County Commission - District 21

Laura Blackwell Clark

L. Clark

Democrat

Tell us about your campaign.

I am Dr. Laura Clark, educator, mom, grandmother, native Tennessean, and a resident of Rutherford County since 2006. I am seeking to represent District 21 on the Rutherford County Commission, and honored to be supported by Commissioner Chantho Sourinho who has served our district since 2010.

In your own words, describe the responsibilities of the office you are seeking.

No response provided

What are your priorities for this office?

I will support Rutherford County's efforts to find alternative, safer ways to dispose of solid waste, and I oppose the expansion of Middle Point Landfill. I will work to be fiscally responsible, while increasing salaries of teachers in Rutherford County Schools, county law enforcement officers and other county employees with a goal of offering salaries that are more competitive with Murfreesboro and surrounding counties. I will work to find public/private partnerships to make housing more affordable in Rutherford County, particularly for first time homebuyers. I support smart growth in Rutherford County as proposed in Plan Rutherford. I support building collaborative relationships between the governments of Rutherford County and Murfreesboro to better serve residents of Rutherford County.

Describe your qualifications for this office.

I was born and raised in Memphis, went to college to learn to be a teacher, eventually receiving my doctorate in educational leadership and policy at Vanderbilt University. As an educator, I have been a teacher, a principal, and then at MTSU, a professor and an administrator. As a board member of the non-partisan American Democracy Project at MTSU, I have been civically engaged in serving MTSU and Rutherford County through voter registration as well as training MTSU students to advocate and communicate with their representatives both in state and local government. Since 2015 at MTSU, I have supported educators in Tennessee through our signature professional development program, the PK-12 Collaborative. In 2020, I was honored to be a Trailblazer Honoree for National Women's History Month, and was also nominated by MTSU for the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award. I was recently elected to serve on the state board of Tennessee Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TNTESOL). As a member of the Rutherford Neighborhood Alliance since 2024, I have worked with other county residents to engage with local government, to advocate with local officials and to speak publicly on issues of importance to our community. I am also a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Murfreesboro.