Murfreesboro Post
MURFREESBORO WEATHER

Mayor Ketron writes response to insurance business situation




Editor’s note: Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron wrote a letter Sunday to county citizens addressing the situation with his insurance company and his daughter, Kelsey Ketron Randolph, who is taking a leave of absence from the business. The letter follows:

Dear Citizens of Rutherford County,

As your Mayor, my goal is to make Rutherford County the best county in Tennessee. Running the Rutherford County government is my primary focus. I have always worked to be transparent and act ethically and honorably during my 24 years of public service. In that spirit, I want to address and provide a bit of insight concerning some recent articles and rumors that have been critical of my daughter and our family’s multigenerational insurance business.

For those of you who may not know about my background, I was raised in Murfreesboro. My mom and dad founded Universal International Insurance in 1969. After many years of learning from my parents, I joined the family business in 1976. We are very proud of our homegrown company, which has always held a strong reputation in our county and our industry.

Before becoming your Mayor, I served as your State Senator. As you may know, State Senators are part-time public servants, so I was able to remain working in our company with reduced involvement while serving you in that capacity. But, when I was elected to the position of County Mayor in 2018, I made the decision to devote myself completely to public service. The position of Mayor is full-time. My family and I decided that my professional focus would be on our county. We also decided that a leadership team, which included Kelsey, would run our company.

I am so proud of Kelsey. She is a good business partner and my beloved child. At only 28 years of age, she has been an important part of the team to help manage our business as its Vice President and acting CFO, all these responsibilities having many complexities. In light of recent issues, Kelsey has chosen to take a leave of absence. I understand the leadership structure of the company is being addressed. I am confident that any outstanding issues will be resolved and that our company will continue to grow in its service to our customers, as it has for five decades. Regardless, I want to make clear that my attention and energy will continue to be devoted to the citizens of Rutherford County.

I hope this information provides a perspective underlying some of the news reports and rumors you might have seen or heard. I want you to know I remain committed to a better future for Rutherford County and will continue to vigorously serve our citizens every single day.

Sincerely,

Bill Ketron

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