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Wlaf1450
By Charlotte Underwood
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- The LaFollette Utility Board hired a new general manager at a special-called meeting held on Friday. The board voted to hire David Cross (top photo) for the position at a salary of $250,000 annually. He was chosen out of a pool of 19 candidates who turned in resumes, according to LaFollette Utility Board Chairman Laura Byrge.
She opened up the brief special-called meeting by saying she was “overjoyed” to be moving forward with the hiring of a new GM for the utility.
Cross is from Fentress County and has “40 years of experience in the electric business.”
He thanked the board for hiring him and said he appreciated their confidence in his abilities.
“I appreciate the confidence the board has placed in me; I take it very seriously; you will get my best. Several of the LaFollette linemen have been up on our Plateau system and I have always looked at the LaFollette Utility as a sister system,” Cross said.
Cross has had a lengthy career in the utility business and even worked in LaFollette back in the 1980s at Good Year, before getting into the electric business.
He previously worked for Plateau Electric Cooperative for 37 years, with 15 of those years as CEO. He retired from there in 2023, but after a few months decided retirement was not for him and went to work for the City of Oak Ridge where he served as the electric director for the city. For the past year, Cross has been serving as a member engagement strategist representing Central Service Association.
“This is a great honor to serve as the new LaFollette Utility General Manager. I have had a great career and a lot of experience. I look forward to working with the employees. I know what the utility means to the community. We want to support the community and its economic development. I have been over here many times over the years, and I look forward to being here and getting to know the community better,” Cross said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-07/20/2026-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)