What I Know Now with Dwight Henry

Show Notes

Join Kosta and his guest: Dwight Henry, Former Tennessee House State Representative, Cookeville City Council Member, Mayor and Civil Servant to the State of Tennessee. Currently, Dwight serves as a Founding Member and Member at Large of IMPACT Leadership, an organization dedicated to the development and encouragement of civic minded leaders from underrepresented populations of our society to actively serve the betterment of the community and affect positive social change.

In this episode: As we go into the 2024 election year, tensions are high.  How do we come together as a community instead of two halves of a fractured system? Over a quarter of Cookeville residents are living in poverty. As someone that grew up in public housing and understands the struggles of the working poor, what’s your message to our state and local leaders on how we provide real opportunities for growth and development in this area? Cookeville is growing. Our city is changing whether we want to admit it or not. What is your advice to our local leaders and politicians that feel resistant to accommodating to those changes and think we can keep operating at the status quo?

Find out more about IMPACT Leadership:
https://impactleadershiptn.com/

Find out more about Dwight Henry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Henry_(politician)

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Loxx Salon and Spa.

Find out more about Loxx Salon and Spa:
https://loxxsalon.net/

What is Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev?

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a podcast about business, parenting and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you intentional conversations on making your own path to success, challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better. Recorded in Cookeville, TN, Kosta joins guests from all walks of life to bring fresh perspective and start your week with purpose. We're better together.

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Dwight Henry: but I learned that
when there is an issue, whatever

it is, in fact, we need
disagreement. We need healthy

debate. If every single vote on
our city council was five oh,

then four of us are not leaving.

If every vote is five oh then
somebody's not thinking.

Morgan Franklin: Welcome to
Better Together with Kosta

Yepifantsev, a podcast on
parenting business and living

life intentionally. We're here
every week to bring you

thoughtful conversation, making
your own path to success,

challenging the status quo, and
finding all the ways we're

better together. Here's your
host, Kosta Yepifantsev.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Hey, y'all,
it's Kosta. today. I'm here with

my guest, Dwight Henry, former
Tennessee House State

Representative Cookeville. City
council member, Mayor and civil

servant to the state of
Tennessee. Dwight, you've had a

long career of unexpected
victories and taking the path

less traveled from flipping the
42nd district from Democrat to

Republican in 1988, to becoming
the youngest elected mayor of

Cookeville, to representing the
upper Cumberland as a founding

member of impact leadership,
what's most inspired you as a

change maker in this community?

Dwight Henry: First of all,
thank you for having me. I

really appreciate the
opportunity to be here. It's a

lot of fun. I look forward to
it. You know, in terms of

inspiration, I guess I'm gonna
have to say honestly, people, I

mean, people throughout my life,
and I could elaborate on a lot

of them. You know, my dad became
disabled when I was very young.

I was six years old, not as good
man, you know, church, growing

man, good man. But he had a
nervous breakdown. He was in a

mental institution for the rest
of his life. So I had a mother

that raised myself as an oldest
child and two sisters by

herself. And she not only you
know, she taught me how to live

but she she showed me I mean,
and I couldn't have imagined

even then the pressure she must
have been under because you

know, back in those days,
Daddy's went up and went to work

and momma's had babies and 10
and a half months after they got

married, I was here. And the
next year, my sister two years

later, my sister and all of a
sudden she had three to raise by

herself. So as I look back on my
life, I'd say she's such an

inspiration to me, I had a
grandmother that by called

Molly, she just spoke into my
life. So well, she's with the

law. And now she passed away
when she was nine, he just

cannot overemphasize the
inspiration she had on the

speech teacher. And when I was a
junior in high school, just saw

me fail so many times at public
speaking, but still pulled me

over and just put me under her
wing and said, There's something

in you that you don't know,
you've got something inside you

and I'm gonna help pull it out.

And she did. And I'll never
ever, ever forget her for that

Pat Sutherland. I had a pastor
that knew that my dad was

disabled, I started going to
church there, he put his arm

around me and put some good
things in my life. And then I'll

have to say, you know, at the
core of all of that is my faith.

I really do believe that you and
me and everybody we were put

here with gifts and talents and
abilities and skills, to not

only be blessed with but to be a
blessing we were put here for a

purpose and design. And when we
plug into that we can enjoy the

life that God minister have. So
it's all those things and more

that that's really been a source
of information for me my whole

life.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Now, you grew
up in Sweetwater Yes, and you

move to Cookeville to go to
Tennessee Tech

Dwight Henry: actually moved to
Athens for sins, okay, I went to

high school in Athens and I'm in
County Cherokee, then I actually

went to school at Cleveland
State Community College. Nobody

had ever gone to college in my
family before. So we were just

kind of a new thing for us. So
had a community college not been

there, I probably would not have
gone and then finished it

Cleveland State after two years
and moved to Cookeville go to

check, what do you major in
History and Political Science

and initial prize?

Kosta Yepifantsev: So I mean,
you were one of the youngest

mayor's in Cookeville history,
and it's scary. Well, you know,

and it's we're going to talk a
little bit about 2024 Because

it's an election year and, you
know, obviously, it's a hyper

charged atmosphere, but I'm just
curious before we get to that,

why did you want to run for
office in Cookeville?

Dwight Henry: You know, my
grandfather, who I did not

mention on the other side of my
family just told me son you are

always vote, do not miss a
chance to but I mean, he had me

to the point where I thought
there was like voter police who

would come and get you. If you
didn't vote yes vote. So that

got in. And somehow I always
knew, even when I was in Athens

in high school, I remember the
first time I went to a voting

booth, instead of buttons were
pushed, there were levers that

we pulled, and I walked in
networks, all those names, and I

just knew that somehow,
somewhere, my name would be on

there. And I'd be learning from
it for something I just knew

that I had a love for public
service early in life, ran for

student about our freshman class
president college and served

there and ran for student body
president taking serve there.

And it just always been in my
bloodstream. And I came to

realize that it matters, who
pushes those buttons, it

matters, who sits on those
chairs, it really matters. And

their votes have an impact on us
more than we know, every day.

And I heard somebody say once
I'm a three kinds of people, you

know, people who make things
happen, people who watch things

happen, and people who say what
happened. And I wanted to be one

of the people who helped things
happen.

Kosta Yepifantsev: As we go into
the 2024. election year,

tensions are high. There's no
way to gloss over it. And I

think you're someone uniquely
qualified to answer this

question. How do we come
together as a community instead

of two halves of a fractured
system,

Dwight Henry: or that has a
successor we used to say, $64

question. And we talked about
this just a little bit earlier,

we have to realize, regardless
of which side of the aisle we're

on, there's power in words. And
let me give you a quick example

that many times on the three
terms I served on city council,

we sit in close proximity with
each other, I mean, shoulder to

shoulder, we're up there, you
know, all five of it's pretty

quick. And sometimes you may be
in strong disagreement on an

issue with a guy sitting right
next to you, and the guy sitting

on the other side of you. And
you may be pouring out your

passion and your ideas. And he
may be he is. And it might get

to the point. Now, if I did
that, and I left that meeting,

depending on how the vote went,
and I said that guy Bob next to

me, what's he thinking about?

What's his IQ, what's going on,
you know, and call him Orca. And

it's not going to be long before
it gets back to him. Which is

because he disagrees with me,
doesn't mean he has a low IQ, or

he's a buffoon, or he's a nut
job, just because we don't see

each other out. And on both
sides of the aisle, there's too

much of that going on. Words are
containers. And when they get

out there, they stay out there.

We have to watch our words,
things start with a thought an

idea that needs to come towards
what I learned to do over not

just months and years, but
having the opportunity to serve

on city council not just
centuries, but through

millenniums. You know, from the
1980s until 2018 Yeah, you know,

off and on. I was on the whole
time. But I learned that when

there was an issue, whatever it
is, in fact, we need

disagreement, right? We need
healthy debate. If every single

vote on our city council was
five oh, then four of us are not

needed. Right? If every vote is
five, oh, then somebody's not

thinking. So what I learned to
do is if we're in one of those

intense discussions, when the
meeting is over, the gavel is

sanded off, stand up. And if the
guy next to me didn't see that

issue, just like I saw it, I
stuck my hand out to him and

said, It's just business. We
disagreed this time, we might

agree next time, but it's not
about me and you. It's not about

who you are. It's not about him.

It's just business. And I think
that's kind of a principle and a

practice that if that was done
at every level of government

more and more. It's just
business. This is just an issue.

This isn't about you as a
person. This is just how I see

this issue. This is how you see
it is you it's done. It's over.

You won the vote, or I won the
vote, but we move on. And that

may be oversimplifying to a
degree, but I think that would

help.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Yeah, it'll
definitely lower the

temperature. Yeah. All right.

But urge Bert with regards to
the difference, you know,

serving on the city council
versus serving as a house

representative. Yeah. What was
that, like? I'm

Dwight Henry: a firm believer
that the closer government is to

you, the more effective it is.

The closer government is to
home, the more bang for the buck

that people get city, state
federal city council, I

mentioned already there five of
us. If you can get an idea or

something passed on two
consecutive meetings, with three

votes, you can get it done. You
get to the legislature, you've

got two houses, you've got 99
representative, you've got 33

senators, if you have a
perspective, Bill, let's say

it's an education bill, it goes
to the education Subcommittee on

Higher Education, then to the
Education Committee. If it costs

money, then it goes to the
fiscal review committee, then it

goes to the calendar committee,
and then it's got to be voted on

by the house. And then it's
gotta go through the same

process in the Senate side. If
it gets amended anywhere along

the way. There's got to be a
joint conference committee to

come and bring together those
amendments and make it work just

exactly the same. And then it's
got to pass in both houses, and

then it's got to survive the toe
the governor, so it's a lot more

complicated and a lot more slow.

And granted a lot of bad bills
do that. We'd get routed out

that way. But the process of
government, the further it gets

away, the slower it is, the more
detailed and the longer it takes

to get things done. That's the
biggest notice was

Kosta Yepifantsev: that your
reasoning for only serving one

term was the pace of legislation
just not being able to move as

fast? No,

Dwight Henry: I actually, the
reason that I just serve one

term is I decided to run for
governor. Okay. And then not to

90, I was a Republican nominee
for governor. And I wasn't

really the best known candidate,
the best finance candidate, not

in terms of name recognition.

But I didn't know that the
sitting governor, for fact, had

been up there for two years, was
going to propose a state income

tax, which I knew would not be
good for Tennessee. But he had

been speaker for so long and
been in that position for so

long. I knew he'd get
resistance, but he might have

been able to pull it off. And it
was a fight worth fighting.

Somebody had to get out there
and voice that. And I traveled

to a lot of the 95 counties
trying to say, Hey, I'm opposed

to a state income tax. Ask him
if he is. And that's the issue

that I tried to address,
unfortunately, fell a little

short in that race, but we still
don't have a state income tax.

Kosta Yepifantsev: That's right.

Listen, you've done a lot. Well,
I've done a lot. You've served

as a representative of the upper
Cumberland, both on a state and

a local stage. Is there anything
you wish voters knew?

Dwight Henry: I guess at the top
of that list would be I wish

voters understood how important
their vote is. I don't think

we've got a good grasp of that,
that particularly on a federal

level where there's so many
swing states and so much close

votes, but I'll give you a quick
example of it. The first time I

ran for city council was elected
mayor, there was a lady who you

may or may not have heard of
running was Joan Tencel. Joan

tanjil, ran for city council,
there were 14 of us running for

city council. Five of us are
going to be elected. John had

been active in some of the
things but she wasn't really

didn't have all that much name
recognition. Her husband and

we're standing right up here on
the corner of the courthouse

with a sign in his hand said
vote for John Townsend for city

council. Well, three or four
people combined should wins for

the election. Well, that was the
day before early voting. And he

said today. So I said well go
vote. They went to vote. And

Joan Tandel. One and got on city
council about three votes. Wow.

Three, she finished number five,
but three votes could have been

those three people pass. Yeah,
it was three votes. Yeah. And I

started with her. She was on the
council when I was mayor, great

lady, wonderful citizens. She
passed away since then. And then

she ran the next time, she was
the very first woman ever to be

elected to City Council in
Cookeville, Tennessee. Oh, wow,

that was 1988. She won by three
votes. The next time she ran, of

course, the city council picks
the mayor and vice mayor based

on him in the vote. So yet, the
next time she ran, she finished

second in about getting she was
vice mayor of Cookeville for

three years on May. So I mean, I
could tell story after story.

But Your vote matters, right. So
that's what I wish people would

know more about. And

Kosta Yepifantsev: they have to
vote because Tennessee as a

state is one of the lowest if
not the lowest in terms of voter

turnout. And so we've got to get
more people civically engaged. I

mean, you've got early voting,
it's like a whole month long

process where you can go at any
point, you can find the time to

go and vote. And I'll tell you,
I'm not picking sides on this

topic. But I will say one of the
best ways to govern is with a

balanced legislature, and also a
diverse set of government

branches. So whether it's
executive or legislative,

judicial, whatever it might be,
we don't have that balance right

now. But through voting, we
could create that balance and

people would feel a lot more
represented with that balance.

And so at to your point going
and voting is paramount next

year. If

Dwight Henry: fewer and fewer
people vote, we overtime become

a different kind of government.

Yes, we really don't have a
representative democracy. We

have something else. Yeah. And
we don't want that. We want that

with a representative democracy
that we enjoy. Now. Over

Kosta Yepifantsev: a quarter of
Cookeville residents are living

in poverty. As someone that grew
up in public housing, and

understands the struggles of the
working poor. What's your

message to our state and local
leaders on how we provide real

opportunities for growth and
development in this area?

Dwight Henry: Well, first of
all, as I mentioned earlier,

having a father who's disabled
and all of a sudden their world

is upside down. And we are
candidates for welfare. We're

candidates for public housing,
we're all of that my mother took

an ironing, babysit that all she
could. But I would say to folks

involved in government, number
one, the resources that

government provides, let's make
it user friendly. For example,

from the time I was six years
old, when my dad became disabled

till the time I was 16. We
didn't have a car. I mean, we

did not have a car and we didn't
have a car until I got to be 16

years old, worked all summer and
bought one. That's how we got

our first card. So if we had
resources that were available to

us or services that were
available to us, and they were

in four or five or six different
places in our country At work

from place to place. So Let's
always be thinking about how we

can make those resources and
those services and those goods

more user friendly, more
accessible. And let's have staff

people that don't look down on
folks who need those services.

But realize, hey, you're there,
because you have somebody who

needs you there. So let's have
people who are user friendly,

too. But we've got to remember
also, we do not want to make

these programs that the
government provides for the most

part. Now I understand as a
hospice chaplain, that there's

some folks you're going to be
help for a long, long time in

certain kinds of resources. But
we don't want to make these

programs just enabling programs.

Most of them are designed to be
a safety net and not a mattress.

But we can turn the system into
a mattress if we're not careful.

And I could go back now to Clem,
Jones heights, public housing,

housing projects, I have to
instantly and knock on the door

of some of those apartments and
find people my age are still

there. It's become generational,
right? Sometimes it has to be I

get that. But more often than
not, is because of the system

that has let it become like a
mattress. You know, when they

said to my mother, well, you
know, your kid, you're old

enough to work now. But if they
work and make this income, your

rents gonna go up, your food's
gonna go down, your medical

coverage is gonna go down. A lot
of mothers would say, Well, my

kids and I go to work. My mom
has said, my kids are gonna

work, she moved out into a
little house. And she said,

kids, this is temporary for you.

This was a safety net for you.

We thankful that it's here. But
it's not what your life has to

be in. Thank the Lord. For me
and my two sisters, life wasn't

like that, because she had the
initiative to get out. So let's

don't make a day. And the final
thing I would say his in

addition to make it accessible,
don't make it a mantra is that

it's not all government's job.

As a government, let's find ways
to partner with churches, with

nonprofit organizations,
families have some

responsibility. I know the city
of Kupo. I'm sure this is still

the case. We take a pot of money
every year, and we put it into a

special account for nonprofit
organizations. And we have a

Citizens Committee that we've
appointed, and they come to that

committee with their needs and
with their situation. And they

make their case much like United
Way used to do and from the

city. We distribute funds to
nonprofits every year, things

like that. But we need to
encourage we need to educate and

realize it's not all the
government's job.

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Dwight Henry: So make it slow or
slow.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So we had an
interview with Megan Spurgeon

who runs in power you see, and
she's the one that's

administering the TANF grant for
bringing 1600 children out of

poverty. And as we're talking to
her, she says that 80% of these

people that are participating in
the program are single mothers

with two or more children. And
here's the kicker, they work

full time. And here's the real
kicker, they're making an

average of $14 an hour and still
qualifying for these benefits. I

guess from your perspective, why
did we design a system that

allows you to make a substandard
not a living wage, but then

still be subsidized by
government spending entitlement

programs, when the majority of
the businesses in our community?

I mean, statistically, they
don't pay $20 an hour, they pay

somewhere in the range of 13 to
16. But those people are still

collecting benefits. So what
needs to change? Do businesses

need to pay more so people don't
qualify for those benefits? Or

do we need to cut spending on
those benefits so that

businesses are then left to
essentially pick up the tab?

Wow,

Dwight Henry: that is that is a
good question. And I'm not sure

that I have a totally good
answer to some of that. You'd

have to call back Lyndon B.

Johnson and his Harvard he would
have to ask him a society where

that test in that question, but
we have to look at everything

what's causing inflation. My
wife and I Republican grocery

can't say Publix in general.

Okay, and I'm looking at
Campbell's Soup, dollar 99

cents. I remember when we used
to get it for 33 cents, and I

really you can't go back to
those days, you know, my dad was

one of the easy smoked, I mean,
camels, the unfiltered camels,

33 cents a pack all, but what's
causing all this? Because every

time wage goes up, then they're
gonna pass that to the consumer.

So how do we break that cycle? I
don't know that I have the

answer to that. I think
probably, it's a balance of

both. But for sure, we need to
have a system and be more moving

more and more to it, which
educates and motivates and

doesn't enable and
generationally keep people there

year after year after year,
generation after generation,

because as I say, I can go back
and probably knock on the door

of the apartment that I lived in
and know the person that opens

the door because of generational
poverty.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Campbell's
soup was $1, like four years

ago, or whatever. Yeah. So you
want to talk about inflation,

that is significant, I'll tell
you, it's most of it is

contributed to a wage price
spiral. Yeah. And as wages, like

you said, his wages go up,
prices go up. And we have to

find a way to dilute the
workforce, to be able to

increase the supply of workers
so that we can meet the demand,

and that stabilizes pricing. But
you have to have a plentiful

supply of workers so that you
can then you can essentially pay

a lower wage a more commensurate
wage, and then prices will start

to go down as demand and supply
balance

Dwight Henry: and work at that
balance is an ongoing challenge.

Well, we

Kosta Yepifantsev: don't have
the workers, the workers, they

just literally aren't they don't
exist. So the only way that

you're going to attract enough
individuals is through a

immigration reform policy. But
that's another topic for another

day. Let's talk about impact
leadership. For our listeners

who are unfamiliar, this
organization seeks to develop

and encourage civic minded
leaders from underrepresented

populations of our society to
actively serve the betterment of

the community and affect
positive social change. As a

former state representative, and
Mayor, what is this mission mean

to you?

Dwight Henry: The older I get,
the more I realize, almost

everything, everything rises and
falls on leadership. If you're

talking about a family, if
you're talking about a business,

if you're talking about a
nonprofit, if you're talking

about a church, if you're
talking about government, it

rises and falls on leadership,
and what is the vision of the

leadership? What's a character,
the leadership or the virtues of

leadership, where it's a goes
with a leadership, that's going

to trickle down, that's going to
trickle through every

organization, and what impact
leadership and the reason I was

delighted when Cindy initially
asked me to be on the board at

the very beginning, was that we
are sowing seed, if you will,

into not only your future
leaders, but we're developing,

we're growing, we're cultivating
we're incubating. And we're

motivating leaders and future
leaders so that that leadership

will stay in place. It's like a
minor league team, you're moving

to the bigs all the time. And if
you keep doing that long enough

with a rat pilot, kind of people
aren't going to motivate. It

doesn't guarantee that you'll
have leadership in your

community, in the nonprofits, in
the churches in the government,

but it sure does enhance the
chances. And so that's what it

means to me is continually
growing and grooming good

leadership, because I think
everything rises and falls here.

Kosta Yepifantsev: So obviously,
you know, impact leadership and

the Putnam County Republican
Party, you're a Republican. Yes.

Cindy, if I'm not mistaken, is
also a Republican. She was the

chair of the Putnam County
Republican Party. Two terms. And

there's just this like, really
weird a are now between the

relationship of impact
leadership in the Putnam County

Republican Party. So here you
are on the impact leadership

side, and people continue to
fire shots, and you're like,

Hey, man, like, I'm a
Republican, you know, you know,

and they say, Well, he's just a
rhino or whatever. But, I mean,

how does this make you feel you
were wrapped? You were mayor,

you were on the city council
longer than the majority of

people that serve I mean, you've
been a public servant your

entire life, and you're saying
words matter? And you're saying

that we have to come together as
a community? I mean, I guess if

you just want to, you don't have
to, but if you could say

something to the Putnam County
Republican Party to maybe lower

the temperature or to just, you
know, put a ceasefire out there,

and what would it be? Again,

Dwight Henry: and I'm not sure
why that was sort of the genesis

of this about at all. You know,
I heard that somebody said that

somebody said and and then Cindy
said, and then the chairman of

the party said and all that,
first of all, I still consider

myself Republican, I struggled
to Republican meetings. And

those those topics never come
up. But again, it gets back to

and then I know Cindy, God bless
you. I went to her wedding over

in South Carolina not too long
ago. She's She's great friend,

wonderful friend. I've got
friends in the Republican Party.

This just got to message finally
I said to Cindy, is this the

mount You want to down? Is this
really worth your effort, energy

and time and consuming? Now I'm
not saying what was said should

not have been saved, because I'm
not sure what it was. I not even

know what it was. But evidently
she didn't receive it well, and

maybe it was inappropriate.

Maybe it was not right. But it's
a shame that people it's like a,

you know, being a pastor and
chaplain and hospice, not like,

it's for like college, like a
good old fashioned church split.

You know, you're kind of about
the same mission, but somebody

said something that somebody
didn't agree with, and all of a

sudden, you're going a different
direction. I think it's sad that

it happened. I don't know that
anybody will ever totally get

over it, whatever it was, but I
wish as much as possible. Okay,

this happened, it shouldn't have
happened. I'm gonna lay it down

and move on. I'm gonna lay it
down and move on. And I guess,

right now, that's probably the
best way to handle it. It just

move on

Kosta Yepifantsev: was it was a
political strategy. I

personally, like I mean, I'm a
pragmatist. So I look at things

from like, what's the point kind
of deal? Yeah. And I'm thinking,

okay, you've got people that are
running for city council, you've

got people that are running for
county commission, you've got to

peel off a couple 100 votes. So
political strategy dictates that

you're going to have to create
some type of information

campaign. And that's what the
Putnam County Republican Party

did. And it peeled off a couple
100 votes, and they got the

outcomes that they want it. So
anybody listening to this? Vote?

Vote? Yeah. Oh, create balance
through voting?

Dwight Henry: Yeah. Great or
good? We've got to think about

the great what's the greater
good, exactly what's the greater

good? And is the greater good,
because to stay right here and

get stuck in this? You know,
sometimes? That's my story. And

I'm sticking to it. Yeah.

Sometimes it says my story, and
I'm stuck in it. So we got to

get unstuck.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Well said,
Cookeville is growing, our city

is changing whether we want to
admit it or not. What is your

advice to our local leaders and
politicians that feel resistant

to accommodating those changes
and think we need to keep

operating at the status quo?

Dwight Henry: Well, it's
unrealistic not to accept the

fact that I may change is
inevitable. In our God said to

me that he was a graduate of an
impact leadership, he said,

Change is always changing. I'm
not sure if I understand fully

what that means. But there's
some truth in it, you know. So

we've got to accept the fact
that we're not used to somebody

who's coming to Coupal. To see
me, I would just simply say

this, get off any exit, call me
where you are. And I'll be there

in 10 minutes, no matter where
they were, I could get there.

And Tim, I can't do that
anymore. Right? And is that

necessarily a bad thing? No,
it's not, we've got to embrace

it, we've got to think that
doesn't mean we have to change

our core values. That doesn't
mean we have to change who we

are and what we believe. But it
does mean no, we need to change

the acceptance of people. We've
got all kinds of folks coming in

here. Now. In fact, this happens
to me every two or three days,

I'll talk to somebody where are
you from? Or, you know, how did

you find Cookeville? Having
Cookeville? Find you, right?

What do you like most about it?

And they talked about the
hospital, they talk about, you

know, the likes, and they talk
about the university and they

talk but you know, the short
list, everybody shortlisted

worth it hard, but the people,
the people are so friendly. And

see, the challenge is, how do we
embrace that change those

changes that are going to be
necessary for growth, and at the

same time, not lose the
qualities of what brought people

here in the first place. We're
either here or they came while

they're staying. It's a
challenge in government. But we

can't just stay locked into the
way we used to do things or old

delivery systems and old ideas,
that is unreal, that's not going

to happen.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Everybody's
number one point is they want

higher paying jobs. I mean, you
talk to anybody you throw a

stone in that person's gonna say
I want you know, higher paying

jobs. The only way you get
higher paying jobs is if you

expand the economy, the only way
to expand the economy is to

either invest in local
entrepreneurs, or bring

companies that are going to also
bring people with them, because

there's obviously not enough of
a workforce to be able to

fulfill their expectations.

There's just no other roads that
lead to higher paying jobs, then

growth and with growth, there's
problems but obviously, it's a

necessary problem to overcome.

And I think as a community and
specifically as leadership, we

have the stomach to overcome
those problems.

Dwight Henry: And I would say
this, this was a great community

this was a giving comedians
dancers an incredible and I

liked the way you phrase it we
do have the stomach we do have

the heart we do have the will is
going to happen one way or the

other. So let's embrace it
rested, elegant as a chance to

grow and mature and let's don't
lose who we are we do or what we

believe. But let's find the best
way to make it a positive thing

and an opportunity for growth.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Yeah, and I
announced I'll say this in

closing, it's kind of like what
Marty McFly said on Back to the

Future, you know, and when he's
at the dance at the under the

sea dance, and he's playing
Johnny be good on the guitar and

everybody looks at him like he's
got five heads. And he looks up

and he's, you know, surveying
the landscape and he said So,

you guys probably aren't ready
for this. Don't worry, your kids

are gonna love it.

Dwight Henry: I saw the
anniversary they showed that a

couple years ago whenever it
came out 930 years ago first

time 85 Or something that long,
maybe longer. They're almost 40

years. I used to play Johnny be
good as an old rock'n'roll dish

yaki really W L AR and Athens,
Tennessee. That was my high

school. Job. Yeah,

Kosta Yepifantsev: I love it.

Finally, you've dedicated your
life to the betterment and

enrichment of the upper
Cumberland, when you look back

at all the ways Cookeville has
changed over the last 50 years.

What are you most proud of? You

Dwight Henry: know, again, I get
back to this. I'm most proud of

the people. You know, the first
time I was, I was 32 years old.

You know, in Cookeville. You
don't run for mayor as you know,

you run for city council and
Tradition has it? It doesn't

have to be that way. But the
council elects a mayor and

traditionally elected top vote
getter. It could pick anybody

but they traditionally like the
top vote getter. Well, I would

just work into the top Bob man I
hadn't been I'm thinking give me

top five. And as it turned out,
I ended up being the top vote

getter and not only didn't have
one city council meeting, I

barely knew where the bathroom
was in City Hall. I didn't. But

I had folks like Luther mantha
city manager, chick, Colin

electric department, McCoy,
Shelton, Ricky, Shelton's bad

fire department. Those people
had some time they had some gray

hair. They helped me folks, it
takes a team. It takes up

government, it takes a
nonprofit, it takes the

churches, it takes the
businesses, it takes the

citizens it just takes a team.

And I guess the thing that I'm
most proud I mean, I could talk

about a leisure service has been
established while I was mayor,

I'm really proud of that and new
police facility and those kinds

of things that happen is
projects and, and I'm sure I'm

proud of him, not that I had a
lot of people involved. But the

people who made it happen really
are what I'm most proud of.

Kosta Yepifantsev: We ended
where we started. That's

fantastic. It's the best type of
episode. We always like to end

the show on a high note. Who is
someone that makes you better

when you're together? That's

Dwight Henry: pretty easy.

Actually. My wife, Kathy, on her
heavier today, she weighs a

little less than 100 pounds
soaking wet, but half of its

heart. She's got the biggest
heart of anybody and no, she's

always saying Hey, I heard that
someone's always sick. Let's

reach out to them. So and so's
going through this I'm gonna

make them a banana pudding. You
know, those kinds of things her

heart just just when I'm around
her and I just catch the

influence of her heart. That
always makes me a better person.

Kosta Yepifantsev: Thank you to
our partners at Loxx Salon and

Spa for presenting this episode.

Loxx is an Aveda Concept Salon
providing the highest quality in

hair, skin and nail services,
from extensions, coloring,

facials, and microblading, Loxx
is your beauty destination. To

find out more visit their
website at loxxsalon.net

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

Better Together with Kosta
Yepifantsev. If you've enjoyed

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friend. Today's episode was
written and produced by Morgan

Franklin post production mixing
and editing by Mike Franklin.

Want to know more about Kosta
visit us at

kostayepifantsev.com. We're
better together. We'd like to

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during this episode are those of
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