AUGUST 16, 2022 – MARTIN, TENN.:
Martin Mayor Randy Brundige has been named the 2022 Mayor of the Year by the Tennessee Municipal League at its 82nd Annual Conference in Gatlinburg.
Currently in the fourth year of a fifth term, Mayor Brundige has a background in budgets, sales, markets, and providing efficient services from his career in livestock sales and auctions. Under his leadership, the City of Martin has undergone major changes, many of which have been financed by more than $50 million in grant funds for new infrastructure and economic development projects.
Major capital projects initiated and completed during Brundige’s term include a new 21st century library, new police station, new fire station, new city hall, and recreation complex. The 50,000-square-foot library, complete with modern technology, as well as a state-of-the-art amphitheater and outdoor stage, and a 3,500-square-foot event center, has helped to anchor the Martin Historic Business District.
Another major investment has been the sidewalk and pedestrian lighting project that connects residential areas, the heart of the city, and the University of Tennessee at Martin campus. This connection has helped improve health outcomes and better-connected citizens with the city. These investments include 10 phases of sidewalk pedestrian infrastructure, expansion of the greenway, and the planting of more than 300 new trees. Other important infrastructure upgrades include eight phases of a major water/sewer infrastructure project, a new electric vehicle charging station, and a new splash park.
Industrial investment has been another focus of Brundige’s. He instated the Martin Industrial Board that has focused on recruiting major companies to locate in the city. This includes the city’s biggest employer, Stanley Black and Decker, as well as their first foreign-direct investment through South Korean-based company DongA-USA. Other major investments include FE Rail, Elgin Fasteners, and USA Pallet Source Infrastructure. Planning is also in place for a new industrial park in Martin.
Outside his work for the City of Martin, Mayor Brundige has served two terms on the Tennessee Municipal League Board of Directors, three legislative sessions on the TML Municipal Advocacy Committee, and is currently the vice chair of the Public Entity Partners Board. He is a charter member of the Ken-Tenn Regional Economic Development Alliance, and is a graduate of the WestStar Leadership Program, and Tennessee Institute of Public Officials. He also serves as a member of Rotary, the Northwest Tennessee Rural Convention Group, the Carl Perkins Center, the American Public Gas Association, the Weakley County Economic Development Board, and the Municipal Training Academy Board of Directors.
An alumnus of UT Martin, Brundige and his wife Sandy are the parents of two daughters and grandparents of two granddaughters.
