During 10 years in office, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter has seen trials, tragedies, and triumphs. 

From natural disasters to a flourishing WestSide, his time as mayor has been a rollercoaster demanding strong leadership and a compassionate spirit.

Randy has exemplified both. 

I’ve personally seen his heart on display at funerals, community events, and most importantly when the cameras are off. 

Randy Porter is, simply put, a good man who loves those around him. 

During the interview for this feature, the selfless leadership I’ve witnessed in practice was reinforced by the way Randy spoke about Cookeville and Putnam County. 

“There are 83,000 people in Putnam County and I represent them all. Regardless of political leanings, religion, whatever our differences may be, I represent them all.” 

He continued, “My dad died when I was really young and we lived with my grandparents for several years. My grandfather became a father figure to me. He was a good Christian man and hard-working farmer. He taught me to always try to do what’s best for others and treat people the way you want to be treated, and I’ve carried those principles into this job. Regardless of who you are, I feel like I’m here to serve you. This job, the way I take it, is a service position. The people elected me to lead but also to serve. To help with issues, problems, and situations that have left them feeling like they don’t know where to turn. It’s not about me. It’s about us. I always try to say “we”. We’re all in it together.” 

At no time during his tenure was Randy’s commitment to leading and caring for the people of Putnam County put to the test more than the early morning hours of March 3rd, 2020.

While we slept, the strongest tornado to hit the US in nearly three years ravaged Cookeville, resulting in a devastating loss of life, property, and for many, hope. Strong, authentic leadership was desperately needed and Randy (along with other community leaders) answered the call.

He reflected, “The tornado brought our community together in a way that validated the faith we had in it before the disaster. I think we knew that our community was strong, but sometimes a tragedy like the one we faced reinforces in your mind and heart that the people around us really are wonderful.”

Randy continued, “The first 24 hours after the tornado was probably the worst 24 hours of my life. But, that next day, we decided that we would let volunteers go into the tornado area and help those looking to retrieve some of what they had lost. We put a staging area for volunteers to meet at on Jefferson near the courthouse square and invited people to meet there and then be bussed to the tornado area. The volunteers were lined up for at least a mile. Thousands of people, volunteering to help their neighbors in a time of grief and need. That blew my mind and reminded me of why I live here. It’s why I chose Putnam County as my home many years ago.”

As our meeting drew to a close, I asked Randy what he would like to say to the people of Putnam County. In typical fashion, his quote focused on hope and a desire for connectedness and collaboration.

Randy stated, “During my job in Emergency Medical Services, when you went on a call, you had a partner, you were a team. If we had some massive event going on, we were ALL a big team. We can always do more together than apart. Now, in my current role, I push for leadership to work together in the same way and I think we’ve been successful in doing that.” He concluded, “I’m as close to other city mayors as I am my family. We see each other all the time. We go to lunch, we have meetings, and we’re always trying to help each other. It’s been a big goal to set for the community to truly be for each other not against each other. You don’t see that in many places, but we live in a great community, we work very hard to set a positive example by the way we treat each other, and we work together to help provide opportunities and hope for the people we serve.” 

Randy Porter has dedicated his life to the people of Putnam County. Throughout, he has faced difficulty head-on countless times, consistently running to the need rather than away from it. Through a combination of talent, intelligence, passion, and most importantly kindness, Randy Porter has used his influence to help shape the thriving, healing, beautiful community we live in today.

– by Andrew Buckner, photos by Cris Stroud