Alexander “Lexie” Orr: ‘A Lifetime of Experience’

by Leslie Lytle,  Messenger Staff Writer
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of interviews of the mayoral candidates for the Town of Monteagle.
In seeking the office of mayor of Monteagle, Alexander “Lexie” Orr brings with him a lifetime of experience and history of commitment to civic duty. Until his retirement in 2003 when he moved to Monteagle full time, Orr served as a mechanical contractor, beginning in his college days working in the family plumbing, heating and air conditioning business. As a Monteagle resident, he joined the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary, serving as president of both, and nine years ago with his election to the city council, he found the opportunity to put his experience as a mechanical contractor to use once again in grappling with the city’s infrastructure issues.
Orr cites quality of life as the community’s most important need, insisting residents should have good roads, reliable sewer and water service, and the comfort of dependable police and fire protection.
As a council member, he saw the city through the seven-year moratorium on the sewer plant, an injunction by Tennessee Department of Enviroment and Conservation preventing the facility from adding new customers and halting residential and commercial growth. With the new sewer plant on line and the moratorium lifted, Orr points to the economic potential in the Cooley’s Rift development offering lots for sale again.
But Orr stresses growth must be controlled. “The infrastructure can’t handle rapid growth,” he insists.
For the past six years, Orr has served as vice-mayor of the council and serves as chair of the planning commission. Crafting a plan is difficult, he acknowledges, since Monteagle includes portions of three counties and strip annexation has created gaps in the city’s map. “People who work here and shop here, would like to have the opportunity to vote here,” Orr said. He favors annexing Clifftops, bringing in residents with talent, fresh ideas and a commitment to community involvement.
He calls Monteagle “the best kept secret” and sees it as a “place of destination” for visitors. Revenue from sales tax doubles during events such as the recent Parent’s Weekend at the University of the South, Orr said, and during the July 4 holiday he’s seen as many people at the Mall in the Monteagle Assembly as live in the entire town of only 1,300 residents.
“No one who lives here wants Monteagle to become another Dollywood,” he stresses. The Mountain Goat Market and Wilco Hess Travel Center “are the right kind of commercial development,” Orr said, increasing sales tax revenue without commercializing the town. Similarly, the Mountain Goat Trail is a “dual-purpose” asset, drawing revenue producing visitors and providing residents with a great opportunity for outdoor activity.
Born and raised in Miami, Fla., Orr visited his grandparent’s home in the Assembly every summer as a child. He graduated from Baylor Military Academy in Chattanooga (now Baylor School) and majored in mechanical engineering at the University of Florida Gainesville. He plied his trade in Florida, except for 10 years as manager at the Assembly. He and his wife Posey have three children and seven grandchildren.
Posey questions his decision to run for mayor.
For Lexie, the answer is simple. “I love the town. I love the people and I enjoy what I do. I hope to have the opportunity to have a hand in guiding the vision for another four years.”