All tallies are from the county election commission, however are still uncertified as of 9:57 p.m Tuesday
Voters in Nolensville, Thompson’s Station and Fairview decided on aldermen and city commission members during Election Day.
The results of those races were as follows:
Nolensville
Two alderman seats were set in Nolensville as Jason Patrick and James Larry Felts, both incumbents running unopposed, won re-election.
Patrick, who works as a senior advisor with Merrill Lynch and has lived in town with his wife, Amy, and their three kids since 2006, has served as Nolensville vice mayor since 2014 and an alderman since 2011. He also works with the Planning Commission and Budget Committee.
“I can’t decide if the reason we are unopposed, this is second term it has happened, because we are doing a good job or nobody else want to do the work,” Patrick said with a laugh. “Obviously we are growing rapidly, and one of most desirable communities, and maybe the hidden gem, in the county.
“People are voting with their dollars, with new development, buying homes, and opening businesses in Nolensville. And also we have the newest elementary, middle and high school. The newest rec center. And we are about to have Market Square, which will be largest project ever in Nolensville. A lot of exciting things happening.”
Patrick is all for the Nolensville Market Square project.
“I think it will be additive,” he said. “It obviously brings much needed retail dollars to town. It provides some diversity in terms of our housing.”
“I just think the project in and of itself lends itself to community activities, whether it be out meeting neighbors, eating out or having festivals and events. We have our growing pains and need to deal with some of our road and traffic issues. Those are the things all communities are grappling with. But I am excited about the future.”
Felts, a retired 67-year-old, has been an alderman since 2000. Currently working with the Board of Storm Water Appeals, he has worked on the Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Finance Committee and the Historic Committee and has been with the town since its incorporation.
“Since then, Nolensville has exploded and continues to grow,” he said. “Rooftops are popping up everywhere, and while we can’t stop progress, I think we as a town are lucky.”
“From Day 1 our town was blessed to have the right people where needed to help develop plans that will benefit the way our town grows. We have ordinances and zoning regulations in place that a lot of other areas are only now starting to think about. By using these tools we can control the growth of our town and work with the developers to get a project we all can enjoy.”
Thompson’s Station
Two of the four alderman seats in Thompson’s Station were decided Tuesday as Brian Stover and Ben Dilks won their contests.
Longtime incumbent Sarah Benson lost her seat as did challenger John Peterson. Benson got 23.61 percent of the vote, with 1,010 ballots while Dilks got 25.06 percent of the vote with 1,072 votes.
Stover won 27.85 percent of the vote with 1,191 ballots. Peterson got 23.08 percent of the vote with 987 votes.
We asked each winner about his stance on the Two Farms project.
Ben Dilks, born in Pennsylvania, moved to Middle Tennessee in 2007 for a job at Nissan and to Thompson’s Station in 2013.
He supports the Two Farms development and managed growth.
“I think it is a good project and we should take advantage of a good one while it is on the table,” he said. “I don’t believe not developing the land is an option.”
“As far as big developments in general, we just need to be smart about it. You won’t stop growth; it is coming, but we need to be proactive about things like infrastructure, streets, sewers and make sure we are not doing damage to existing residents while bringing in new homes.”
Brian Stover, who has lived in Thompson’s Station for more than 30 years, saw his interest in serving the community grow over the years, especially as he has seen the opportunities that are in front of Thompson’s Station.
“Two farms is a situation where the town has partnered with a developer who is actually going to do what the town needs and expects them to do,” he said. “So we partnered with a good company to help manage the growth of the area. The town set forth a standard of what needs to be done and what is expected to get done, saying, moving forward this is what you must do for Thompson’s Station.”
“Inevitably that land will be sold. So we have partnered with someone who will make a good development, that will help property values. We all understand that it is farmland; it is beautiful. But if you look around, this all used to be farmland. We have to look at it from a standpoint of, what do we want to happen over there?”
Stover said Thompson’s Station needs to “choose our developers and our plans intelligently.”
“We need quality developments to attract the type of clientele people want these days,” he added. “I would love to see a neighborhood development built around an equestrian park. You get a golf course from Two Farms and an equestrian park, together you get the best of both worlds.”
Fairview
Fairview’s three open City Commission seats went to:
Debby Rainey, who took 26.34 percent of the vote with 2,111 ballots.
Scott Lucas, who won 23.81 percent of the vote with 1,908 ballots.
Derek Burks, who got 22.64 percent of the vote with 1,814 ballots.
The odd men out were Scott Tucker with 15.16 percent of the vote (1,215 ballots) and former incumbent Toney Sutton, who had 11.14 percent ( 898 votes).
