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My name is Barb Sturgeon, and as a Williamson County Commissioner of District 8, I am committed to serving and protecting the best interests of my community. The Franklin/Brentwood area offers a unique and high quality of life, full of the best that Tennessee has to offer. I want to continue to play an active role in making our community the best place to live and raise our children and grandchildren.
Sensible County Growth
As your representative, I have advocated for reasonable checks on new development to protect the safety and welfare of the community and to adhere to the goals of our zoning ordinance. As new development threatens to choke our roads and infringe on areas our County has slated for Rural
Preservation, I have questioned traffic studies that imply that the current congestion on Sneed and Hillsboro roads is acceptable. Let us welcome new residents to our community in an intelligent and well-thought- out way that supports our existing infrastructure.
Fiscal Responsibility
My vision for our schools is excellence in education with responsible funding. While the state allows us to utilize little other than property taxes to pay for the operation of our vastly growing County, I have advocated for creative alternatives for raising this revenue. These alternatives include the Educational Impact fee on new residential construction and the selling of available county assets, such as the Cool Springs Convention Center.
The Williamson County Commission recently voted to take on $150,000,000 debt for an expansion/renovation of Williamson Medical center with the expectation of quadrupling the WMC revenues within the next 4 years. It's understood that while taxpayers are backing this debt, debt service is covered by the hospitals revenues. I voted in support of having a discussion in 4 years simply o discuss sharing this boon in revenues with taxpayers who back this new debt. Unfortunately, simply havng this dicussion was not approved of by the majority of the commissioners.
These alternatives help us avoid simply raising property taxes, which are a burden to lower income families and seniors living on fixed incomes. I have advocated for revisions to Tennessee’s complicated and difficult-to-understand “BEP formula,” which continues to reduce the state’s return of tax revenue for the
funding of Williamson County Schools.
Government Transparency
It has been a pleasure promoting and initiating open communications with residents in our community. I have kept people informed through my bi-monthly newsletter and have listened to your concerns at monthly coffees at The Good Cup in Grassland Village. I want to know your concerns and I want to represent your interests on the County Commission.
Citizen Empowerment
I have grown so very proud of our law enforcement community, who serve and protect us with character and integrity. In a small way, I have endeavored to give back to them by promoting the BADGE program, which reaches out with support to deputies when they find themselves in need of a helping hand. Please reach out to me, if you too wish to join this effort.
Since elected to this office 8 years ago, I have enjoyed building relationships with those who have reached out to me with their concerns. I want to hear you and I want to help. I urge you to connect with me, so that together, we can make our community stronger and an even better place to live. Together, we can make a meaningful difference—for our families, our communities, and our country.
About Barb
Barb was born in Rocky River, Ohio and raised with her six siblings. Growing up, Barbara learned the value of a good education and hard work from her father, a small business owner, who turned one small hardware store into three while raising 7 children. Barb’s mother, a violin teacher and a stay-at-home mother, instilled in Barb the values of a strong family and a strong faith.
Barb graduated from the University of Dayton with a BS in Chemical Engineering and went on to work for Armour-Dial Corp. as an industrial engineer and plant supervisor. She later worked as a Project Management Engineer at John Brown Engineering in Chicago until she left the workplace to raise a family.
In 1996 Barbara and her family moved to Singapore where they lived for 4 years. Travelling to many different countries throughout Asia and Europe was a culturally enriching experience that gave Barb a better world perspective and a richer appreciation for her American citizenship. Barb learned that America is truly the most innovative country in the world and one of the friendliest.
Barb and her family moved to Williamson County in 2010. They are members of St. Henry Catholic Parish. Barb and her husband Rob have three daughters who graduated from St. Cecilia Academy. Her two older daughters are gainfully employed and live in Brentwood while the youngest is in her Junior year in Architecture at the University of Cincinnati. Their son, the eldest, lives in Fairview with his wife and three young daughters.
Barb is an avid gardener, baker, quilter, knitter and enjoys her husband's penchant for gourmet food and wine which is a joint passion of theirs. They work together to manage their Airbnb and other rental properties. In 2017, Barb obtained her real estate license and works for her broker, Benchmark Realty, LLC.
Barb decided to run for office in 2014 because she believes government operates at its best when citizens participate. Over the last 8 years, as Barb has addressed her constituents’ concerns, she has become more passionate than ever about citizen involvement. Barb maintains a monthly newsletter for keeping county residents informed on Commission county business and holds monthly coffees to give residents an opportunity to speak with her in person. She looks forward to serving another 4 years.