Fighting for the Brentwood Taxpayer with Christopher Richards
Today, our Grassroots Spotlight features Christopher Richard, running for reelection as a County Commissioner in District 7.
“The annual debt payments we make just to service the debt are roughly equivalent to buying a new high school every year!”
Q: Can you give us a quick background - family, career, time in Williamson County?
I used to work in the music business. Not long after college, I moved to California for about two years to pursue music.
I then moved to Nashville and spent three or four years doing event planning for record labels. When it came time to have kids, I realized the music business wouldn't support a family, so I started working from home.
After my kids went to college, I discovered politics and absolutely love it. I've been a county commissioner for about three and a half years.
Q: What first prompted you to get into public service?
It was the school board. My daughter was in elementary school, and we had some problems at one of the schools. I went to the school board member, and he was very dismissive. So I got involved.
I had previously lost a county commission race by 11 votes to a man who passed away before his term started. The Republican party held a caucus to replace him, and even though they turned away about a hundred of my voters, I still won with almost 70% of the vote.
Seeing the enthusiasm of those voters who took their evening off to vote for me touched me, and I became extremely dedicated to taking care of my voters
Q: What do you believe is the biggest challenge currently facing the District 7 community?
Brentwood is unique because we pay the most taxes but get very little of that money back.
I publicly opposed borrowing $10 million to improve a park in Arrington because Brentwood already provides its own city parks and recreational facilities.
When I ran for office, Brentwood Middle School was a wreck with leaking sewage and failed air conditioning, while money was going to schools outside of Brentwood. They finally built a new middle school, though it was overbuilt.
Now, Brentwood High School is in desperate need of repair or replacement, and I want to see it taken care of given how much tax money Brentwood contributes
Q: How should the county handle the sale of public assets, such as the county hospital?
My initial concern is whether the hospital should be sold at all.
As a conservative, my view is that we don't need to be in that business because we don't do it well.
However, citizens almost unanimously love that hospital. If the hospital gets sold, the money belongs to the people and should be used to pay down debt; if that can't happen, we shouldn't sell it.
I need to have more conversations with citizens to explain our need to pay down the debt while understanding their desire to keep the hospital. There’s always a risk that a buying company shuts it down six months later if it isn't profitable.
Q: What does "responsible growth" look like to you in a rapidly expanding area?
I believe any government efforts to encourage growth should stop immediately. I opposed paying Williamson Inc. $400,000 a year to encourage growth.
I supported the urban growth boundary resolution, which requires cities like Franklin to evaluate the financial impact of building before doing so.
Growth does not pay for itself. It bankrupts us and causes our $1.2 billion in school debt because we have to constantly build new schools
Q: Why is it important for all county committee meetings to be recorded and accessible to the public?
We had a law enforcement committee meeting where we agreed to stay out of a sheriff's election, but because it wasn't recorded or put in the minutes, commissioners later claimed they didn't remember the conversation. I realized we needed to start recording meetings.
I partnered with Chaz Morton to record budget meetings, which was a godsend. People behave a lot better when they know they are being recorded. I don't care if recording is a strain on the staff; they are here to serve the people. Sunshine helps mold disappear.
I also passed a resolution requiring agendas to be published 48 hours before committee meetings so the public has time to review and speak on them
Q: What is your strategy for ensuring new commercial development pays its fair share for local infrastructure?
I worked on a resolution to have businesses pay an adequate facilities tax, which is essentially an impact fee for new businesses. The mayor fought me on it, but we agreed to a graduated increase.
If taxing businesses slows down commercial growth, I don't mind. We are currently way too successful and need to ratchet it back.
Businesses, not homeowners, should bear the burden of the infrastructure, schools, and fire trucks they require. The apartment developments in Franklin are sticking Brentwood residents with the resulting traffic implications
Q: How do you evaluate whether a proposed county land purchase represents a fair deal for the taxpayer?
I consult with commercial real estate developer friends. I've learned to scrutinize appraisals. For example, if you see any adjustments of over 25 to 30% to property values in comparisons, that's a warning sign.
In one proposed courthouse property purchase, they wanted us to approve it without an appraisal. When the appraisal came back at $23 million and the contract price was $17 million, it was a red flag because no seller would sell for $17 million if they knew it was truly worth $23 million.
Q: What is your top priority for a second term as county commissioner?
The debt. It's killing us. Debt service takes up more than 10% of our budget.
To put it in perspective, the annual debt payments we make just to service the debt are roughly equivalent to buying a new high school every year, or buying an elementary and a middle school combined every year.
We're actually taking money away from ourselves because we have to pay this debt.
The county's debt has doubled in eight years and is on a path to keep doubling with proposed projects like a $330 million jail and a massive juvenile justice center.
Instead of constantly building new, we should look at alternatives, like buying the existing Ford Credit Union building for $90 million to house all county offices
Q: Anything else you’d like voters to know about you, your service, or your goals as county commissioner?
I practice what I preach by living completely debt-free. My cars and house are paid for in cash. I don't believe true conservatives should borrow up to their eyeballs.
My campaign slogan is "I work for them," and I genuinely love knocking on doors and talking to constituents.
I also want to continue to bring transparency to county government.
Q: How do you keep in touch and have conversations with citizens?
I love door-knocking, especially in Brentwood.
I also have a newsletter that goes out to about a thousand people with a 70 to 75% read rate. I make sure to use subject lines focused on specific issues, like the hospital or Nashville wanting us to pay for a park, rather than just campaign updates, which gets a much higher open rate.
I also brought citizens and the election commission together in a public forum to listen to voters' concerns regarding voting machines and wanting hand-marked paper ballots.
To learn more about Drew’s campaign and his stance on different issues in Williamson County, you can view his campaign website here: ElectRichards.com.
You can also view all the information on the upcoming Elections here.
If you’re not sure if which district you reside in, Locate Your District here.
