Two Henry County men are running in the upcoming General Election on Aug.1 to be the northwest Tennessee county’s next mayor.
Republican Randy Geiger and Independent Tim Wirgau are campaigning to fill the remaining two years of the term. Former Henry County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway announced his resignation from the post earlier this year after being named president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Henry/Carroll campus.
The next mayor will be tasked with leading Henry County’s 15-member board of commissioners, and typically plays a key role in preparing the local government’s annual budget.
The Henry County Republican Party chose Geiger to be its county mayor candidate in March. Since attending West Point and serving as an officer in the U.S. Army for two decades, Geiger has worked as a high school math teacher, a community bank president, a real estate agent and a reserve deputy sheriff. He’s also served as a GOP representative on the northwest Tennessee county’s Election Commission.
After retiring last fall, Geiger said he felt he had more to give to his community. When he was asked to run for county mayor, Geiger said he couldn’t think of a good reason why he shouldn’t.
“I want to keep those [taxes] as low as possible. My commitment is to make sure that if we have to raise taxes, you know exactly what it's going for. And there'll be opportunities for everybody to express their opinion,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wirgau is campaigning based on his experience in elected office.
After serving four years as a Henry County Commissioner, Wirgau served as a Republican Representative for District 75 in the state House from 2010 to 2018. He also ran unsuccessfully for county mayor as an independent in 2020, and was disqualified from running as a Republican candidate for the office in 2022. Wirgau and his wife, Bonnie, also own Abbotts Print Shop in Paris.
When the Henry County Mayor’s office opened up earlier this year, Wirgau said he received several calls asking him to step up and run for office. After some thought – and swearing that he wouldn’t be on the ballot again – Wirgau said his love of his home county motivated him to run for the leadership role.
“In order for us to have a thriving county, a place where people want to come live, play, work, we need someone leading that unity attitude, and getting the community to be all-in,” Wirgau said.
Both candidates said one of their top priorities is focusing on the Henry County Medical Center. The hospital’s board and county commissioners are currently working out the terms of a lease agreement with West Tennessee Healthcare in an effort to keep the hospital open and financially stable.
Another shared priority is addressing aging infrastructure in the county. According to the Paris Post-Intelligencer, several county-owned and county-operated buildings need attention. The Henry County courthouse is one of the oldest working courthouses in west Tennessee, and has been in operation since 1897. Additionally, county maintenance workers said that the courthouse annex building, built in 1899, is showing its age, and is in need of wiring and roof repairs.
Geiger said, if he’s elected, he would put together a five-year plan to address the state of the county’s buildings.
“I think it is something that would be helpful to the county to be looking ahead, instead of knee-jerk reactions to problems that pop up,” he said.
Wirgau sees the role of a county mayor akin to a sports coach, and said a successful county leader is someone who can create a sense of unity both with the board of commissioners and within the broader community.
“It's about being all-in and getting everybody on board and working together to make a unified county, to make our county the number one county in the state of Tennessee,” Wirgau said.
Geiger said if Henry County voters want a politician, then they “probably shouldn’t vote” for him. But he says that, if people want someone to address the county’s problems, he thinks he’s the best candidate.
“I am running on the slogan of leadership with integrity and transparency. And that is my goal, and that is who I am.”
Wirgau said his experience as a business owner and his connections with state and federal officials make him the best person to lead the county.
“It's those relationships, as well as a lot of relationships in Nashville, that give me the best ability to be able to lead this county,” he said.
Tennessee voters are required to have a valid photo ID to cast a ballot. Acceptable forms of identification include driver’s licenses or photo IDs issued through the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, state government, or the federal government.
Early voting in Tennessee runs through July 27. Henry County voters can cast ballots early in-person at the county election commission office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Saturday.
Election Day is Aug. 1.
