Decision 2026: The fight for Farragut
Candidates discuss schools, business, taxes
Among the questions was one asking mayoral candidate Louise Povlin about her background and why she is qualified to serve as mayor.
Povlin said she has lived in Farragut for 18 years, where she raised her children, volunteered in Knox County Schools and opened a small business in town in 2012.
An engineer, she said the late Mayor Ralph McGill asked her to serve on the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission. She later was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of
Mayor and Aldermen in 2015, elected to the seat in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 before reaching term limits in 2024.
"I can run for one term as mayor, and I'm absolutely fine with that," Povlin said. "If you want a mayor who is educated and knowledgeable and will stand with you in a neighborhood meeting and answer your questions, and if she doesn't have the answers, know who she needs to go to, that's who I am."
Asked whether the town should contribute more to public education, Povlin said Farragut already supports its schools.
She said the Public Works Department provides assistance in various ways. She also said she convinced Town administrator David Smoak to have participants in the Intro to Farragut class complete volunteer projects at local schools.
Povlin added she served as an ex-officio member of the Farragut High School Education Foundation board, the Board provides a community grant to schools and the Town has an Education Relations Committee.
"I reworked (the committee) a couple years ago into making it more effective by bringing in representatives from the schools," she said.
On attracting businesses, Povlin said residents consistently tell her they want more locally owned businesses.
"And we have a lot, and we want more," she said. "But they need special support in their build-out. ... We need to make sure we are helping them with that."
She said traffic and communication are the town's two biggest issues.
"I think those are the things that need to get squared away," Povlin said.
The forum also featured candidates for aldermen, including incumbent Joe LaCroix, who is running for South Ward Seat 2, and North Ward Seat 1 candidates Dian Hall and Joey Ruffalo.
"I'm running for this position because I think my thoughts and my ideas on how to tackle the issues the town is facing are pretty sound," said LaCroix, who was appointed to the board in September 2025 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Alderman David White.
LaCroix, who holds an MBA, said he spent 18 years working in local government as a staff member.
"From that perspective, I understand how government works from the inside," he said.
Hall said her 27-year career in the U.S. Air Force prepared her for public service.
"The one thing about the military is they continually train you," she said. "They train you in leadership; they train you in project management; they train you in command positions and finances."
After moving to Farragut, Hall said her children attended Farragut schools, and she became active in the community by coaching youth sports, volunteering with local athletic organizations, serving on her homeowners association and, most recently, serving on the town's Parks and Athletics Council.
Hall said her focus is listening to residents and addressing their needs.
Ruffalo said he and his wife became involved in the community soon after moving to Farragut.
"We got involved; we got active," he said. "That
was something we wanted to do. We wanted to give back to our community."
He is a member of the Rotary Club of Farragut, serves as vice chairman of the town's Tourism/Visitors Committee and serves on the Shop Farragut/Farragut Business Alliance board.
Ruffalo, who also holds an MBA, said his background in financial planning and business development has prepared him for public office.
"My degree has allowed me to work with individuals, to work with businesses," he said. "I'm a business development strategist. I know what it takes to run a business and what it takes to grow businesses.
"I just want what's best," Ruffalo added.
None of the candidates said they favored imposing a property tax to pay for fire or police protection.
