Bill Ketron

Bill Ketron, Jr. (born September 4, 1953) is a Tennessee politician who was the Mayor of Rutherford County, previously serving as a member of the Tennessee Senate for the 13th district, which was composed of Lincoln, Marshall, and Maury counties, as well as part of Rutherford County from 2003 to his resignation in 2018. He won the August 2 general election for mayor and assumed office on September 1, 2018, resigning from the Senate on the previous day.[1][2][3] In the May 3, 2022 Republican primary, Ketron lost reelection to former state representative Joe Carr, who went on to win the general election to succeed him.[4]

Bill Ketron
Mayor of Rutherford County
In office
September 1, 2018 – August 30, 2022
Preceded byErnest Burgess
Succeeded byJoe Carr
Member of the Tennessee Senate
from the 13th district
In office
January 2003 – August 31, 2018
Preceded byGene Elsea
Succeeded byDawn White
Personal details
Born (1953-09-04) September 4, 1953
Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Theresa Fallaw
​
(m. 1983)​
Children1
EducationMiddle Tennessee State University (BS)

Personal background

Ketron was born in Kingsport, Tennessee and grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He graduated from Central High School in Murfreesboro in 1971 and Middle Tennessee State University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and history. He is the owner of Universal International Insurance, a small business in Murfreesboro.[5]

He married Theresa Fallaw in 1983. Their daughter, Kelsey (born 1990), attends Middle Tennessee State University, and the family attends First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro.[5]

Political career

Bill Ketron has served as a state senator since being elected to the 103rd Tennessee General Assembly. He served as the Deputy Speaker of the Senate, the chairman of the very active and powerful Senate State and Local Government Committee, and a member of the following committees: the Senate Commerce, Labor and Agriculture; Senate Education; Senate Ethics; and Joint Long Term Care Oversight. He previously held office as a member of the Rutherford County commission from 1990 to 1998. He is a member of the 106th Tennessee General Assembly, the 2010 regular session of which convened on January 25, 2010. He will be up for re-election this year.

He supported Rick Perry for the Republican Party's nomination in the presidential election of 2012.[6]

In February 2011, Ketron and State Rep. Judd Matheny introduced legislation to outlaw sharia law in the state.[7]

In March 2013, Ketron and Matheny drew national attention after inquiring whether a new floor-level sink in the Tennessee state capitol had been installed to allow Muslims to wash their feet before praying. According to state officials, the sink is meant to make it easier for custodial staff to fill buckets and clean mops.[8]

On May 1, 2018, Ketron won the Republican primary for the Rutherford County Mayoral nomination.[9] Ketron won the August 2 general election, defeating his opponent Heather Ann Brown with 24,013 votes to her 14,575 votes.[1] He was sworn into office on September 1, 2018.[2]

On May 3, 2022, Ketron lost renomination for mayor in the Republican primary, placing third behind former state representative Joe Carr, who placed first in the primary with 6,862 votes, and second place finisher Rhonda Allen, who earned 6,239 votes. Ketron received 4,487 votes.[10] Carr went on to win the general election for mayor on August 4, 2022.[4]

Public image

In June 2018, a fraud complaint was filed against Universal International Insurance, of which Ketron is owner and president. The complaint alleges that the company's vice-president, Kelsey Ketron, fraudulently accepted payment for a homeowner's insurance policy, without obtaining the policy, and at a time when she did not possess a valid license to do so. A civil lawsuit is pending in Rutherford County Circuit Court against the company.[11]

References
  1. Reynolds, Jason (August 2, 2018). "Ketron elected County Mayor; Fitzhugh re-elected sheriff". Murfreesboro Post. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  2. Broden, Scott (August 26, 2018). "'Honored to serve': Ernest Burgess said he relied on faith as Rutherford County's mayor". Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-08-26. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  3. Broden, Scott (August 27, 2018). "Rutherford County Mayor-elect Bill Ketron will resign from Tennessee Senate on Friday". Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  4. Broden, Scott (4 August 2022). "Joe Carr wins Rutherford County mayor election over runner up Randy Allen". The Murfreesboro Post. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  5. "About Senator Bill Ketron". SenatorBillKetron.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  6. J.R. Lind (November 7, 2011). "More Volunteers for Perry - Nashville Post". nashvillepost.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  7. Sisk, Chas (February 23, 2011). "Ketron, Matheny give their take on Shariah bill". Nashville Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2011-11-13. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  8. Schelzig, Eric (March 25, 2013). "Is Tenn. Capitol sink for Muslim feet washing? No". Archived from the original on 2013-03-31. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  9. Lind, J.R. (May 2, 2018). "Rutherford Election Results: Ketron, Fitzhugh Win May 1 Primaries". La Vergne Patch. Archived from the original on 2018-08-27. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  10. Courage, Tayla (4 May 2022). "Joe Carr defeats Bill Ketron in Republican primary for Rutherford County mayor". The Murfreesboro Post. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  11. jreynolds@mainstreetmediatn.com, JASON M. REYNOLDS. "UPDATE: Kelsey Ketron insurance license revocation hearing postponed". The Murfreesboro Post. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
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