The State of a County That Can Do Better

Mayor Terry Frank gave Anderson County’s first “State of the County” address.

You should watch it. Not because you have to agree with every word, but because in a democracy, we don’t get better by looking away. We’ll link the full speech at the end.

And yes: there were real accomplishments in that address. Grants secured. Projects completed. Equipment purchased. Reserves built. A county government that was once unstable is now in a more secure financial posture.

That matters. But we cannot ignore this simple fact:

A healthy balance sheet is a foundation… not a finish line.

Because a county can be “stable” in the budget book while families are living unstable lives.

And if our leaders want to talk about “the state of our county,” then we have to talk about the state of our people… not just the state of our reserves.

We’re told the county is strong.

But families don’t experience “strong” as a fund balance. They experience it as whether the paycheck can breathe.

In Anderson County, the typical household is living on about $66,000 a year. That’s less than the Tennessee median (about $69,600), and far less than the national median (about $80,700).

That’s the difference between “we can finally get ahead” and “one surprise bill changes everything.”

And the pressure shows up everywhere you look.

Here, more than one in nine of our neighbors is living in poverty.
And nearly one in eleven working-age residents is going without health insurance.

So when we talk about “public safety,” we have to tell the truth: safety isn’t only sirens and response times. Safety is whether people make it to tomorrow.

Because what’s happening here is simple: people aren’t living as long as they should.
Life expectancy in Anderson County is 72.6 years. That’s below the Tennessee average and well below what’s happening nationally.
And when we add up the years lost when people die before their time, it comes out to 12,679 years of life gone too soon. Those are years families should’ve had with the people they love.
And the pain is showing up in hard, heartbreaking numbers: suicide at 37.7 per 100,000, and fatal overdoses at 22.1 per 100,000.

That is the truth underneath all the progress reports.

So when local government says, in effect, “don’t worry — things are stable,” many families hear something else:

We’re fine. Figure the rest out yourselves.

We reject that.

Not because we don’t love this county, but because we do.

If we have strength, we have a responsibility

This is where we need to go from here: If we’re truly on solid footing, then we should stop acting like our hands are tied.

A county with healthy reserves doesn’t have to live in “can’t.”
We can live in “how.” We can set goals that match real life. Goals that are not just numbers on a page.

Because if we can plan years ahead for buildings and equipment, we can plan for something even more basic:

A county where people live longer.
A county where fewer families are crushed by medical debt.
A county where the worst phone call comes less often.
A county where working full-time actually adds up to stability.

And we have to be honest about what’s standing in the way… because some of it isn’t even local.

Tennessee still hasn’t expanded Medicaid, leaving working people stuck in the gap between “too much to qualify” and “not enough to afford care.” And state leadership is pushing to double the private-school voucher program. That’s on top of the universal Education Freedom Scholarship program signed into law in 2025.

Local officials can’t pretend those choices don’t land on Anderson County families.

They do. They land in our schools, in our hospital bills, and in whether a hard-working person can get help before it becomes a crisis.

So here’s what Democrats in Anderson County believe, and what a lot of our neighbors believe even if they’ve never voted Democrat in their life:

If our leaders want credit for stability, they should also accept responsibility for what stability makes possible.

Because “we’re doing fine” isn’t the job. Making sure our people are doing fine is the job.

Here’s what “Strong” should actually mean, because let’s be honest: a county can be financially stable and still leave families feeling like they’re barely hanging on.

So yes! Let’s keep the books strong. Then do the harder thing: use that strength to make life easier for the people who call Anderson County home.

Here’s what a people-first Anderson County looks like.

1. Wages that match the cost of living

When we recruit new jobs, we shouldn’t settle for announcements and photo ops.

We should demand the kind of growth you can feel at the kitchen table: paychecks that rise, benefits that cover, schedules that don’t break families, and jobs that let people live here… not just work here.

If “economic development” doesn’t raise wages for working people, it’s not development that makes a bit of difference in people’s lives.

2. Housing regular people can actually afford

“Growth” is not a success story if it means teachers can’t live near the schools they serve, and young families can’t buy their first home, and seniors get priced out of the communities they built.

We need a real housing plan (not vague promises) that creates homes people who work in Anderson County can afford.

Because the county shouldn’t be a place you grow up in… and then have to leave.

3. Treat mental health and addiction like the emergency it is

We don’t accept a future where overdoses and suicide are treated like normal background tragedy.

Public safety isn’t just what happens after something goes wrong. Public safety is what we do so fewer things go wrong in the first place.

If we can mobilize for roads and equipment, we can mobilize for prevention, treatment access, recovery support, and mental health care that people can reach before they hit rock bottom.

4. Healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt working families

Being uninsured isn’t a personal failure. It’s a policy failure.

Healthcare should not be a luxury item. And no one should be one injury, one diagnosis, or one bad week away from financial ruin.

That means fighting for coverage, building local partnerships that expand care, and reducing the preventable emergencies that cost families (and taxpayers) far more in the long run.

5. Protect public schools like they’re the backbone of the county

Because they are.

Public schools aren’t “just another budget line.” They’re where our kids eat, learn, grow, and get a fair start.

If state leaders are expanding voucher programs that pull public dollars away from public schools, then Anderson County should be a loud, clear voice saying: Our public money should strengthen public classrooms.

6. A government people can actually access

A “State of the County” once a year is not accountability.

People deserve a county government that invites them in all year… with clear priorities, transparent decisions, and measurable goals that are easy to follow.

Not because people are nosy. But because people are the owners.

And government works best when it remembers that.

So what are we asking for?

This isn’t a “gotcha” response. It’s a challenge… and an invitation.

We can be proud that Anderson County is more stable than it used to be. We can recognize the work that’s been done.

And we can still say, clearly that stability for government is not enough if families don’t feel secure.

So here’s what we’re asking our neighbors to demand with us: Let’s measure success by the things that actually touch people’s lives.

By whether a working family can afford to live here without holding their breath.
By whether people can get care before it becomes tragedy.
By whether our public schools are protected and strengthened — not slowly siphoned.
By whether a full-time job leads to dignity — not exhaustion.

That’s the standard. That’s the Anderson County we’re fighting for.

And if you read this and felt that gap (between the speeches and the reality) trust yourself. You’re not alone.

This county belongs to all of us. And we’re done settling for less than we deserve.

Ready to help build it?
If you want a county government that matches real life… we need you.

Show up. Plug in. Help us organize precinct by precinct.

Your support helps us reach voters, train volunteers, and build the year-round organization this county deserves.