A Tale Of Two Cities, Kevin Breeding Takes On New Role
CEDAR HILL TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – The City of Cedar Hill has announced the hiring of its first-ever City Manager, therefore, putting the city in alignment with its charter. Kevin Breeding, a well-known figure in Robertson County, and currently the Orlinda City Manager, was offered the top slot in Cedar Hill and accepted. Breeding will stay on as the City Manager of Orlinda taking on both roles in a part-time capacity. Breeding told Smokey Barn News that he’s confident that he can manage both roles.
It’s not uncommon for city managers to simultaneously run more than one city, assuming they are smaller cities like Cedar Hill POP 301 (2020), and Orlinda POP 947 (2020). Hitting the ground running, Breeding released a statement regarding his own appointment as Cedar Hill’s City Manager. 
“The City of Cedar Hill, TN, is pleased to announce the hiring of its first City Manager. Cedar Hill Mayor John Edwards, along with Vice-Mayor Marquita Pettus, and Commissioner Jenna Traughber, met in an advertised, special called public meeting on January 27 and voted unanimously to select Kevin Breeding as Cedar Hill’s first-ever City Manager. This represents a major milestone for the City of Cedar Hill and its residents. It reflects the desire of the town’s elected officials to transform its municipal government into a modern, contemporary organization under the management of a professional City Manager.
“Cedar Hill’s transition to the City Manager/City Commission form of government is part of a trend taking place in small towns across America that want to better serve their citizens. The goal of this form of government is to make the organization less political and more professional. City Managers are educated and trained to manage cities much like a CEO manages a business and to remove politics from day-to-day operations as much as possible. The City Manager is appointed to manage the finances, personnel, and day-to-day operations of a city while the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Commissioner establish the long-range goals and plans for the town and are responsible for creating the policies that the City Manager is responsible for implementing.
“The City Manager reports to and serves at the pleasure of the City Commission. Mr. Breeding completed both undergraduate and graduate programs in Public Administration/City Management, has worked in various leadership positions for 6 other municipal governments, and has spent his entire 34-year professional career in City Government. He has been and continues to be employed as the part-time City Manager of Orlinda, Tennessee for the last 23 years, during most of which he also worked part-time at the City of Franklin, KY. As of January 30, 2023, Mr. Breeding will be working part-time for both the City of Orlinda and the City of Cedar Hill, with exact times and schedules to be determined.”
Cedar Hill City Manager Kevin Breeding
“I could not be more excited about the opportunity to serve the citizens and the elected officials of Cedar Hill,” said Breeding. “Having spent my entire post-secondary education and career in City Government, the idea of being Cedar Hill’s first City Manager and helping to form a cohesive new government with elected officials who are clearly committed to protecting and preserving the town and its character is an opportunity I could not be more excited about. I look forward to getting to know the people who live in this beautiful town, earning their trust, and finding out how I can best serve them and their elected officials. While I won’t be in City Hall every day, I can always be reached by voice mail and email as soon as those can be set up. Meanwhile, thank you for letting me be part of this community.” Cedar Hill City Manager Kevin Breeding
Cedar Hill Mayor John Edwards
“The commission is excited to have Kevin as our first City Manager. I think we’re going to see our city make many improvements with regard to operations and processes. I believe when everything is fully rolled out, the citizens will see a more responsive and effective government. We’ve had some great conversations and he understands our views, overall direction, and our mindset. Frankly, we’ve seen how unprepared our city was in dealing with the issues and opportunities we’ve dealt with in the last few years. Kevin will be instrumental in streamlining processes and helping our city catch up so that we’re better prepared to handle things we’re faced with today and what we’ll face in the future.
“The only way to ensure that we’re able to preserve our rural community and the identity of Cedar Hill is to be forward-thinking and dedicated to giving it our all for those that look to us to represent them. Having Kevin on board will allow our commission to be better in sync with the citizens and allow us to spend more time working for those that call Cedar Hill home.
“I always reference an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. I hope that our citizens have seen that commitment in their elected officials. Now it’s time that we add key components to our city so that we can continue to go the distance and I have full faith
in our City Manager to help us achieve that. God has been with our community and he has brought us through so much and I’m excited to see him use our commission and our city as a vessel in furthering his kingdom. The best years of Cedar Hill are ahead.” Cedar Hill Mayor John Edwards
Cedar Hill Vice Mayor Marquita Pettus
“I’m just super excited to have him on board, and know that he’s an asset to our City. We look forward to bringing our city up to date per our charter.” Cedar Hill Vice Mayor Marquita Pettus
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