MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - The simmering dispute between Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr and Commission Chairman Jeff Phillips is heating up, with Carr responding Saturday evening to Phillips’ formal request that he appear before the Board of Commissioners this coming Thursday, March 12, 2026.

At issue is how state law is being applied to the appointment of department heads and board members — specifically, Tennessee Code Annotated § 5‑6‑106(c), which requires mayoral appointments to be confirmed by the legislative body. Phillips argues that Carr has used this statute to veto a Commission resolution, yet bypassed it when appointing Solid Waste Director Matt Davis earlier this month.

Carr’s office submitted Davis’ appointment for confirmation on March 3, but Phillips says that was after the appointment had already taken effect on March 1. In his letter, Phillips accuses the Mayor of applying the law inconsistently — using it to block Commission actions while sidestepping it for his own hires.

“When a County Mayor publicly characterizes a Commission action as ‘unlawful’ and invokes T.C.A. § 5‑6‑106(c) in connection with a veto,” Phillips wrote, “but then makes a department-head appointment without submitting that appointment for Commission confirmation under the same statute, it understandably creates questions.”

Carr’s Saturday response letter pushes back, defending his interpretation of the law and the timing of Davis’ appointment. He maintains that the Commission’s resolution — which would have allowed commissioners to serve as alternates on the Ethics Committee — was unlawful, and that his veto was necessary to uphold the statute.

Rutherford County Mayor Carr responded to Commissioner Phillips by taking the commissioner's original letter, and placing his (Carr's) response in red. 

This marks Carr’s second veto in less than three years, and it’s clear the tension between the Mayor’s Office and the Commission is growing. Phillips has also expressed frustration that Carr rarely attends standing committee meetings, which he says leads to legal conflicts only after decisions have been made.

All eyes now turn to this coming Thursday's (4/12/2026) Rutherford County Board of Commissioner's meeting where Carr is expected to address the Commission directly. Whether the two sides can find common ground — or whether this legal tug-of-war continues — remains to be seen.