Dana Simmons is New Collinwood City Manager

The Collinwood City Commission met in special session on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to hire a new city manager. All commissioners were present: Mayor Glenn Brown, Vice Mayor Debie Pigg, Commissioner Kim McFall, Commissioner Shaundale Hanback, and Commissioner Cindy Kephart.

While seats on the city commission are elected positions, the city manager position is not. Collinwood, Waynesboro, and Clifton, the three municipalities in Wayne County, hire city managers by commission vote. Current city manager Gary Victory will be retiring at the end of the month.

Prior to the meeting, from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., the commission conducted interviews for the city manager position with four candidates: Dana Simmons, Terica Weeks, Derrek Sherrill, and Dustin Borden. The names of the applicants were not released prior to the meeting; under legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, a candidate for director-level positions, including city managers, can explicitly request that their application and initial screening remain confidential. However, the 2026 Secrecy Law says that the final vote to hire the city manager must still take place in a wide-open public meeting.

The first candidate discussed by the commission was Dana Simmons. Ms. Simmons is currently the Collinwood City Recorder and has worked closely with City Manager Victory on city business. Before the discussion began, Commissioner Cindy Kephart submitted a Personal Interest Disclosure to Mayor Brown in reference to the fact that Ms. Simmons is her daughter. Attached to the disclosure was a copy of a section of Tennessee code stating that in situations such as these, an official who has the authority to vote in a situation where personal interest is involved, the official must declare the nature of the personal interest. They may recuse themselves from the vote, or they may still choose to vote. Either is legal as long as the Personal Interest Disclosure has been submitted.

On the Personal Interest Disclosure, Commissioner Kephart said, “Family member is an applicant for city manager. I can swear by oath that I have not discussed her application nor have tried in any way to pursue other commissioners to vote for her, nor have I declared or discussed in public her credentials to why she should be city manager, due to the before mentioned being against the Code of Ethics for all elected officials. I believe all applicants should be judged by their knowledge and ability to do the job with the least amount of disruption in daily operation.”

Before the discussion began, Collinwood City employee Andrew Smith read a letter of support for Ms. Simmons. The letter discussed Ms. Simmons’ qualifications for the position of city manager, along with the great relationships city hall employees have with her. The letter was signed by multiple city employees, most of whom were present at the meeting to show their support.

One by one, Mayor Brown called on each commissioner to present their opinions on both the pros and cons of the candidate. Commissioner McFall was first, and she said she felt that Ms. Simmons was highly qualified for the job.

Vice Mayor Pigg was next. She agreed that Ms. Simmons was very qualified, but she did have some concerns about Ms. Simmons stepping into a management position and essentially being over the people she had worked so closely with previously. Vice Mayor Pigg said she knew from personal experience that being friends with co-workers on the same level you are on could become difficult if you take a new management position over those co-workers.

Commissioner Kephart said that she knew first-hand how experienced and qualified Ms. Simmons was for the job. She pointed out that Ms. Simmons is a Certified Municipal Financial Officer (CMFO), which the other applicants are not. She said Ms. Simmons already has vast knowledge of the city budget and how it works, along with all the software, which can be difficult for a new, inexperienced person to learn.

Commissioner Hanback expressed his concern about Ms. Simmons transitioning into a management role over her co-workers and agreed with what Vice Mayor Pigg had said. However, he said he thought the world of Ms. Simmons and knew she was extremely qualified for the position.

The commission briefly discussed each of the other candidates. They agreed that all four had excellent resumes and great personalities. They spoke of Terica Weeks’ high energy and motivation but expressed some concerns about her lack of knowledge about city government.

The commission discussed Derrek Sherill’s federal government experience and his knowledge of grants. They agreed he had a great interview, but they expressed concerns about his lack of knowledge regarding city government.

The final candidate to be discussed was Dustin Borden. They praised his management and accounting experience, but again, expressed concerns about his lack of knowledge about the workings of city government. The commission praised all four candidates for their great resumes and interviews.

At this point in the meeting, Mayor Brown asked for a motion to hire Dana Simmons as the new Collinwood City Manager. Commissioner McFall made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Kephart. The roll call vote was as follows: Commissioner McFall, yes; Commissioner Pigg, yes; Commissioner Kephart, yes; and Commissioner Hanback, no. Dana Simmons was voted in as the new city manager on the 3-1 roll call vote.

Following her appointment to the position, Ms. Simmons issued the following statement:

“I’m excited for the opportunity to serve Collinwood as City Manager. In my four years as City Recorder, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know so many people in our community and being able to help them along the way. I’ve always tried to treat everyone with kindness and respect and be someone they feel comfortable coming to. I’m grateful for the trust that has been placed in me, and I look forward to continuing to serve our community in this new role. I truly believe Collinwood has a bright future, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”