CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Last year, Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board member Aron Maberry won the election to represent District 68 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. While many celebrated his victory, others had concerns about Maberry’s dual hats as School Board member and state representative. After he was sworn in on Jan. 22, Rep. Maberry began voting on education legislation, including school vouchers, an issue Maberry campaigned on.
Those concerns culminated last week into formal complaints filed with the Tennessee Ethics Commission against Maberry. Now, Maberry has insisted that the normally closed-door TEC hearing be held as soon as possible and be made fully public.
5 ethics complaints, call for resignation
On April 4, the complaints were filed with the TEC, calling on the body to investigate. The 89-page complaint, jointly filed by Clarksville citizens Karen Reynolds, Katherine Lawson, Jeri Brittain, Catherine Garrigan and Joy J. Rice, calling themselves “Public Schools Strong,” cited “clear conflicts of interest” due to Maberry holding two government-funded positions.
According to the Public Schools Strong news release, “The citizens, many of whom are constituents in Maberry’s districts, are current and former educators and parents affected by his recent votes in the Capitol and the School Board.”
The five complaints are:
- Conflict of interest — Sponsoring and voting on legislation that directly impacts his role as a school board member, creating a conflict between his legislative duties and local education governance.
- Misuse of position — Using his legislative authority to undermine the public school system while holding a seat on the school board.
- Violation of constitutional obligations — Voting in favor of laws that have been ruled unconstitutional, failing in his duty to uphold lawful governance.
- Lack of impartiality — Publicly advocating for policies that harm the school district he was elected to serve, showing clear bias.
- Breach of public trust — Failing to act in the best interest of students, parents, and educators while using his position for political gain.
“Rep. Aron Maberry serves as both a state legislator and a Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board member, giving him direct influence over local education policies while also voting on related legislation at the state level. This dual role creates a significant conflict of interest, raising concerns about fairness, accountability, and the integrity of the decision-making process,” the complaint states.
After the complaint was filed, the group created a petition publicly calling for Maberry’s resignation.
No merit, politically motivated
When contacted by Clarksville Now, Maberry provided this official statement in response: “This complaint is without merit and clearly politically motivated. It’s a desperate stunt by woke local leftists who reject the conservative values our community holds dear and that I proudly represent at the Capitol. They are obsessed with overturning the will of the people; all of their previous attempts have failed. I have been fully transparent about my service on the school board and my intention to serve out the remainder of my term. I have full confidence in the Ethics Commission and trust the facts will lead to an appropriate course of action.”
Maberry separately told Clarksville Now he received a letter from the TEC notifying him that the complaints had been filed. According to the notification, the review of the complaint would occur in a closed session, directly after the TEC public meeting on Aug. 12.
But Maberry said he isn’t keen on waiting four months. “Currently, according to code, these meetings are done in closed sessions, and the results of the meeting sometimes times take months or more than a year to come out; that’s what I’m trying to avoid,” Maberry said. “Since the complaint is about me, I have asked for transparency to be had in the meeting, and have asked for them to go public, not in closed session. Furthermore, I have asked for them to expedite the timeline.”
On Wednesday, Maberry received a response to that request. “Per your request for an expediated hearing, Commission staff and members are working on setting these five complaints in which you are a named party for an initial hearing in the next 2-3 weeks,” the TEC stated. “Furthermore, per your written request … the Ethics Commission will now ensure that ‘the investigation and associated records and meetings’ regarding these five complaints be made public.”
Jenna Kester contributed to this report.
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