MILLERSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Millersville interim city manager Tina Tobin turned in her letter of resignation Sunday evening, two days after a NewsChannel 5 Investigates report on suspicions over her sudden hiring.
Tobin told commissioners in her letter that recovery from a recent eye surgery on April 11, is taking much longer than expected.
Watch my reporting on Tobin in the player above.
“I have not been able to finalize the agenda and packet for the April 16th meeting, and I am rescheduling the meeting for the following Tuesday, April 23rd. I also have additional upcoming eye appointments and surgeries, which will impact much of my time. As a result, I am putting in my notice officially this evening with my last day on Friday, April 26,” Tobin said.
She goes on to say, “Millersville is a great city with great people and I would be happy to assist the next city manager in any way that I can to ensure a smooth transition.”
Tobin had already told NewsChannel 5 Investigates that she had no intentions of staying in the job long-term and would only serve until commissioners found a replacement.
At last check, there were at least four applicants for the position, which included embattled former Franklin alderman Gabrielle Hanson.
At first, commissioners had no timeline for when to hire a permanent city manager, but Tobin’s letter of resignation may have just changed that.
Tobin was voted in by commissioners in January to replace former city manager Scott Avery in a meeting that left many suspicious of how Tobin was now suddenly running the city.
Mayor Tommy Long shared Tobin’s resume with fellow commissioners saying that he felt her credentials made Tobin the best candidate to serve the position in the interim.
Tobin’s resume, however, showed she had no experience running a city and didn’t even live in Millersville.
I spoke with Tobin who said she was even surprised since she had given her resume to several municipalities for a variety of positions.
"I definitely said that I was willing to help Millersville, and I try to offer my help everywhere that I can, but that was a bit of a surprise," Tobin said.
That still didn’t explain why someone who doesn’t live in the city suddenly attended a commission meeting and that same night, became one of the city’s top officials.
“Do you make a habit of attending commission meetings where you’re not a resident of the city?” I asked.
“Well, I was curious to see what was going to happen because I think everybody was following the Millersville election. We knew it was going to be a different change in direction,” Tobin said.
Connections to the far-right Sumner County Constitutional Republicans (SCCR) between Tobin and other commissioners, only fueled suspicions over how Tobin suddenly became arguably the most powerful official in Millersville.
A group that makes it clear their goal is to place as many like-minded Christian conservatives in public offices across the state.
“I have to admit, every time I hear that, that does you know feel like a bit of a conspiracy theory. I go to all the political meetings, so I’ve been involved in politics for a long time,” Tobin said.
When asked what people should read into SCCR being on her resume, Tobin said, “Everything I’ve done in politics has been more of a citizen activist, not necessarily loyalty to one specific group or another.”
Tobin went on to fire former police chief Rob Richman, city attorney Jack Freedle, and fire chief Brandon Head, all in her first month on the job.
This is a developing story.
We know that many names are dropped relating to Millersville and its city government.
Because of that, we have compiled a list of who is who among those who have been involved.
Tim Lassiter: The former mayor of Millersville stepped down amid a lawsuit filed against the city in 2021 by two former police officers who claimed they were intimidated out of the job.
Dustin Carr: The former police chief of Millersville resigned in late 2022 after the lawsuit continued to move in the courts. The lawsuit was moving through the courts when he resigned.
Glenn Alred: The former Millersville assistant police chief who resigned in 2023. He was under scrutiny by the Tennessee POST Commission launched an investigation into claims that he was working full-time without being a certified cop.
Melvin Brown: The former police resigned after the Tennessee POST Commission said the department was running "illegally."
Scott Avery: The former city manager who was fired in late 2023 after only having been there around a year. There were was little explanation by Millersville City Commissioners, who have the hiring and firing power for the position.
Jack Freedle: The former city attorney who was fired less than 24 hours after Avery in 2023.
Tina Tobin: The interim city manager who came after Scott Avery. She went on to fire several people in her rank even though her job is currently only temporary. Residents have since questioned her leadership.
Rob Richman: The former police chief who was hired in late 2023 but was shortly fired thereafter when the city manager's role changed hands. He was the fourth chief of Millersville since 2021.
Brandon Head: The longtime fire chief was fired by the interim city manager. He had been there since 2006. After his firing, 17 firefighters walked off the job.
