Montgomery County Commission Faces Criticism Following Abrupt Resignation of Newly Appointed School Board Member

Teresa Crosslin speaking to county commissioners this month (Screengrab)

Tuesday night’s Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board meeting was supposed to be the first for Teresa Crosslin.

The Montgomery County Commission appointed her last week to fill the vacant District 3 seat, but Crosslin abruptly resigned before Tuesday’s meeting.

Media outlet Clarksville Now reported that Crosslin issued the following statement on her departure, claiming the decision was due to time commitments.

“After attending 4 days of the Tennessee School Board Association Convention and the  CMCSS (Clarksville-Montgomery County School System) orientation, a hard realization hit me, about how much was involved in accepting this position. After careful consideration, I felt I wouldn’t be able to give the necessary commitment to the position of District 3 that it definitely deserves. I would like to thank everyone who encouraged, voted and cheered me on, this was an incredible experience and the CMCSS board members are absolutely the best!”

Explanation Questioned

Crosslin’s resignation drew mixed reactions from political and elected leaders in Montgomery County, including questions about her explanation.

County Commissioner Joshua Beal was among them. He who voted for Crosslin’s appointment but questioned the explanation in the Clarksville Now statement.

“Yes, there is a time and effort commitment to holding public office. It's not for everyone. I'm also not so sure this is the actual reason for her resignation, but I appreciate that she quickly realized she wasn't the right fit and immediately resigned. Looks like we will be voting on this again in January,” wrote Beal on his Facebook page.

The Montgomery County Democratic Party provided another explanation in a statement released Wednesday.

“We have been made aware of a graphic adult TV show appearance that is suspected to be Ms. Crosslin. Her resignation before attending a single school board meeting is highly suspicious. While our party respects privacy and the rights of consenting adults to engage in adult behavior in private, this incident, if true, sets a bad example for our youth. We would not tolerate this if a teacher or CMCSS employee were to engage in such behavior. We must hold our school board members to the same standard,” wrote the Montgomery County Democratic Party in a press release.

Partisan Politics Criticized

Montgomery County Democrats also criticized what its leaders called the “partisan political beliefs” that led to Crosslin’s appointment.

The Montgomery County Commission has eight Republicans and seven Democrats, along with District 8 Commissioner LaTonia Brown, who was appointed last March to replace Democrat Tangi Smith. The commission additionally has five candidates who ran as independents.

Crosslin is a Republican, and every Republican member of the commission present voted for her, while Brown and six of the seven Democrats voted for board nominee Darryl Anderson.

Independent Commissioner David Wayne Shelton criticized what he called the “partisan politics” of the vote last week, and followed that up with a post on Facebook following Crosslin’s resignation.

“This is what happens when you don’t vote according to Merit,” wrote Shelton.

In the coming weeks, the commission will appoint Crosslin’s replacement, along with an interim state representative to fill the remainder of the late Representative Jeff Burkhart’s seat.