Priorities
A practical agenda focused on responsible government, opportunity, stronger neighborhoods, and putting citizens first.
Fiscal Responsibility
Franklin's taxpayers deserve to know that every dollar entrusted to the city is being spent responsibly. I will continue to ask the tough questions, examine spending carefully, and insist on accountability in the city's finances.
I believe one of the biggest challenges in Franklin's handling of taxpayers' money has been a lack of vision in creating new and creative ideas to improve economic development, due in part to a lack of municipal experience among several members of City Council.
Fiscal responsibility is not just about controlling spending. It is also about having the experience and vision to grow our economy, attract new businesses and investment, expand our tax base, and create new sources of revenue without continually placing additional burdens on taxpayers.
We must prioritize essential services, eliminate unnecessary spending, plan for the future, and pursue creative economic-development opportunities that will make Franklin financially stronger.
Experience matters when you're making decisions with the people's money.
Government Accountability & Transparency
Citizens have a responsibility to hold their elected officials accountable. That means paying attention to how members of City Council vote, asking whether their decisions truly benefit the citizens of Franklin, and demanding answers when those decisions do not appear to serve the public interest.
Accountability must also extend to city management. City Council is responsible for making policy and providing oversight, while city management is responsible for the effective day-to-day operation of our city. When management lacks the experience necessary to effectively manage the entire organization, Council must recognize those shortcomings, ask difficult questions, and demand improvement.
Transparency allows citizens to see what their government is doing. Residents should have access to information, understand how and why important decisions are being made, and know where their elected officials stand on the issues.
Accountability works both ways: citizens must hold City Council accountable, and City Council must hold city management accountable.
Economic Development & Jobs
Franklin must become more aggressive and creative in pursuing economic development. We need to attract new businesses and investment while supporting the businesses that are already here. Economic development should create jobs, expand our tax base, generate new revenue, and reduce the pressure to continually turn to taxpayers.
Because Franklin has limited land available for development, we must learn how to expand economically without necessarily expanding geographically. That means using land within our city limits more effectively and exploring a strategic land-acquisition program that would allow the city to acquire key properties and have greater influence over future development opportunities.
I would like Franklin to explore a major destination-development concept along Highway 58 that could include an amphitheater or entertainment venue, a hotel, structured parking such as a parking garage, and complementary development connected to the existing Rosie's Gaming Emporium area.
We also need to aggressively pursue more recognizable name-brand businesses while creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs and existing businesses to grow. Economic development must also be about attracting new residents and families to Franklin by creating jobs, quality housing, strong neighborhoods, and strong schools.
Franklin may be limited in land, but we do not have to be limited in vision. We must become more creative in how we expand without expanding.
Education & Our Schools
A strong city requires strong schools. Improving education is not only about our children—it is also an important part of Franklin's economic future. When businesses consider investing in a community and families consider moving here, the quality and reputation of our school system can influence those decisions.
Franklin has recently made substantial changes in the composition of the School Board following concerns expressed by citizens about the direction and performance of our school system. City leadership had a responsibility to listen and make changes that reflected the will of the people while protecting the integrity and future of our school system.
With those changes comes an expectation of improvement. We must give our schools the opportunity to move forward while continuing to demand accountability, measurable progress, and an educational environment in which our students can succeed.
We should strengthen partnerships among our schools, local businesses, colleges, workforce-development organizations, and community institutions so students have greater exposure to college, skilled trades, technology, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and good-paying career opportunities.
We must also create an environment that gives young people a reason to stay in Franklin after graduation. For those who leave for college, specialized training, or careers, we should create the jobs, housing, business opportunities, quality of life, and sense of community that encourage them to come back home to Franklin.
Strong schools prepare our children for the future. A stronger Franklin gives them a reason to make that future right here at home.
Public Safety & Community Protection
Every resident deserves to feel safe in their home, neighborhood, workplace, and throughout our community. We must provide Police, Fire, EMS, and other first responders with the staffing, training, equipment, facilities, and leadership necessary to serve citizens effectively.
I want to see greater diversity within our Police Department so that our law-enforcement workforce better reflects the community it serves. We must also listen seriously to citizens who raise concerns about excessive force, harassment, or unfair treatment and address those complaints through strong leadership, training, policy, transparency, and accountability.
We need genuine community policing: officers walking neighborhoods, talking with residents, attending community activities, and developing relationships before there is an emergency. Explorer programs, Police Athletic League-type programs, school partnerships, mentorship opportunities, and similar activities can build trust and encourage young people to consider careers in law enforcement.
Effective policing requires cooperation. When citizens don't trust law enforcement, they are less likely to come forward. When officers and citizens know and trust one another, we have a better opportunity to prevent crime, solve crime, and make neighborhoods safer.
I would like to see Franklin take a more aggressive approach to recruiting volunteer firefighters and give them the training and support they need. I also believe the City Manager should work with the Fire Department to address its request for appropriate space and facilities.
With EMS, we should continually recruit people into the emergency medical field so Franklin has a strong pipeline of EMTs, paramedics, and other emergency medical professionals.
Police, Fire, and EMS have different responsibilities, but they share one mission: protecting the people of Franklin.
Neighborhoods & Housing
Strong neighborhoods are the foundation of a strong city. Every resident deserves a neighborhood that is safe, clean, well-maintained, and treated fairly when city resources and services are distributed.
We need greater emphasis on street and road repairs and on improving and expanding street lighting, particularly where better lighting can improve visibility, discourage crime, and help residents feel safer.
I support developing a citywide multi-dwelling rental ordinance that establishes appropriate standards and accountability for multi-family rental properties. Standards should not apply to only one apartment complex, neighborhood, or district.
Franklin must also pay greater attention to housing for young adults, young couples, and working families. A young working couple starting a family should be able to find attractive, modern, well-maintained and affordable one- or two-bedroom housing in Franklin rather than leaving the city to find it elsewhere.
I would also like to see greater communication within our neighborhoods through neighborhood organizations, meetings, events, and other opportunities that help residents know and look out for one another.
Better streets. Better lighting. Better housing. Better communication. Strong neighborhoods don't happen by accident—we have to invest in them and in the people who call them home.
Youth & Seniors
A strong community must take care of the people who helped build it while creating opportunities for the generations that will carry it forward. Franklin should be a city where senior citizens can live safely, comfortably, and with dignity, and where young people can see a future for themselves.
Our seniors deserve appropriate housing, transportation, recreation, community programs, public safety, dependable city services, and fair enforcement of ordinances that protect their quality of life in their own neighborhoods.
I would like to establish Youth Roundtables that give young people regular opportunities to sit down with city leaders and tell us directly what Franklin needs. We should ask specifically what entertainment, recreation, programs, courses, career training, and educational opportunities they want to see and what would make them stay in Franklin—or return after college.
I would like to see internship opportunities established with members of Franklin City Council. Young people should have an opportunity to work alongside their elected representatives and learn firsthand how municipal government operates, how policies are developed, how budgets and ordinances are considered, and how decisions at City Hall affect their community.
My hope is that some of these young people will become the next generation of Franklin's civic leaders and elected officials.
We shouldn't wait until someone runs for office to teach them how city government works. We should begin developing Franklin's future leaders now.
Infrastructure, City Services & Professional Management
A city cannot grow if its basic infrastructure is neglected or if the internal operations of city government are not functioning efficiently. Franklin must maintain and improve streets, sidewalks, water and sewer systems, drainage, lighting, public facilities, parks, equipment, and other essential infrastructure.
City Council must hold city management accountable for the responsibilities placed under its authority. Council establishes policy and direction, while management is responsible for carrying out many day-to-day administrative functions.
I would like to see greater emphasis placed on a professional and effective Human Resources Department. Recruitment, retention, personnel policies, employee development, workplace standards, and consistent administration require a strong HR function. I also believe Human Resources belongs in City Hall, closely connected to central administration.
The administration of our elections is one of the most important functions in our democracy. The Electoral Board and Voter Registrar’s Office deserve the attention, resources, and adequate working space necessary to properly serve the citizens of Franklin.
I believe this office has too often been overlooked when the city considers departmental needs and facilities. We should make certain the Registrar’s Office has professional, adequate, and accessible space to conduct voter registration, maintain election records, assist citizens, prepare for elections, and carry out its responsibilities effectively.
The people who administer our elections may work behind the scenes, but their work is fundamental to representative government. Without voter registration and properly administered elections, none of us gets elected.
Fiscal responsibility also means making sure Franklin is properly collecting revenue already authorized and available to the city. We should review local revenue sources, including applicable admissions or amusement-related revenues where legally authorized, to determine whether opportunities are being overlooked.
Franklin needs a clear long-term vision. City management should help Council construct a productive five-year comprehensive and strategic plan with measurable goals so citizens can understand where the city intends to be and how we plan to get there.
I would like Franklin to establish and maintain comprehensive operating policies and procedures for city departments and positions so employees understand responsibilities, authority, reporting relationships, and the procedures governing their work.
There are streets in Ward 3 that I believe are inadequately lighted, including areas where street lighting is extremely limited or nonexistent. Public Works and city management should identify inadequately lighted streets, establish priorities, and develop a plan for addressing them.
Sanitation and public-service employees travel throughout Franklin every day. When crews see discarded furniture, appliances, debris, illegal dumping, or other items along streets and public areas, there should be a simple system for reporting those conditions immediately to a central office so the appropriate crew can be dispatched without waiting for a citizen to call.
A well-managed city should identify problems, report them, assign responsibility, and get them corrected—not simply wait for the telephone to ring.
Listening to Ward 3 — Working for the People
An elected official cannot effectively represent people without listening to them. My philosophy has always been simple:
I don't work for the city. I work for the people.
The residents of Ward 3 deserve a councilman who is accessible, willing to listen, willing to ask difficult questions at City Hall, and willing to bring citizens' concerns before the entire City Council.
I currently hold a Ward 3 meeting every month, giving residents an ongoing opportunity to discuss concerns, ask questions, receive information, and participate in conversations about their neighborhoods and the future of Franklin. This is a practice I intend to continue when reelected.
Each month, I invite the City Manager and city department heads to participate. My goal is to have the City Manager along with representatives from approximately two city departments so citizens can hear directly from those responsible for providing city services. I also invite community and partnership organizations when appropriate so residents can learn about programs, services, and benefits available to them.
Ward 3 also has its own Facebook page and a Constituents Direct number, providing additional ways for residents to communicate, ask questions, report concerns, and stay connected between meetings.
When a citizen brings forward a legitimate concern, it should not simply disappear after the meeting. It should be directed to the appropriate department, followed up on, and the resident should receive an answer whenever possible.
PROVEN TRUE, TO THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.
Experience You Can Count On
Experience. Courage. Independent thinking. A record of working for the people.
Greg McLemore has served four terms on Franklin City Council and is seeking a fifth term representing Ward 3. He has served with pride and dignity, recognizing that while Ward 3 elected him, every Council vote can affect citizens throughout Franklin.
A longtime Franklin resident with ties to the community spanning nearly 50 years, Greg has also lived in cities across America, gaining firsthand exposure to how other communities operate and bringing those observations home to Franklin.
Communication, Management & Hospitality Experience
Greg spent approximately 20 years in broadcasting, an experience that strengthened his ability to communicate, listen, ask questions, and connect with people. He also gained insight into how businesses and corporate organizations operate.
For approximately five years, Greg worked in management in the hospitality industry. That experience strengthened his understanding of customer service and reinforced his belief that organizations and public institutions should be welcoming, responsive, and designed around the needs of the people they serve.
A Patented Inventor Who Thinks Outside the Box
Greg is also a U.S. patented inventor, receiving Patent No. 7,028,619 for his Collectable Personal Display Shelf, a home décor product. The accomplishment reflects the kind of creative thinking he tries to bring to public service.
Being an inventor taught me that when something doesn't exist, sometimes you have to create it. I try to bring that same kind of thinking to City Council.
Independent Leadership & A Record of Service
Greg believes serving on City Council does not mean simply agreeing with everyone else. He has advocated for economic-development ideas, new revenue opportunities, renewable and solar energy, and projects intended to create jobs and strengthen Franklin's economy.
His record includes supporting the appointments of Franklin's last two African American city managers; opposing an additional $2 million for the new recreation center when the project did not include an indoor swimming pool; advocating to rename South Street in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; bringing Franklin's largest Juneteenth celebration to the community; working toward a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in 2027; and advocating for solar and renewable-energy development.
Greg says he has consistently opposed increases in tax rates and fees when he believed citizens should not be asked to carry an additional burden.
I don't work for the city. I work for the people.
Bring a Solution
Greg believes elected officials should do more than identify problems. When he brings an issue before City Council, he tries to bring a possible solution with it—whether the issue involves economic development, government operations, convenience for residents, public health, public safety, or quality of life.
“If you don't like the rules, don't break them—change them.”
“Don't complain. Campaign.”
Voting With Conscience
Greg believes every Council vote deserves careful consideration and fairness. When faced with a difficult decision, he uses a personal standard:
When I vote, I try to vote the way I think my mother would want me to vote.
For Greg, public service requires the courage to speak up, ask difficult questions, and represent citizens who believe their voices are not being heard.
WARD 3 DESERVES EXPERIENCE, INTELLIGENCE, AND PRIDE.
Election Day is November 3, 2026.
Come out. Make your voice heard. Exercise your right to vote.
FRANKLIN CITY COUNCIL — WARD 3
Experience. Intelligence. Pride. A Voice for the People.
I DON'T WORK FOR THE CITY. I WORK FOR THE PEOPLE.
PROVEN TRUE, TO THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.
Why I’m Running Again
I am running again to continue bringing experience, intelligence, pride, and independent leadership to Franklin City Council.
I Still Have Work to Finish
Among the ideas I want Franklin to continue exploring are an amphitheater, parking garage, gaming and entertainment opportunities, additional hotel development, renewable energy, and other projects capable of bringing people, jobs, investment, and revenue into our city.
I don't want simply to talk about possibilities. I want to help move good ideas toward results.
It's Time to Address Our Water
One of my priorities for this term is the quality of Franklin's drinking water. Safe, dependable, high-quality drinking water is not a luxury. It is one of the most basic services a city provides. Before I complete my service on City Council, I want to see Franklin make meaningful progress toward a lasting solution.
Preparing the Next Generation
I want to mentor a young person who may one day be prepared to take my seat on City Council—someone prepared to listen, study the issues, ask difficult questions, stand up when necessary, and remember that the position belongs to the people.
Leadership should not end when a leader leaves office. Good leadership prepares someone else to lead.
Franklin Is a Diamond in the Rough
I believe in America, and I believe in Franklin.
Franklin is a diamond in the rough. It needs polishing, and I'm willing to help buff and polish that diamond for as long as God gives me the strength to serve.
I am asking the citizens of Ward 3 for the opportunity to finish the work, develop the next generation of leadership, and continue being an independent voice for the people.
Get Involved
Support the campaign, attend a Ward 3 meeting, or share an issue important to you.
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