City Manager Roger Haley stands before Gateway Island in the Gateway District. TMP/Lisa Marchesoni.
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Murfreesboro City Manager Roger G. Haley knows how to, in his words, “take a sow’s ear and turn it into a silk purse.”
Under his vision and direction, the city of Murfreesboro transformed an ugly hole at the former landfill site off Old Nashville Highway into Gateway Island, “one of the prettiest little spots in this city.”
Gateway Island, located near Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, features a lake with a waterfall as part of the Stones River Greenway. He and his wife, Holly, often walk the trail while listening to children squeal with delight about the ducks, geese and turtles.
“It’s been Murfreesboro’s best kept secret,” Haley said.
Haley, who will be 64 this month, will retire Aug. 3 after a 20-year tenure as city manager. The Tennessee City Management Association named Haley “City Manager of the Year” this summer during the Tennessee Municipal League’s annual conference in Chattanooga.
He reflected on the city’s growth, his disappointments and challenges facing successor, Deputy City Manager Rob Lyons. He discussed his vision shared by the mayor and city council of turning farmland on Old Fort Parkway and the now Medical Center Parkway into the “silk purses” of retail and commercial businesses.
Haley grew up in the Florence community. As an adult, he operated a storage unit and plumbing wholesale business. Ted Beach recruited him to run for City Council in 1978. As City Manager Clyde Fite suffered health problems in 1988, then-Mayor Joe B. Jackson, future Mayor Richard Reeves and retired City Attorney Tom Reed asked him to be city manager. Haley refused.
The next year, Haley agreed to serve as city manager one year, a job expanding 20 years.
“Murfreesboro was a small city positioned for a great opportunity ahead of it,” Haley said of the city in 1989, citing good industry, a great location with Interstate 24 near Nashville and educational opportunities from kindergarten through a doctorate degree at MTSU. It’s annual budget was about $18.2 million.
Planning retail growth
Haley, who is fiscally adept, and the mayor and city council believed a diverse mix of retail and industry would provide a secure tax base. He recruited retail, commercial and industrial segments.
In retail, Haley supported development of Stones River Mall on Old Fort Parkway.
Wal-Mart was an original anchor store before moving to its present location on Old Fort Parkway. Castner-Knott and later, Dillard’s, became anchors.
Four years ago, an investment group refurbished and expanded the mall.
City leaders proposed a convention center in 1998 with a mix of retail and white-collar jobs but withdrew the concept after opposition by citizens. Later, the council partnered with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce to create the convention center and the mixture of retail and white-collar jobs in the Gateway District.
The district, with an entrance off Interstate 24 onto Medical Center Parkway, is home to The Avenue shopping center with retail stores such as Belk’s, Best Buy and Barnes and Noble Booksellers along with smaller chains and independent stores and restaurants.
The 17-story, 283-suite Embassy Suites built by hotel magnate John Q. Hammons of Springfield, Mo., houses an 80,000-square-foot conference center hosting large businesses and organizations in Murfreesboro.
Negotiations lasted 10 years.
“Working with Mr. Hammons through the process that would lead to his building the hotel and conference center here in Murfreesboro was one of the high points of my career as city manager,” Haley reflected.
“It was not until the construction had started that I fully came to understand that not until Mr. Hammons was 100 percent satisfied with the location and 100 percent ready to start, this project wasn’t going to happen,” Haley explained. “Mr. Hammons knew from Day 1 that he would some day build a hotel conference center in this city but it was not going to happen until it met the requirements that would cause him to turn the project loose.”
Haley can’t say enough about Hammons and The Avenue developments, bringing products “second to none” in the city.
The Gateway District will be a 20- to 25-year development, Haley said.
Bristol businessman C.M. “Bill” Gatton, who purchased the Lane farm where The Avenue is now located, still owns undeveloped property. Gatton recently donated four acres valued at over $2 million at Haley’s request for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce’s Visitors Center. Construction should begin this summer.
“Mr. Gatton has been a tremendous supporter of this community since he made his investment a few years ago,” Haley observed.
In the medical and commercial sector, the new Middle Tennessee Medical Center under construction, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, adjoining physician’s offices and headquarters for insurance companies and other offices bring more jobs to Murfreesboro.
Impact of retail growth
“The growth we’ve seen in the last 10 years from the retail side of the business community has been unbelievable,” Haley said. “For too long, Murfreesboro shoppers were going to Davidson and Williamson counties for products they couldn’t find here. Today, I don’t believe that’s the case.”
Now, shoppers from surrounding counties drive to Murfreesboro to shop, increasing the city’s sales tax revenues significantly.
“We’ve transferred from a county with tax money migrating out to now importing revenue,” Haley noted.
That transfers into savings for taxpayers.
Murfreesboro has grown from 46,000 residents in 1990 to more than 100,000 residents in 2009.
The sales tax revenue showed more growth than housing and industry combined.
“When people say growth does not pay for itself, properly managed finances and growth as has been experienced in the city of Murfreesboro, should dispel the belief you can’t have growth without having property tax increases,” Haley said.
During the past 17 years, the mayor and city council only raised property taxes one time for only one penny. The budget this fiscal year amounts to $96.8 million.
Mayors, council members and administrators properly managed funds and growth to bring an expanded level of services, Haley said.
The sales tax collections allowed Murfreesboro to provide full services for its citizens, including fire and police coverage, garbage pickup, parks and recreation, a school system, streets, planning, and codes. In the past 20 years, the city added 719 employees and the legal, personnel, urban environmental, public transportation and fleet services departments.
Current Mayor Tommy Bragg said Haley realized a city must grow to prosper or become stagnant. His strategy is to attract growth from existing and new businesses.
“Mr. Haley has fostered recreation and infrastructure projects to enhance our city’s appeal,” Bragg said. “His efforts and vision make Murfreesboro an exceptional location for both business, education and residential opportunity.
“Just look at the maintenance of city facilities and public areas, the Greenway, the Gateway, our traditional downtown, both business and residential, our city school system, our roads, utilities, parks, golf courses, planning, engineering, street and solid waste departments,” Bragg said. “These improvements do not happen without leadership and the ability to achieve. Mr. Haley has been a faithful steward to his responsibilities.”
Working with elected officials, he upgraded utility capacity, extended city and county road networks, added well-trained and equipped emergency services and extensive city services, all in line with a reasonable tax rate.
His goal has always been to keep Murfreesboro at the top of the list of best places to live, locate a business or further an educational pursuit.
“He has not always made everyone happy with his methods, but his intention to make Murfreesboro the best at the least cost to the taxpayer, cannot be questioned,” Bragg said.
Industrial base
Haley served 28 years on the Rutherford County Industrial Development Board where he helped recruit and retain industry.
Strong selling features included location, transportation and “an outstanding work force,” along with MTSU and the Tennessee Vocational School, with both institutions willing to train workers.
“Rutherford County is blessed by the variation of industry, with excellent diversification,” Haley said.
Developer Tommy Smith served with Haley for 25 years on the IDB. The largest industry the board landed in the county was Nissan in Smyrna, which employed more than 6,000 workers at one time.
They helped negotiate the project that was both fair to the community and industry. The agreement still exists.
IDB’s goal was to recruit and land diversified industries in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. The board landed balanced industries ranging from medical supplies to electric switch boxes and at one time, rail cars.
“Roger is a visionary when it gets into economic matters and the community of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County,” Smith said. “He would come forward with decisions everyone would have to stop and think about. In most instances, after thinking about what he suggested, it all made sense. Roger doesn’t mince many words when he’s trying to get something accomplished. He speaks directly to the point, which bothered some people.”
Yet, his thought processes led to good results.
When people said, “You can’t do that. This is Murfreesboro,” Haley would always support worthwhile programs that needed to move forward.
Haley pays attention to problems, even as small as a pothole, to make the city better.
“He always looked to the future, not only the IDB but the city of Murfreesboro, creating some of the things we enjoy in the progress of Murfreesboro today,” Smith said.
Haley said the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, removed duties and restrictions from Mexico and Canada and altered the industrial base.
NAFTA caused industries to move to Mexico, the city manager said. Murfreesboro lost thousands of jobs, switching Murfreesboro and the U.S. to more of a service-oriented economy, rather than manufacturing-oriented economy.
“I think the jury is still out and I really believe it will be 20 to 30 years before we can determine if this is a positive or a negative on the overall well-being of this community and nation,” Haley said.
Time will also show the impact of the international economy on Murfreesboro, he added.
He’s concerned about the city’s high unemployment rate, a direct reflection on the national and international economy, but is thankful diversified industry keeps it lower than the nation.
Regrets, challenges, accomplishments
One of Haley’s regrets is lack of funding to build a police precinct in the Blackman community.
He also regrets:
• Not completing the Southwest Loop from Veteran’s Center Parkway to state Route 99 (New Salem Highway), bisecting Armstrong Valley Road and cutting southwest to state Route 96 West (Franklin Highway) and the Beesley Road exit of state Route 840 and not completing the route from South Church Street to Joe B. Jackson Parkway.
“This major corridor will be a tremendous benefit to our citizens when it’s completed,” Haley said.
• Not reaching a long-term lease agreement between the city and Alvin C. York VA Medical Center on the golf course.
The biggest challenge facing successor Lyons will be the impact of decisions made by the national and state governments changing the way local governments do business.
“Virtually every state government faces tremendous revenue declines and one of the fastest ways for those shortfalls to be made up will be on the backs of local government,” Haley said. “I hope this won’t happen but it will certainly take strong understanding and leadership at the state and national levels to see this will not happen.”
For accomplishments, Haley listed saving the city $63 million in interest cost savings for city projects as vice chair of the Tennessee Municipal League’s Bond Fund for the past 11 years.
“I would much prefer to be able as we’ve done to spend $63 million on additional projects throughout the city rather than issue a check for interest of $49,000 a week that goes to a bank in New York,” Haley said.
Haley credited the city’s success to the late Mayors Hollis Westbrooks and Jackson, the late councilmen Woody Robinson, John Pittard, Robert “Tee-Niny” Scales and Don Wiseman, former and present mayors and council members, Beach, who recruited him originally, and city employees.
To give back to the community, Haley and his wife Holly started the Joe B. Jackson Scholarship Fund. He asked people to make a donation to the scholarship fund.
After his retirement, he and Holly plan to travel for several months before he finds another job, possibly as a consultant.
“I’m happy for Murfreesboro and I’m just glad to be a part of it,” Haley said.
Lisa Marchesoni may be reached at 869-0814 or at lmarchesoni@murfreeboropost.com
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