Chip Saltsman’s upcoming departure sets off a reshuffle in U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann’s office.
Filling legislative director Jim Hippe’s shoes will be Alek Vey, now Fleischmann’s press secretary and legislative assistant. Last week Fleischmann announced Hippe will replace Saltsman as chief of staff and top aide beginning Jan. 1.
With Vey’s promotion, someone must communicate with the media. That will be Tyler Threadgill, a former Fleischmann campaign operative known for his role in one of the juiciest stories to emerge from last summer’s 3rd District Republican primary race.
During Fleischmann’s nomination battle with Scottie Mayfield, Threadgill filmed a Mayfield speech in Kingston, Tenn. Afterward, Threadgill hopped into his 2005 Audi and was headed toward the interstate when a motorist told him he had a flat tire. Threadgill noticed someone had cut his tire stem, and he filed a police report.
One of Mayfield’s sons soon confessed. The incident attracted national publicity, and Michael Mayfield, 33, later pleaded guilty to vandalism under $500 for slashing the tire.