The inaugural class of the Washington County 101 program launched Tuesday evening July 11 at the Historic Courthouse in Jonesborough. Twenty participants selected on a first-come-first serve basis, by district, were welcomed by Mayor Joe Grandy who acted as emcee for the event.
“You are a select group,” Grandy said. “There was tremendous interest in this pilot program. Applications were only open two weeks and by the time we cut off applications June 9
we had 40 applicants for 20 slots.”
The mayor provided an overview of county government including its major budget
expenditures. “The number one priority for the county is education followed by law
enforcement and roads,” he said.
In addition to the mayor, speakers heard from the following department heads and
elected officials:
Angie Charles- Planning Director
Teresa Bowman- Register of Deeds
Robbie McGuire- Assessor
Rick Storey - Trustee
Sarah Lawson – Clerk & Master
Participants took part in some fun, interactive games to test their knowledge before and
after the program. The evening concluded with an optional stroll through Jonesborough led by
Joe Spiker of Heritage Alliance.
“I have really enjoyed this evening,” said participant Mitzi Frutiger who moved to
Washington County in 2017 from Arizona. “It was everything I hoped for in terms of gaining
knowledge about how our government operates and meeting other people who also love living
here. I look forward to the next three classes.”
“I am very appreciative of all those who took the time last evening to share with us, and
educate us about what goes on within that $100M+ complex of Washington County,” said class
member Frank Hahne. “I learned many facts and history of my adopted town that I had not
known before.”
All Washington County 101 class members are residents of the county, 18 years of age or
older and had to pass a security check by the sheriff’s department. Pilot program participants
will take part in three more classes where they will learn about: Justice Center, Elections,
Health and Sheriff’s Office. They will graduate at the August 28 Washington County Commission
meeting.
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