The Weakley County Examiner

Shannon Taylor
CEO/Publisher

Gary Eddings Jr., a Republican, is seeking a third term representing District 4 on the Weakley County Commission in the Aug. 6 election. Voters will select two candidates from a three-person field that includes Republicans Gary Eddings Jr. and John Robert Freeman, along with Independent David Lackey.

Eddings said he was first appointed to fill the remainder of an unexpired term before winning election twice. If re-elected, he would begin his third elected term on the County Commission.

A lifelong Weakley Countian, Eddings said he graduated from Sharon High School and has worked for Weakley County Municipal Electric System for 37 years as a lineman and engineer. In addition to serving on the County Commission, he is the police chief and fire chief for the Town of Sharon and serves on numerous county committees, including the Weakley County Fire Chiefs Association and the county’s fiber broadband committee.

“I’ve always lived my life pretty much ever since I got out of high school serving Weakley County,” Eddings said.

When asked why voters should return him to office, Eddings pointed to his years of leadership experience and public service.

“Mainly the leadership skills gained over the years of being a commissioner for nine-plus years and also being in leadership roles of police chief, fire chief over the years,” he said.

Eddings identified economic growth as one of the county’s greatest challenges. He said attracting new businesses, expanding housing opportunities and increasing the county’s population are essential to strengthening Weakley County’s future.

“Our population has kind of stayed the same around 33,000 for several years now,” he said. “I’d like to see more growth coming within the county of people moving here and definitely trying to get sustainable business industries here, big and large.”

Regarding taxpayer dollars, Eddings said county government must remain conservative because limited revenue must support numerous departments, including schools, law enforcement, roads, the courthouse and the health department.

“You just have to be conservative,” he said. “We’ve only got a very limited pot of that coming in.”

When discussing the county budget, Eddings said he believes education should remain a top priority. He noted Weakley County Schools is one of the county’s largest employers and said maintaining a strong public school system is essential to attracting families and employers.

“It takes a lot of money to go to the school system to maintain what we have and to try to make it better,” he said.

Eddings also listed schools among the county’s highest infrastructure priorities, adding that providing more employment opportunities would encourage graduates to remain in Weakley County after completing their education.

“If you don’t have a good school system here, you fail later in life because you don’t have a good progressive school system,” he said.

On transparency, Eddings said he believes county government should continue keeping residents informed and emphasized that commissioners are elected to represent their constituents rather than their own personal opinions.

“I always go with the majority of my constituents, how they would want me to vote because that’s their only voice,” he said.

One accomplishment Eddings said he is most proud of is helping establish the county’s fiber broadband committee. He said the committee pursued grant funding after determining the county could not afford to expand broadband service on its own.

Today, he estimates approximately 85 percent of the county has access to fiber internet service, with additional grant-funded projects continuing in some of the county’s most rural communities.

“We didn’t give up,” Eddings said. “We started trying to get grants.”

Eddings said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for reliable broadband as students completed schoolwork from home, healthcare providers relied on internet connectivity to update patient records remotely and more residents worked from home.

While campaigning this year, Eddings said many residents have expressed concerns about county finances. He said Weakley County remains financially strong but continues to face increasing costs associated with state mandates, including minimum teacher salary requirements and other required expenditures.

“We’ve got a strong county,” Eddings said. “The mandates that come down from the state every year put more stress on county government because we’ve got to pay it.”

If elected to another term, Eddings said he plans to continue supporting public schools, farmers, public safety and road improvements while making conservative decisions on behalf of District 4 residents.

“I think I’ve got a proven record of solving problems and strong leadership skills in my role,” he said.