Over the last few weeks, Think Unfiltered has tracked a troubling storyline inside Tullahoma City Hall — a pattern of political maneuvering, personal agendas, and legal overreach.
It began when the Board, under the direction of Mayor Lynn Sebourn and backed by Alderman Matthew Byrd, moved to outsource both HR and IT functions without involving the City Administrator, Jason Quick. What followed looked less like governance and more like a campaign to undermine his authority.
Now, three internal memorandums from the City Administrator to the City Attorneys — dated September 11, October 24, and October 27, 2025 — document a clear progression: confrontation, exclusion, and escalation.
The Mayor’s behavior included repeated attempts at intimidation... These actions left me feeling harassed and threatened.
Quick states the Mayor brought the City Attorney to the meeting without notice, then later recorded their follow-up discussion before walking out within minutes.
This memorandum marks the beginning of what appears to be a coordinated campaign — one rooted in personal grievance rather than governance.
Since my hire date of September 6, 2023, no official evaluations or written goals and objectives have been provided to me.
He outlines how the Board acted without consultation when approving research for outside HR and IT firms — decisions that directly overlap with the City Administrator's duties as outlined in Municipal Code §1-302.
The Board did not consult me before approving these two items, nor invited me to participate in the discussion at the meeting.
Quick frames these moves as an effort to bypass his authority — and notes the chilling effect on city staff, who are now unsure which departments could be next in line for outsourcing.
By late October, the situation had deteriorated further. Quick reports that the Mayor’s concerns were taken behind closed doors in executive sessions on September 24 and October 2, 2025, where other aldermen — unnamed but implied — joined in making new complaints.
I was not afforded sufficient time to address the Mayor’s nameless, faceless complaints… two additional aldermen had similar complaints to assail me with unknowingly.
He then points to the October 27 agenda, Item 25-118, authorizing the hiring of an outside law firm to “assist with the employee evaluation of the City Administrator.”
Quick describes this as a “fishing expedition” — an effort to manufacture cause for termination.
This issue raises further, alarming concerns… it appears a ‘fishing expedition’ has begun to create for-cause violations to trigger termination proceedings.
Analysis: The Sebourn–Byrd Axis
With these three memorandums laid out, the pattern becomes unmistakable. Mayor Lynn Sebourn initiates private meetings and drives confrontation. Alderman Matthew Byrd, publicly supportive of the Mayor’s “accountability” narrative, has backed each of these actions — from outsourcing HR and IT to the latest push for an outside evaluation firm.
The stated goal is “efficiency” and “oversight.” The effect has been chaos.
City employees now question their job security. The City Administrator is documenting potential legal violations. And the Mayor, instead of focusing on city growth or governance, has positioned himself as a one-man HR department.
The Bigger Picture
Three memorandums in less than two months — all from the City Administrator to the City Attorneys — tell a story that Tullahoma’s residents deserve to see.
It’s not about personality clashes or job performance. It’s about power — who wields it, who checks it, and who’s using city resources to settle political scores.
As of now, Mayor Sebourn and Alderman Byrd have taken Tullahoma into uncharted territory — one where internal politics outweigh public service.
If unchecked, this won’t end with a memo. It will end with a lawsuit — one that the taxpayers, not the politicians, will pay for.