MILLERSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Millersville is under new management, as commissioners vote to make police chief Bryan Morris their new interim city manager.
This comes after NewsChannel 5 Investigates questioned how commissioners hired now-former interim city manager Tina Tobin, which led to her resignation two days after our report.
Her resignation letter said that Friday would be Tobin's last day with the city, which meant commissioners had to find a replacement.
Some commissioners began by saying they were uncomfortable voting on a permanent city manager from a pool of only four candidates who had not been vetted, which included an application from former Franklin Alderman Gabrielle Hanson.
A stark difference from when commissioners quickly hired Tobin as interim city manager in January, less than an hour after firing former city manager Scott Avery.
Tobin then made sweeping changes by firing Millersville's police chief, fire chief, and city attorney in weeks.
This time, commissioners said they wanted to expand their city manager search nationwide but still needed an interim in the meantime.
Only one of the four applicants was in the room and turned down the offer for anything interim. Commissioner Alisa Huling then nominated police chief Bryan Morris who was recently hired by Tobin.
Many neighbors were surprised by the nomination considering Morris had not turned in an application or had expressed any interest in the job.
Both Huling and Mayor Tommy Long offered glowing recommendations for Morris and the work he's done to bring in more police officers for a department still reeling from several recent changes.
"I'm happy that they put a lot of faith in me, but it's an interim title. I'm pleased to do it because I want to make sure that the progress we've already made since January continues," Morris said.
Morris had never been a city manager in any municipality before tonight's meeting but says what sets him apart is that he's personally invested in making Millersville a better place.
"I live here. My family lives here. My kids, my boys, I want better for them. I think I have no problem with anybody Googling me or trying to dig up dirt on me. Everything I've ever done, I've tried to do the right thing," Morris said.
Morris says he worked for Millersville Police in the early 2000s, before landing a job as police chief at the Ridgetop Police Department in 2019.
He was then hired in February to replace former Millersville police chief Rob Richman who spent just over a month on the job before he was fired by Tobin.
Millersville commissioners say they are still accepting applications for their city manager position, but say they likely won't hire someone more permanent until after elections later this year.
Neighbors say they are also hosting a day of prayer for Millersville on May 2 outside city hall at 7 a.m.
