Update, 6:10 p.m.: The nature of the investigation that led to the firing remains under wraps, including, apparently, to Frank Tate himself.

Clarksville Now reached out to Tate for a reaction to his termination. His wife, Holly, responded by text.

“We were not given any information regarding the reasons behind the decision to terminate,” she said. “Frank has the right to defend himself and our family, and we can only conclude this is potentially a political matter.

“We have consulted legal counsel. I completely support and stand by behind Frank and (am) proud of what he has accomplished for the Clarksville community.”

Previously:

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Industrial Development Board Executive Director Frank Tate has been fired following an investigation initiated by the Economic Development Council board.

During a special-called meeting of the Clarksville-Montgomery County EDC on Wednesday, the board held a one-hour closed session to hear legal advice from attorney Tim Harvey.

When the board reconvened, County Mayor Jim Durrett made a motion, based on investigation findings that have not been made public, that Tate be terminated.

Durrett referenced an investigation completed by Mark Travis, whose affiliation was not disclosed.

On a voice vote, the board voted to terminate, with three members identified as voting against: Khandra Smalley, Wally Crow and Mark Kelly.

Following the meeting, when asked, board Chairwoman Suzanne Langford told Clarksville Now the investigation findings could not be released.

Call for investigation

At a previous EDC board meeting on April 1, Durrett said he had received two complaints about an employee of the EDC, “both dealing with employment matters,” according to board minutes. The IDB and its staff fall under the EDC umbrella.

Durrett made a motion that the board retain someone not affiliated with the board to investigate the matter and report back to the EDC board. Durrett also moved that the employee be placed on administrative leave until the matter was resolved.

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts and Langford said they also had received those complaints.

While Tate was not named in Durrett’s motion, Clarksville Now has made efforts in recent weeks to reach Tate, and his work cell phone calls were forwarded to the EDC office.

Previous complaint

Tate was hired to the role of executive director of the IDB in July 2018. He received good evaluations from the IDB board in July 2019 and July 2020, accompanied by merit pay raises of 2.1% and 2%, according to a Clarksville Now review of his personnel file.

There was a disciplinary report in Tate’s file from March 2019 regarding inappropriate behavior and text messages toward a female employee, along with improper management of that employee’s overtime reporting.

During a staff lunch, Tate was “nudging/tapping/hitting” the employee’s leg/hip area, according to the complaint in the human resources report. The employee left the table and walked away, and Tate followed her, continuing the behavior, the complaint said.

Tate was put on notice following those incidents that “inappropriate behavior would not be tolerated” and any reoccurrences of that behavior “could lead to a more serious consequence for him,” according to the report.

Originally from Owensboro, Kentucky, Tate came to Clarksville from McKenzie in west Tennessee after a nationwide search, succeeding Mike Evans in that role.

Since 2018, Clarksville has had several industrial recruiting successes, adding up to almost 1,000 jobs.

Clarksville is also reported to soon become home to a 1,000-job Amazon distribution center.

Correction: It was the Economic Development Council board that initiated the investigation and met on Wednesday. The article has been updated.