{"id":6474,"date":"2026-08-13T06:36:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6474"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:36:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:36:36","slug":"tennessee-city-council-meeting-erupts-after-vice-mayor-stands-by-scathing-email-telling-resident-to-go-back-into-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6474","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee city council meeting erupts after vice mayor stands by scathing email telling resident to ‘go back into tree’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A Tennessee vice mayor blasted a resident in a scathing email \u2014 then doubled down when confronted about the message at a heated city council meeting.<\/p>\n

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Gallatin resident Michael Zinser had been vocal about his opposition to fast-moving new developments in the town \u2014<\/strong> about 30 miles outside Nashville \u2014 <\/strong>and recently fired off an email to the city council laying out his grievances, WKRN reported.<\/p>\n

But Zinser said Vice Mayor Craig Hayes\u2019 response was anything but professional, claiming Hayes disrespected and bashed him in the reply.<\/p>\n

Zinser \u2014 a resident in the community for nearly 50 years \u2014 said he found the response \u201cunprofessional, disrespectful, and unbecoming of my elected representative,\u201d and felt it necessary to address the matter during the council meeting, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wrote in an email, and this is a quote: \u2018Mike, why don\u2019t you go back into the tree you crawled out of? Please take me off your email list. I don\u2019t want to read your BS. Thanks, Craig,’\u201d Zinser read aloud during a council meeting this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure did,\u201d Hayes snapped back. \u201cI sure did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zinser appeared taken aback by Hayes\u2019 blunt response and fired back, chastising the vice mayor in front of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch a response reflects poorly upon the office you hold and undermines a respectful civic discourse that citizens are entitled to expect. Public office does not place an official above criticism,\u201d Zinser told the board.<\/p>\n

The disgruntled Volunteer State resident then questioned the leadership style of the city council.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAre the citizens of Gallatin mere subjects to be ruled by an elite group of elected officials and developers? Or, are we citizens whose government exists by the consent of \u2018We the People.\u2019 Your recent message, unfortunately, reinforces the concern behind that question,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hayes, who has served on the Gallatin City Council for 30 years, retorted that Zinser had publicly accused him and the council of being \u201con the take,\u201d and said during his lengthy time of public service he has \u201cnever taken a dime from anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would do that email again to you. I sure would,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

Hayes told WKRN the fiery email was prompted by Zinser\u2019s constant accusations of corruption \u2014 and a more recent claim that he and the council had accepted money from the developer behind the now-scrapped marina project.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Zinser denied ever accusing Hayes or the city council of taking money, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

Gallatin has exploded in recent years \u2014 adding roughly 8,000 residents since 2020 to become one of the fastest-growing cities in Tennessee, according to the World Population Review.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s population jumped from about 44,000 in the 2020 census to an estimated 52,000 by 2024 \u2014 a 26% surge in just four years.<\/p>\n

Gallatin sits about 30 miles northeast of Nashville and has become a magnet for buyers who can\u2019t afford to live closer to the city.<\/p>\n

Read more Tehran is losing its grip on Hormuz, and with it all its leverage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gallatin, TN Vice Mayor Craig Hayes doubled down after telling resident Michael Zinser to “go back into the tree you crawled out of” in an email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTennessee city council meeting erupts after vice mayor stands by scathing email telling resident to 'go back into tree' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6474\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tennessee city council meeting erupts after vice mayor stands by scathing email telling resident to 'go back into tree' - 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