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Longtime town administrator announces retirement

PICTURED: Collierville Town Administrator James Lewellen is pictured last February during the town’s 150th Anniversary Celebration on the Historic Town Square. Among those pictured with Lewellen are Historian Clarene P. Russell, Alderman Maureen Fraser, Shelby County Historian Jimmy Rout, Shelby County Commissioner David Bradford, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Collierville Mayor Stan Joyner, Rep. David Kustoff and former Alderman Tom Allen.
Photo by Graham Sweeney

Less than 12 months after celebrating 25 years of service to Collierville, Town Administrator James Lewellen has announced that he plans to retire from the position next January.
Lewellen, who has worked for three Collierville mayors, made the announcement on Aug. 23.
The 64-year-old was honored for his quarter-century of service last October.
“James has proven himself as an incredible leader with the ability to balance Collierville residents’ needs and wants with budgetary reality,” said Mayor Stan Joyner. “He is patient, humble and an invaluable resource to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, town staff, and the entire community.”
Lewellen was hired as Collierville’s town administrator in 1995 under former mayor Herman Wright Cox Jr.
Before that, he served as director of the Planning and Development Department in Southaven for two years before accepting a position with Germantown as chief planner in the Department of Development in 1989.
Four years later, he was promoted to assistant city administrator under Germantown’s current City Administrator Patrick Lawton.
A Ripley, Miss. native, Lewellen graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s in Public Policy and Public Administration.
During his years with Collierville, he has witnessed the town’s population grow from 18,000 to more than 50,000.
In the mid-90s, the town’s General Fund was $11.2 million, compared to the current $61.2 million. The town’s workforce has also grown from 241 to 603 total employees.
Some notable accomplishments during Lewellen’s years of service include:
“Collierville became positioned as a regional center for commerce and innovation. Since 1995, major corporate developments and headquarters have moved into Collierville including FedEx World Tech, Baptist Memorial Hospital, and Carriage Crossing. Since establishing an Economic Development division in 2014, even more corporations moved to Town including Orgill, Mueller Industries, MCR Safety, Helena, and Juice Plus, to name a few.
“The town received a AAA bond rating from Moody’s Investor Service and winning the distinguished Budget Award for 23 consecutive years from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States.
“An Emergency Dispatch Center was built, as well as three new fire stations, and a fire administration and training building. In addition to emergency protection, the town improved its fire protection ranking from a 4 from 1995 to its current score of 2. This lower rating means better fire protections for residents and businesses as well as lower insurance premiums. There are only 34 communities in Tennessee with a Class 2 ranking.
Historic preservation projects were completed both creatively and constructively. The 1890-era Collierville Christian Church was transformed into a top-notch museum, The Morton Museum of Collierville History. The town’s 1935-era Historic High School was repurposed into administrative office space to be used by Collierville Schools. Right next door, the gymnasium was renovated and opened in 2017 to become the Linda Kerley Center for senior residents to congregate and enjoy a range of classes and activities.
“Lewellen was at the center of the town’s multi-year effort to start a school system in Collierville. He played a key role in organizing a team of consultants and legal counsel, assisting state leaders with the coordination of legislative efforts, and leading Town Hall meetings. Collierville Schools was formed in 2013, and in August of 2014, the newly formed Collierville Municipal School System held its first classes. Just a year later, the town made plans to build a new 450,000-square-foot high school with a price tag of $95 million, which opened in August 2018.
Outdoor recreation flourished with almost 20 miles of greenbelt trails, additional acreage, and features to our parks such as the WC Johnson boardwalk and two spray parks. The 110-acre Hinton Park opened in 2015 bringing even more recreational amenities to every corner of Collierville.
“Lewellen is a past recipient of the H.E. Harrell Education Award in 2013 from the Collierville Chamber of Commerce, the H.R. Houston Community Service Award 2007 from Leadership Collierville, and served as past President of the Tennessee City Management Association 2011-12. In 2014, James was honored by the Rotary Club of Memphis East as the recipient of the 2014 Dunavant Public Servant Award. In the same year, he was named City Manager of the Year by the Tennessee City Management Association.”

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