letter to the editor
Johns’ HOA work stellar; choice for mayor
I was one of the very first people to welcome Bill Johns and his wife to Farragut in 2000, as they were new neighbors. I have remained good friends with Bill over the years and know him from several perspectives. Whether it was serving on a board with him, working on maker projects or having him be a sounding board to my entrepreneurial and business issues, Bill is an excellent advisor, leader and friend.
In the summer of 2001, Bill retired from being a software sales executive and consultant, and we started spending more time together in our neighborhood. He became quite busy again directly after Sept. 11, 2001, but in early 2002 he was recruited to become our homeowners association president. I served as vice president. We inherited a dormant organization that had many challenges that are, at times, found in volunteer organizations.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Bill, as within days he had laid out a plan of what needed to be accomplished. I never worked with someone like this before, and it was amazing the knowledge he had in knowing not only what to do, but how to methodically do it as well. Bill recruited so many volunteers that it was like having a true staff working on many subcommittees.
Within a few short months, Bill had our organization back in compliance with the Tennessee Secretary of State, Knox County and our insurance companies.
Bill also discovered several areas where we had great risk and liability and made sure those issues were addressed. Bill started addressing our debt and even personally paid off much of it. Bill, along with another volunteer, put in processes to make sure there was full transparency in everything our organization did.
One of the most important things Bill did besides recruiting professional and legal help was he secured a website domain for our neighborhood and recruited a neighbor and his UT students to create the website. It was one of the first websites for a neighborhood in our community.
Bill also conducted a full-blown audit of our organization and neighborhood, and even created a detailed user’s manual for future leadership, which was published also on the website. Unfortunately, years later, our neighborhood organization did not renew the www.FortWest.com domain, which resulted in almost losing everything we did during our tenure.
Bill eventually transitioned off the board. Although he later became active in economic development, he remained a great advisor to our board of directors. Bill even co-founded a group that brought most of Farragut’s homeowners associations together for the very first time, which met at Calhoun’s in Turkey Creek on a regular basis.
Bill has been an exceptional advisor to me on many aspects of business life and encourages women entrepreneurs such as myself. Bill and I have a passion for the maker/entrepreneur community and discussing the challenges facing small business owners.
He is exceptional in knowing what future trends will be impacting organizations and families, planning for any and every scenario and creating opportunities for success.
Although Bill is a very private person, he is extremely active in his community and politics. Bill Johns would make an exceptional mayor for Farragut and would secure its future during trying times. Bill would also bring innovation and energy to every aspect of the community.
Laura Goff Parham,
West Knox County
