With the Coopertown mayoral race heating up, Mayor Becca Werner is urging citizens to tone down the divisive rhetoric and maintain respect and civility. As the election draws closer, tensions have risen, with sharp exchanges on social media and public forums. Mayor Werner emphasized that heated debates are natural during elections but called for a focus on constructive dialogue rather than personal attacks. She encouraged residents to engage thoughtfully with candidates and each other, reminding everyone that, ultimately, Coopertown’s future depends on unity and collaboration.
Mayor Werner’s appeal comes at a critical time, as some candidates have been criticized for spreading misinformation and creating discord. Werner urged the community to stay informed, focus on the issues, and participate in the democratic process constructively.
Her unedited facebook post:
Good Morning Coopertown
As dawn breaks on a new day, I would ask that we all take a moment to breathe in this beautiful morning, press reset and try to do and be better…for ourselves and our community.
Tensions on some Facebook pages have been running very high lately. Passionate debate and discussions are terrific but sometimes they become overheated. That is when words can quickly be interpreted as attempts to bully someone into believing things are as you say they are or name calling and unkind words can be taken as threats.
The environment surrounding the national election is volatile enough. The Coopertown election should not be that way.
On November 6th we will all wake up with new people leading our community. We will still need to face each other as neighbors, in the line at school or in church.
Over the last couple of days there has been a focus on a couple of items I would like to clear up.
* credit card statements: yes, one candidate asked for copies of 6 months of credit card statements. That is fine. I figured it was part of his research to understand expenditures for the Town. Something a Mayoral candidate should want to know. However, without understanding the reasons behind the charges they can be misunderstood. For example, someone saw the word “river” after a hotel name and assumed it to be a River Cruise. It was not. This was a hotel for a Police Chiefs convention in which Chief Hayley was invited to in San Antonio Texas. The trip was COMPLETELY reimbursed by the Chiefs Association because they wanted Chief Hayley to attend. Without this reimbursement, Chief Hayley would not have been able to go. Amazon charges are for routinely purchased items at City Hall like toilet paper, office or cleaning supplies or when we can find something cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else.
Our City Recorder is highly trained and works to ensure that all employees watch expenses. They understand we are working with the peoples money. To imply otherwise is simply uncalled for. An independent auditor as well as the State Comptroller’s office review all finances for our Town and our budgets have always been approved during my administration. We are in good standing with the State.
* Candidate breakfast: All 5 candidates were invited by me to the Candidate breakfast. This was something I coordinated when I ran for office and I think it is a terrific opportunity to come together as a community and learn about the people running for office. The Town is “sponsoring” this event for the community. We will have pastries, doughnuts, coffee etc. We may runout but that is ok!! The Town cannot control which candidates will or will not attend the event. ALL were invited and I hope that ALL will come.
In addition, we have had some offers to reimburse the town for those expenses. Donations to the town are always accepted. I would like to thank the kind citizens who have made this offer.
I am always available to answer questions but to be honest, I don’t spend much time on Facebook. It has become so divisive and misleading. So, instead..if you have a question for me or for my administration, send me an email at Mayor@CoopertownTN.org
Everyone have a wonderful day and work hard today to just be kind to one another. We are very blessed to live in Coopertown! Let’s act like it!!
