Loudon finance director retiring

Loudon County is bidding farewell to one of its key financial administrators and is ready to welcome her replacement.

Tracy Blair, finance director since 2005, announced her decision to retire at a recent county commission meeting. County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw has also announced that long time county employee Erin Rice will be the new finance director upon Blair’s retirement in March 2023.

Blair has worked with four different administrations since becoming finance director under former County Mayor George Miller. She said that working with the different administrations has been both challenging and enjoyable.

“Each mayor is a little bit different, but they have all been very supportive,” she said.

Bradshaw said that the first stop he made after being elected to his first term in 2014 was Blair’s office to make sure she knew that he did not plan any major changes in her department. He said letting Blair use her skills and knowledge to manage the finance department has been the key to the county receiving five consecutive clean state audits.

“The best thing I can do is support my staff and provide them with what they need to be successful,” he said.

Bradshaw said one of main reasons Blair has been so successful is her ability to work well and get along with everyone across all county departments and with all elected officials. Former County Mayor Estelle Herron agreed.

“When you’ve been a long time with the county there are bonds that form between workers,” Herron said. “Tracy has the ability to maintain those strong relationships.”

Blair started working for the county board of education in 1993 in accounting. She said she enjoyed working with numbers.

“Accounting and finance is always something I’ve been interested in,” she said.

She said she also enjoys working on improving accounting processes and watching the county’s financial stability continuously improve over the years.

“What I’ve enjoyed the most is watching that challenge produce results,” she said. “In 2004, the audited County General Fund Balance was $1M; it is now over $10M. Loudon County received its first ever clean audit from the Comptroller’s office in 2009; and five consecutive clean audits from 2017 through 2021.”

The improvements have been the result of a team effort involving everyone in her department and other county offices.

“It was a challenge to introduce new procedures in a manner that was respectful of those long-time officials, and also acceptable to them,” she said. “I was also hoping to earn their respect and trust.”

Blair said that change can be hard. Making improvement requires every person working together across all departments under focused leadership.

“It’s easier to achieve improvements when the goal is set at the top by the mayor and county commissioners,” she said. “When they set the tone it trickles down.”

One of the improvements Blair is most proud of is the process the county now follows when applying for, approving and receiving grants. When a grant is applied for or received, it requires county commission approval. All elected officials that will be affected by the grant are included in the process, she said. Loudon County’s grant approval process has now become a model for other municipalities across the state.

“We get calls from other counties asking about how we handle the grant process,” she said.

Blair said she is looking for some rest and more time with her family after she retires. In addition to hobbies, including sewing and gardening, she also plans to do more work with a worldwide Bible education program she and her husband are involved with.

Erin Rice, a county employee since 1997, will be taking over the job of finance director. Bradshaw said he gave a lot of thought to Blair’s replacement when he learned she was to be leaving. His deliberations included consultation with elected officials and other county employees. He said she received great endorsements from everyone.

“I always like to promote from within,” Bradshaw said. “Erin’s experience and performance made her one of the top candidates from the very beginning.”

Rice said she learned about the accounting department from the bottom up, starting as a co-op student through Roane State Community College working with the board of education when she was still attending Lenoir City High School. After graduating from LCHS and while attending accounting classes at Roane State and Pelissippi State Community College, she began working full time for the BOE as an assistant to the director of special education. In 2005, she was hired by Blair to work in the county accounting department.

“I am humbled to have worked with my mentor, Mrs. Tracy Blair, for the past 17 years,” Rice said. “I am also excited for the opportunity afforded me by Mayor Bradshaw to continue the success of the budgets for Loudon County government.”

She said one of her goals is to continue the county’s streak of state audit success by attaining the sixth-straight clean audit. She said she feels confident that the goal, which would be a record in the state, will be achieved with the work of the entire department.