospital transaction processes

Jesse explained hospital transaction processes typically start at the hospital level rather than community level for several practical reasons
Hospital board members have fiduciary duty to evaluate strategic options—they can't take a pass on considering challenges and opportunities
Strategic planning exception is available to government hospitals but not to counties
Exception allows hospitals to protect asset value by controlling timing of information disclosure to competitors and market
Jesse emphasized the issue isn't whether commissioners will see information, but when disclosure happens to balance transparency with protecting community asset value
Hospitals customarily hire legal counsel and advisory firms experienced in running these processes
Attorney General must review and approve not just transaction documents and substance, but also the process followed by all parties

Strategic planning exception and transparency

Strategic planning exception allows hospital to leverage private evaluation process to maximize value and ensure asset isn't lost
Exception requires that material relied upon in valuation must be disclosed prior to a vote on the transaction
Jesse stated he will work with hospital counsel to develop framework for county engagement that doesn't waive the privilege protecting the asset
Jesse confirmed his position is that information relied upon should be made available in a way and at a time that doesn't hurt the community asset but allows informed decision-making
Jesse emphasized disclosure requirements are taken very seriously and will be part of Attorney General's desk review

County commission authority over hospital sale

County Commission has ultimate responsibility and final authority regarding any hospital transaction per the Private Act
Private Act delegates many responsibilities to hospital but explicitly retains sale of property with the county
Hospital Board serves as recommending body but county makes final decision on whether to sell
County could independently decide to sell hospital and start its own process without hospital board involvement, though this would lose benefits of strategic planning exception
County's role evolves and expands as process moves closer to decision point—it doesn't shrink, it grows
Jesse clarified he doesn't represent the hospital and has no divided loyalty—he works solely for the county and commissioners

Timeline and phases of evaluation process

Jesse was engaged by county last week (approximately November 11-14, 2025)
Phil Mazzuca (Williamson Health CEO)came to commission in July 2025 to announce the evaluation process would start
Jesse stated typical timeline for these transactions is 1-2 years, would be very surprised if completed in 6 months
Jesse committed to developing detailed sequence of process phases with dates and rationale where possible
Commissioners requested timeline showing what has transpired from July 2025 to present and what will happen going forward
Jesse plans to prepare documentation outlining the gating issues and decision points in the process

Access to RFP and bidder information

Jesse confirmed commissioners will see RFP information—the question is when, not if
Jesse stated he wouldn't be surprised if hospital has already developed RFP and received feedback that can be shared
Commissioner raised concern about bidders potentially being vetted and excluded before county sees information
Jesse acknowledged concern is warranted and committed to discuss and address with hospital counsel
Commissioners emphasized importance of seeing who bid, conditions of bids, and understanding why certain bidders were included or excluded
70% of surgeries for Williamson County residents are currently done in Nashville because local hospital doesn't offer many services
Commissioner emphasized how RFP is worded will determine number and type of bidders received

Hospital board composition and representation

Commissioners requested formal list of all hospital board members including their roles and backgrounds
Board includes 4 county commissioners plus additional members
Jesse identified Bass Berry & Sims as legal counsel for the hospital
Jesse noted hospital has hired Kaufman Hall as advisory firm
Jesse described both Bass Berry & Sims and Kaufman Hall as highly regarded, experienced professionals who are known commodities and have successfully run these processes

Post-transaction covenants and community priorities

Jesse identified post-transaction covenants and commitments as where the rubber meets the road
Examples of covenants from other communities include hospital naming rights, specific service lines, ambulance services
Jesse stated there's probably unlimited number of potential post-closed covenants
Jesse argued this is the realm of the commission—understanding community expectations and ensuring negotiated safety provisions
County may retain ongoing oversight authority, or form new nonprofit populated by county, or hospital authority remains with periodic reporting, or hire professional accounting firm for annual compliance review
Jesse emphasized commission is in best position to know community expectations and priorities
Commissioner volunteered to draft sample post-transaction covenant letter with input from all commissioners for review at next meeting
Jesse offered to provide case studies showing what other communities identified as important and how they structured and enforced covenants

Communication protocols and meeting structure

Property committee will serve as primary venue for ongoing meetings with Jesse Neal rather than specially called meetings
Jesse will plan to attend each property committee meeting going forward
Next scheduled property meeting is December 24, 2025 (Christmas Eve)—commissioners plan to reschedule to a different Wednesday in December
Commissioners agreed to email questions to Jesse and CC all commissioners to avoid duplication
Jesse offered to be available for individual commissioner calls if something extraordinary happens
Jesse stated he will provide periodic updates on his discussions with hospital counsel
Jesse committed to share case studies from other hospital transactions before next meeting
Commissioners discussed potentially forming ad hoc committee with members who have relevant expertise but decided to continue with full property committee meetings open to all commissioners

The current hospital board of trustees:

The following individuals comprise the Williamson Health Board of Trustees.

Rogers Anderson, County Mayor
Samuel Bastian, M.D.
James (Bo) Butler, Chairman
Jim Cross, IV
Brown Daniel, Vice-Chairman
Paul Fleser, M.D.
Meghan Guffee, County Commissioner
Judy Herbert, County Commissioner
David Landrum, County Commissioner Emeritus
Kathy McGee, R.N., Secretary/Treasurer
Juanita Patton
Heather Rupe, D.O., Chief of Staff
Paul Webb, County Commissioner
Matt Williams, County Commissioner

Thursday November 20th

Purchasing and Insurance committee met and I was unable to attend and have no further information. I will attempt to learn more this week.

Monday November 24th

The Education Committee will meet at 5:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room of the Williamson County Administrative Complex at 1320 W. main, Franklin Agenda Committee members: Steve Smith (C), Bill Petty (VC), Chris Richards, Drew Torres, Judy Herbert

Special Note: Since Williamson County does not record any meetings other than the commission, budget committee and planning commission meetings, I am recording all the meetings that I attend on my iPhone. Starting on January 1, 2026, all county committee meetings will be recorded and posted on the county website.

Board of Mayor and Aldermen

Tuesday November 25th

BOMA Work Session meets at 4:30pm in the auditorium in the County Building at 1320 W. Main St. Franklin Agenda Video starts a 4:30pm and thereafter.

BOMA meets at 7:00pm in the auditorium in the County Building at 1320 W. Main St. Franklin Agenda Video starts at 7:00pm and thereafter.

For all other meetings this week and next go here

Election Commission

No meetings this week or next

If not me, who?

If not now, when?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)

“We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer gently.” (1^st Corinthians 4:12-13)

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves" (Philippians 2:3)

Blessings,

Bill

pettyandassociates@gmail.com

Community resources

If you like Friday Recap, check out these other grassroots conservative projects!

Grassroots Citizens of Williamson County Provides free tools and information to help grassroots conservatives exercise their citizenship here in Williamson County.
Tennessee Voters for Election Integrity is helping restore confidence in Tennessee Elections.
TruthWire Local news and commentary.
Williamson County Republican Party is one of the most active parties in the state and captures the conservative heart of Tennessee.
Mom's For Liberty Williamson County is dedicated to fighting for the American family by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.
Tennessee Stands produces video media, podcasts, and live events, and provides social commentary on relevant issues in our state.
M4LU is a new site developed by the national Mom's for Liberty but generated right here in Williamson County. The mission of M4LU is to to inform, equip, and empower parents with knowledge, understanding and practical tools.

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