CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Black Fox Elementary School fifth-grader Haley Jones was Bradley County’s mayor for the day on Monday.
Haley won the honor as part of a school fundraiser. She presided over the Bradley County Commission’s agenda session, and after lunch with Black Fox Principal Dr. Kim Fisher, she visited the Cleveland City Council.
Both local governments got some good news.
Dan Howell, assistant to the usual county mayor, D. Gary Davis, announced at both meetings that Cleveland and Bradley County have reached the top tier of recognition for the Governor’s Three Star Program. Bradley and only nine other of Tennessee’s 95 counties achieved that, Howell said.
“It means this community is economic and community development ready,” Howell said. It will be one of the first areas visited by potential new Tennessee industries, he said.
Bernadette Douglas, executive vice president for the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, announced the Wednesday kickoff of Buy It Bradley, a campaign to encourage local spending. The goal is to get 75 businesses to accept Buy It Bradley gift cards. A website has been set up at www.buyitbradley.com.
Haley visited county offices and met with Mayor Davis before the County Commission meeting.
Standing in the courthouse hallway after those visits, she had one word for the people who work there: “cool.”
But she had more to say to the commissioners.
“I want to take this opportunity to commend all the department heads and their staffs for their hard work,” she said. ” … I would like to recommend that all county employees get an extra day off with pay.”
Commissioners chuckled.