DEKALB COUNTY, TN – In the picturesque but politically tense town of Alexandria, Tennessee—population under 1,000—residents find themselves entangled in a growing municipal storm centered on Mayor Beth Tripp. That storm now includes multiple calls for her resignation, one federal lawsuit, and a local county court case to boot.
On Monday, June 9, 2025, Mayor Tripp issued a handwritten memo on notebook paper directing City Recorder Jessica Howard and Financial Clerk Rhonda Conaster to leave City Hall early. According to Mayor Tripp, the move was to cut costs, enforce the town charter, and address what she claims was a breach in the chain of command. Both employees acknowledged the oddly informal dismissal by signing the note.
But the gesture comes at a precarious time for the mayor, who is already facing backlash from the Board of Aldermen, the public, and now the courts…