| Sources |
- [S51] The Seymour Herald, (www.smokymountainherald.com), 10 Mar 2006.
Larry Waters seeks Re-Election
Larry Waters, County Mayor for Sevier County, has announced his intention to seek re-election. He will run in the Republican Primary to be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2006. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Sevier Countians in this office in the past” stated Waters. “Although a lot has been accomplished, I would like to continue to serve the people of Sevier County and help address the remaining issues that come with the unprecedented growth of our county.”
Waters said he is proud of the accomplishments that have taken place over the past four years. These include completing the school building program, working with the state and cities to improve the transportation infrastructure, building a new senior center, establishing guidelines for growth, and establishing guidelines to control storm water runoff. “I am very proud that we continue to work for an efficient government and as a result, our property taxes remain among the lowest in the State of Tennessee” stated Waters.
“I look forward to meeting the new challenges that the office faces over the next four years,” stated Waters. “Among those challenges are working with the school board to establish a new building program for the school system and working with the cities and the state to continue to improve our transportation infrastructure. There are many projects underway, including the new library, the new hospital, and the new minimum security facility that will require immediate attention” said Waters.
He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration. Waters was once a principal-teacher in the Sevier County School System, and has served 28 years as County Mayor-formerly known as County Executive. He has served on many state-wide boards and committees. He currently serves on the State of Tennessee Air Pollution Board, the East Tennessee Development District Board, and is second vice-president of the Tennessee County Services Association, and chairman of the Regional Transportation Organization for this area. Waters also serves on many other local boards and committees.
Waters is a native of the Jones Cove Community and is married to the former Terri McCarter. He and Terri have two children, David and Adrienne. The family attends First Baptist Church of Gatlinburg.
- [S51] The Seymour Herald, (www.smokymountainherald.com), 24 May 2006.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters (R-Gatlinburg) wants to be the new 1st District congressman. Waters officially kicked off his campaign Tuesday on the Sevier County Courthouse steps to a crowd of more than 200.
Waters, 53, has been Sevier County mayor for more than 28 years. “I have tried to repay that honor by working every day to help make our home a better place to live, work and play,” Waters said Tuesday. “Along the way, we’ve managed to keep tax rates among the lowest in the state while leading Sevier County to unprecedented economic growth and record low unemployment rates.”
Waters’ appearance at Sevier County Courthouse was the second stop for the congressional hopeful Tuesday. His first stop was at Lois’ Restaurant in Newport, and after his visit in Sevier County he met with voters at Little Dutch Restaurant in Morristown.
Waters feels the region needs “conservative leadership.”
“Next month, we (Sevier County) will pass a balanced budget for the 28th consecutive year, ensuring, once again, that our county has a limited government exercising fiscal responsibility,” he said. “The citizens of the 1st District deserve this sort of proven record of conservative leadership from their next Congressman.”Waters assured the audience he would be just as accessible in Congress as he has been in Sevier County. “I’ve always maintained an open-door policy,” he said. “I’ve been eager to meet with citizens to hear their concerns and to work together to address their problems. Constituent service has remained a high priority of mine since I first took office, and I believe that the citizens of the 1st District have come to expect this same level of responsive government from their next Congressman.”
What’s his motivation for running for Congress? “I believe that now, more than ever, we need proven conservative leadership and East Tennessee values in Washington,” Waters said. “These are values I learned growing up right here in the mountains of East Tennessee - Mountain Republican values. (These values include) hard work that I learned on our small family farm in Jones’ Cove. Values like faith that I learned listening to my grandfather’s sermons on Sundays. Values like the meaning of a dollar that I learned working my way through the University of Tennessee while becoming a first generation college graduate. And values like family that my wife, Terri, and I have learned…while raising our two children.”
Waters says he is ready to take on Washington. “I want to take these Mountain Republican values to Washington and fight for the people of the 1st Congressional District.”
Some of the issues he looks to become involved in include securing U.S. borders and to bring energy prices down by cutting the stranglehold that foreign countries have on the oil supply. “I want see us succeed in the War on Terror,” he said. “I want to work to protect the American family by supporting the values that made our nation great. I want to work to ensure that health care is accessible and affordable, particularly for our nation’s seniors.
“I (also) want to ensure that our rights to bear arms and to own property are never stripped away,” he added. “I want to work bring new, better-paying jobs to the 1st District. And I want to continue my record of balancing budgets and keeping taxes low by working to get spending under control in our nation’s Capital.
“But most of all, I want take my open-door approach and commitment to good government to Washington as your next Congressman.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 18 Jul 2006.
Braving the waters
U.S. House candidate Larry Waters hopes to rally voters
By: JOEL DAVIS, Staff Writer July 18, 2006
Joel Davis/The Mountain Press
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters meets and greets at a campaign stop in Newport. Waters is seeking the Congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Bill Jenkins.
Political campaigns have a lot in common with the game of tag. No matter how far you run, the key is knowing when to head home.
For Larry Waters, Sevier County Mayor and 1st District Congressional candidate, a campaign stop at the Cocke County Courthouse in Newport meant he was halfway there.
Waters, who was raised in Jones Cove just over the county line from Cocke County, had some definite name recognition from people attending the breakfast meet-and-greet.
"Your grandfather (Rex Waters) preached at my grandmother's funeral," said one woman to Waters.
"You know Leon Williams?" asks a man in baseball cap. When Waters indicates that he does, the speaker grins. "That's the bad part."
Waters is one of a number of candidates vying for the Republican nomination to the 1st District U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Bill Jenkins.
A man names Tom Odell shakes hands with Waters.
"I've always known Larry," Odell said. "He's a real good friend of mine. Just about a hometown boy."
"Every Saturday, I came to the Cocke County Courthouse with my grandfather," Waters said. "Tom Odell said that on one side they were talking politics and on the other side they were handling snakes."
The crowd laughs.
"I don't remember that part," Waters said, wryly.
Cocke County Mayor Iliff McMahan Jr. said that Waters has another connection with the area.
"He and I were born in my office," McMahan said.
McMahan and Waters were born in the building housing the Cocke County Courthouse Annex - the former Valentine Schults Hospital. The office that McMahan now occupies once served as the maternity ward.
Jimmy Dunn, who is running for 4th Judicial District Attorney General, and Peggy Lane, a cousin of Waters, are serving as co-chairs of Waters' campaign in Cocke County.
Along with Sevier County, Waters considers Cocke, Jefferson, Hamblen and other nearby counties as part of his base.
About 31 percent of 51,000-or-so registered voters in Sevier County turned out for the county primary election in May. Waters hopes that at least that many county residents will vote in the August election.
"The key is getting out the vote, especially in Sevier County, for me," he said. "If we can get a good turnout, that would be very good for my candidacy. We've got a historic opportunity to have somebody from Sevier County serve in a congressional seat. If folks turn out, it will go a long way to make that reality."
With less than three weeks to go until the Aug. 3 state primary, Waters is on the road quite a bit. On Thursday, he spent most of the day in Hawkins County before traveling to Morristown.
After Cocke County, and a stop to cast his ballot during early voting at the Sevier County Courthouse, Waters planned to end the day in Mountain City on Friday.
"The days we are on the campaign trail, we usually start early and end late," he said. "It is such a large district. There are parts of 12 counties in it. It takes a while to cover."
Waters travels about 400 miles per day while campaigning, his driver Kurt Hippel said.
On July 4, for example, Waters appeared in parades in White Pine and Rogersville, attended functions in Morristown and Mountain City, and ended the day watching fireworks in Unicoi City.
"There are some days when it's too many (miles)," Hippel said.
This is Waters second run for the congressional seat. In 1996, he lost in the primary to Jenkins. He still enjoys the experience, though.
"Actually, campaigning is about the same," he said. "Folks are really nice. They treat you well. I enjoy meeting and talking to people. I'm really having a good time right now. I get to see a lot of folks."
Waters enjoys everything about campaigning, except for raising money.
"I wish there was a way to avoid that, but there's not if you're going to be competitive in this kind of race," he said.
* jwdavis@themountainpress.com
Larry Waters
HOME: Gatlinburg
WIFE: Terri
CHILDREN: David and Adrienne
CHURCH: First Baptist Church Gatlinburg
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, University of Tennessee
PREVIOUS OFFICES: Sevier County Mayor since 1978
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 8 Aug 2006.
Waters: I'm looking at serving this community
By: DEREK HODGES
Staff Writer August 06, 2006
When the votes in the U.S. House District 1 Republican primary were tallied they showed Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters with considerable support, but not enough to send him to Washington.
With new voting machines and a long ballot, results from most counties in the district weren't available until Friday morning. When those numbers did come in, they showed state Rep. David Davis leading the Republican pack with 16,570 votes. Sullivan County Mayor Richard Venable followed Davis closely with 16,049 votes.
Waters, along with Sevier County residents Peggy Barnett and Colquitt "C.P." Brackett, was among the 13 candidates vying for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Jenkins. Jenkins has represented the district since 1996.
With 7,777 votes, or 10 percent of the total ballots cast, Waters is firmly in fifth place. Barnett had a fair showing, sitting at seventh with 1,699 votes, or 2 percent. Brackett had the tenth-highest vote total, with 246.
"Obviously I am disappointed, mostly that we didn't have a better turn out," Waters said. "I wish more people from this area would have turned out and that may have helped me have a chance to represent this district in Congress."
As expected, Waters had a strong showing in the southern end of the district, handily capturing Sevier and Cocke counties. Waters had hoped candidates like Venable and Davis, who are both from the Tri Cities area, would split the vote in that area enough to make his take in the southern counties good for the win.
While he did not secure a place in the general election to face Democrat Rick Trent and four independents for the House seat, Waters did retain his job as mayor of Sevier County in a race with Democrat J.T. Braswell.
"There's a lot of challenges facing the county and I'm looking forward to working on those," Waters said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to continue serving the people of Sevier County."
While the results of the election are unofficial until next week's canvass, not much is expected to change in the race. Given that the district has been represented by a Republican since 1881 and has extremely conservative leanings, Davis is expected to find victory in November, as well.
"I feel very good about being the next congressman from this district," Davis said Friday. "I look forward to representing the conservative values of the 1st Congressional District."
Davis said his term in office will focus on traditional conservative issues, including regulating abortion, protecting the right to bear arms and controlling spending. He said he also wants to work on immigration, health care and decreasing the dependence on foreign oil.
For his part, Waters says he isn't considering another run for higher office anytime soon.
"One never knows what the future may hold, but I don't anticipate running again anytime soon," he said. "Right now I am focused on the business of being county mayor."
* dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 30 Nov 2008.
Reflecting Waters: County mayor takes look back at 30 years in office
By DEREK HODGES
dhodges@themountainpress.com
"I think we've accomplished a whole lot in my time here, and I emphasize we because it takes a lot of people to make all this work," Waters says. "We've made a lot of progress in a lot of areas and I'm very proud of that."
From his corner office in the courthouse, Waters commands a picturesque view of downtown Sevierville, including the statue of the county's favorite daughter. A large wooden conference table, often crowded haphazardly with the day's newspapers and documents awaiting Waters' review, fills a third of the space. Waters also has a private bathroom, a television hooked up to cable and a leather captain's chair that sits behind a solid oak desk of the type old-timers say, "They don't make "em like that anymore."
Despite the relative luxury of his government portion, Waters spends fairly little time in the office. Fueled by virtually ever-present Diet Cokes, Waters makes the rounds of county offices where he wields a great deal of influence when he comes with requests for support for his ideas, other officeholders report.
"As anybody in this office across the state can tell you, if you don't have the ability to develop a lot of relationships, you're not going to make it," Waters says.
Beyond the walls of the courthouse and the bounds of the county, Waters has involved himself in a host of boards and committees, all of which he contends can provide some benefit to the people of Sevier County. Those memberships have earned him plaques and certificates for his service in one office or another that literally fill the walls of his workspace.
Along with those, pictures of Waters with national notables from presidents to senators adorn the office, next to documents distinguishing him as a colonel - the honorary aide de camp distinction - in two states.
The wall hangings suggest the success Waters says he likes to think the county has seen under his leadership. He points to accomplishments in education, road building and other infrastructure as proof the area is moving forward.
"You can just look at the solid waste center as proof we're really on the cutting edge," Waters says of the compost plant that is under reconstruction after a fire destroyed the facility last year. "We've got one of the largest recycling operations in the nation and now we're looking at some new technology that could take the residual material from the composting process, burn it and produce power from that."
Beyond that, Waters says the county has worked hard to keep students in adequate facilities and proudly points out there's not a single mile of public road in the area that's not paved - a far cry from the gravel days early in his service.
Despite the progress, Waters says he's not yet ready to call his job finished.
"I think there are a great many challenges facing the county right now and I hope to be a part of finding resolutions to those," he says.
Chief among those concerns in his mind is keeping the local economy going, even as the national financial picture looks increasingly bleak.
"While six months ago I would have said the schools are the biggest challenge, now I'd say it's definitely the economy," Waters says. "There are a lot of positive things going on, and here I mean all the new businesses and industries we've been able to recruit to the area, but I know everyone is really concerned about the economy."
To address those concerns, Waters says government needs to cut spending and keep taxes level.
While he may have some ideas on the economy, Waters says he's glad to take advice from others on how to balance economic growth with environmental concerns.
"We need to strike the right balance on that and that's a real challenge," he says. "Our citizens certainly want to see the beauty we have here protected, but they also have a very independent nature that makes them distrust any effort to control what they can do with their property. I think we're making some progress there, though, and we have some great people working on that."
Though he hopes to bring about solutions to those issues and others, Waters is almost poetic as he acknowledges the seal he fills doesn't belong to him, even after 30 years in it, but to the people. He says he's fully aware someone else will one day, sooner or later, be charged with taking on the county's business.
"I don't think there's going to be a next 30 years," Waters says with a laugh. "I do hope the people see fit to keep me here as long as I can still do some good, though."
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 28 Oct 2010.
Surprised Waters wins award from state peers
By DEREK HODGES
PIGEON FORGE — It’s not easy to orchestrate a surprise for a man who is so connected in Sevier County that he’s won election as county mayor nine times. That’s apparently why Larry Waters sat silent for a few seconds after his name was called out during the presentation of the Robert M. Wormsley Outstanding County Official of the Year award.
“I really had no idea,” Waters said as he accepted the hefty glass trophy. “It is something that I never expected.”
Waters was given the honor during the Tennessee County Services Association’s (TCSA) annual convention, with TCSA President Greg Adkins commenting it only seemed appropriate that Waters receive the prize this year since he hosted the gathering in Pigeon Forge.
“We’re excited to be in Sevier County. I want to say thank you to our local hosts,” Adkins said before he presented the prize, pointing out the attendance at this year’s 57th annual event is the largest ever. “It is appropriate that Larry Waters receive this award today in his home county.”
Adkins read through a litany of Waters’s achievements over the more than three decades he’s been in office, from the time he was a young principal turned politician in 1978 to the myriad boards and commissions he serves on now. He also recounted the numerous other awards that fill Waters’ office, from the Pless Newman Republican Award to a certificate naming him an aide de camp in the governor’s staff.
“He is an outstanding member of this community and the longest-serving mayor in the state,” Adkins said. “This award is to recognize someone who exemplifies experience, passion and commitment to county government. Larry Waters is most deserving of this award.”
While Waters has joked his wife Terri, who was in attendance at the event Wednesday along with a host of county officials, has insisted she wants him to clean out some of the older awards that wallpaper his office, he said this one will get special place there.
“I am very appreciative of the award,” Waters told the crowd. “It does mean a lot to me personally because I do know Bob.”
Waters was referring to Wormsley, a former executive director of TCSA who has helped leaders in counties across the state for more than 40 years and is the namesake of the award. He said he counts it an honor to receive an award named after the man and shared with him by a list of admirable public servants.
“It is a distinguished group I am joining and I appreciate that,” Waters said. “I must say thank you for this award.”
While he was the one standing at the front of the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation as he accepted the prize, he credited the other local officials and members of his staff in the back of the room for “making (him) look good.” He also vowed to proceed with efforts to benefit the county through his ninth term, which just started at the beginning of September.
“It has certainly been an honor and privilege to serve the people of this area,” Waters said. “I look forward to continuing to do so.”
dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 30 Nov 2011.
County mayor, wife injured in wreck
by JEFF FARRELL
SEVIERVILLE— Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters was back at work Tuesday and his wife was recovering at home after they were in a head-on wreck Monday with a man who was allegedly driving under the influence.
Waters was driving on the Baskins Creek bypass in Gatlinburg, heading to a Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce event, when he collided at about 6:21 p.m. with a car investigators said was operated by Juan Alfredo Figueroa Rodriguez, 42, of 368 Baskins Creek Road in Gatlinburg.
“We came over the hill and this gentleman was there in our lane,” Waters said. “I remember telling Terri ‘if he swerves he can miss us.’” The driver didn’t get out of the way, though, and the cars collided in an impact that set off all the air bags in Waters’ car and knocked the left front tire off Rodriguez’s car.
When Gatlinburg police officers arrived, they allege that Rodriguez smelled of alcohol and eventually found that he had a blood alcohol content of .14. Rodriguez, who officers said could speak very little English, also had no driver’s license or proof of insurance. All he could produce was a Honduran passport, according to police reports.
Officers charged him with DUI, driving without a license and driving without insurance. He was taken to the Sevier County Jail, where he was released on $3,500 bond.
Waters, who was in his office working Tuesday, said he only suffered a few bruises in the wreck. His wife declined transportation by ambulance, but they later went to the emergency room at Leconte Medical Center and found that she appeared to have suffered some minor injuries.
“I thank the good Lord everybody was OK,” Waters said.
The experience gave him a first-hand experience with several local agencies, he noted. “I want to thank the Gatlinburg police and the Gatlinburg fire and ambulance service, they did a great job, and up at LeConte they took good care of Terri,” he said.
jfarrell@themountainpress.com
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
WATERS JAMES L TERRI M NOT GIVEN SEVIER 09-13-1980 42841
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