Womack Wants High-Level CRMC Staff Limited From Serving On Council
Cookeville City Council member Charles Womack wants the city’s charter changed to prohibit senior employees at Cookeville Regional from serving on city council. Under the resolution that will be considered Thursday night, any high level employees including chiefs and department heads would be prohibited from serving on council while remaining employed at Cookeville Regional. “I […]
Korth Said CRMC Will Cooperate With Council Investigation
Cookeville Regional CEO Paul Korth said the medical center will cooperate with city council members on the investigation of Ricky Shelton. “CRMC followed all policies and procedures with this hire and the offer of employment was contingent upon Shelton resigning from the CRMC Board of Trustees to ensure that there was not a conflict of […]
Shelton Releases Statement From Thursday Meeting
Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton spoke for the first time during Thursday night’s City Council meeting on the controversy surrounding his hiring at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. Here is Shelton’s statement from the meeting unedited. In the mid-1990s, a company from outside Cookeville tried to take our city hospital over. You may remember it—people from all […]
Council Votes To Move Forward With Outside Counsel
Cookeville City Council voted 4-0 Thursday night to have the city manager hire an outside counsel to provide information on the Ricky Shelton-CRMC hiring. “The public has questions and I believe it is our duty to find the answers,” Council Member Eric Walker said. “The city council (are) the representatives of the people and with […]
Cookeville Councilman Met With Attorneys On Mayor’s CRMC Hiring
Cookeville City Council Member Charles Womack said he has spoken to attorneys about the hiring of Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton by Cookeville Regional. Womack said the meeting happened about a month ago. “I’ve been going to bring this for about a month,” Womack said. “We had a legal meeting a month ago, and I talked […]
Ricky Shelton Tapped for Cookeville Regional Medical Center’s New CSO
Cookeville Regional Medical Center is bringing in Ricky Shelton as its new Chief Strategy Officer. Shelton has worked for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals for 14 years, where he’s received recognition and awards for leadership and sales growth. Shelton said he’s covered a lot of ground in his time building relationships in the healthcare sector. “I’ve traveled about […]
Shelton: Jail/Justice Center Expansion County Decision
Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton said the expansion of the Putnam County Jail and Justice Center is a county decision. Speaking as part of a Highlands Economic Development Live Event Wednesday, Shelton said the county commissioners do not need the city’s permission to move forward with the expansion. “Ultimately, it’s not really a City of Cookeville […]
Cookeville Passes New Parking District Ordinance
Cookeville City Council passed a new residential parking district ordinance Thursday night. Council Member Eric Walker amended ordinance to allow households in the areas to be added to any proposed district. “This puts the mechanism in place,” Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton said. Neighborhoods would need to get 2/3 of the residents to sign a petition […]
Shelton: City Residents Asking For Solution
Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton said the city has an obligation to help the community’s homeless population as well as residents who have been impacted by panhandling. Shelton told council members Thursday night citizens are asking for a solution. Shelton said calls to law enforcement concerning panhandling have increased 350 percent in the first eight months […]
Cookeville Council Approves Social Work Contract
Cookeville City Council approved a contract with UCHRA Thursday night to provide social work assistance to Cookeville Police. The pilot program will provide on-call service for police 24/7. The SAS program team will provide assistance with housing, mental health services, substance abuse, and other needs for people needing help. “We need a service with social […]
