5 things to know about flip from Golden to Leverett as commission chair | ANALYSIS

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With a party-line vote on Monday, the Montgomery County Commission elected fellow Commissioner Rashidah Leverett as chairwoman, replacing County Mayor Wes Golden in that role.

In the 11-10 vote, Leverett, a Democrat, got all 11 of her party’s votes. Golden, a Republican, received his party’s 7 votes, plus those of the 3 independents.

As this is the first time anyone can recall that the Montgomery County mayor has not also served as chair, there’s been confusion on what this means. Here are five points that should help clear things up.

1. New to us, normal for Tennessee

Not having the county mayor lead the meetings isn’t so unusual. In fact, the idea of the executive also being chair of the legislative branch is a bit strange. At the federal level, the president does not chair Congress. At the state level, the governor does not chair the Tennessee General Assembly.

In Tennessee, the commission elects the chair, and while the mayor can be selected, it’s actually more common to select a fellow commissioner, according to an AI-assisted survey by Clarksville Now. Among peer counties that have commissioner chairs, for example, are Rutherford, Shelby, Williamson, Knox, Johnson and Hamilton Counties.

But this is new for Montgomery County. The last several county mayors (previously called “county executive” and before that “county judge”) have all also served as chair, at least going back to Doug Weiland starting in 1998. Local political science expert David Kanervo told Clarksville Now it’s been that way for the nearly 50 years he can recall. But he said it’s also the first time we’ve had a county mayor who was not of the same listed political party as the majority of the commission, and that dates back to county races becoming partisan in 2018.

| NEW TO CLARKSVILLE? Check out our Newcomer’s Guide

2. Mayor keeps executive powers, including veto

While Golden will no longer preside over commission meetings, he will still be able to sit in on commission and county committee meetings as an ex-officio member in an advisory, non-voting capacity, which is ideal for everyone: Golden has proven to be an effective leader who is skilled at working with others to get things done.

The executive role that Golden was elected to is unchanged. For example, the mayor appoints all county department heads, and he appoints members of county boards and commissions, according to Tennessee Code. He also serves as chief executive of Montgomery County Government, supervising all county departments and employees.

As chair, Leverett doesn’t lose her vote – she still gets to vote as a commission member. But Golden, since he is no longer chair, now gets the authority to veto a commission vote. It is, however, a limited power, as the commission can then override the veto with another majority vote.

3. Who creates agenda? Who creates budget?

As chair, Leverett will supervise preparation of the agenda, according to Montgomery County rules. But it’s not fully under her control; she must do that under the direction of the commission and abiding by several local guidelines.

When it comes to the budget, not much changes. For better or worse, the mayor keeps the not-so-glamorous task of working with his department heads to create an annual county budget, and he will present it the commission for approval, as has been done previously.

| GET YOUR LOCAL MORNING NEWS: Sign up for our free daily email newsletter.

4. Chair fills in as county mayor

While the chair doesn’t have the authority of the mayor, the chair could become the mayor if there’s an emergency, according to Tennessee Code. If for some reason the county mayor isn’t able to perform his duties, or will be absent for more than 21 days, the chair steps into that role. If the county mayor’s office becomes vacant, the chair fills in as county mayor until a new mayor is named.

If the chair is absent, or has to serve as mayor, the chair pro tem steps up. And the commission elected Jeremiah Walker, a Democrat, to that role on Monday over John Gannon, a Republican.

5. Selection of Leverett signals shift in politics

Many of these changes are cosmetic – a simple shift in who performs which functions without much of a change in actual outcomes, as Leverett and Golden have worked closely together for years, are mostly on the same page, and are both dedicated public servants.

But significant changes could be coming, and not just in the event that the county mayor’s office becomes vacant.

In November 2025, Republican state Rep. Jeff Burkhart died while in office, and the role of the County Commission was to replace him. They chose fellow Commissioner Michael Lankford, a Republican, with Golden breaking a hotly contested 9-9 tie. 

A month earlier, the County Commission flipped a Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board seat by appointment. They voted 11-8 for Republican Teresa Crosslin to replace Democrat Herbert Nelson, who had resigned earlier that year.

Both of those close votes happened when the commission was divided 7-7-7 among Democrats, Republicans and independents. The Democrats now have an 11-seat majority, and considering what just happened with the chair election, who wants to bet the party affiliation for the next open seat?

| BREAKING NEWS PUSH ALERTS: Sign up for our free Clarksville Now app