www.putnampit.com has documented for years the ineptitude and corruption that exists in local government in the area.
For example the only police officer shot last year was by another drunk off-duty police officer who got mad because the officer who he shot would not go with him to kill a particular civilian. The now former Cookeville police officer who shot the officer in the neck was given pre-trial diversion (no conviction if the 5 months of probation are served without incident).
Bureaucrats in government have trouble holding each other accountable thus creating a climate where mistakes and other bad acts are swept away. Of course, problems keep surfacing because the foundation of good management is weak. Poor management is the one problem that never want to sweep away; they just move the dust around.