Mayberry with a twist: Allan Sterbinsky’s Vision for Stanton, Tenn.
Allan Sterbinsky loves his job.
The mayor of small-town Stanton, Tennessee—population 450—is grappling with big changes and big opportunities since the announcement of the Ford Company’s arrival. Stanton is the closest municipality to BlueOval City, a mere five miles from the plant that will soon produce electric vehicles and employ thousands of workers.
A native of Chicago, Sterbinsky spent the last few decades of his life living in the South. After earning a PhD in educational research, Sterbinsky worked at University of Memphis and, later, Vanderbilt University teaching and doing research. After Vanderbilt, Sterbinsky worked in the Jackson-Madison County School System and then turned his eye toward Stanton, where he has been mayor for 14 years.
How exactly did Mayor Sterbinsky come to know, love, and lead Stanton, Tennessee? In large part, by chance. “I bought a little farm not too far from Stanton,” he explains, “and on the way to and from that farm I had to pass Ewell and Sarah Shelton’s home. They were sitting on the porch swing, and I’d wave and one day I stopped. I started chatting, and I just fell in love with them.”
From there, Sterbinsky was hooked. He found an old house in town to rebuild, put down roots, and has called the place home ever since. Living in town, Sterbinsky explains, “You fall in love with the people in Stanton. If they need somebody to help them, move them forward, here I am! I’ll help!”
To help has been Sterbinsky’s goal from the beginning, one that continues with the welcoming of BlueOval City to the neighborhood. Sterbinsky explains that he’s viewing the mega site development as an opportunity to create monumental, lasting change. He refers lovingly to Stanton as something close to Mayberry RFD, a tight-knit community where, for the most part, everybody gets along. The small-town flavor is one of the things he loves most about the town, something he hopes to sustain even with influx of new people and developments to come. He plans to maintain the small-town feeling within the town limits while allowing larger-scale development to happen in the areas between Stanton and the mega site, giving Stanton the opportunity to maintain its quaint lovability while also offering space for residents to participate in the growth and development destined to come with the Ford plant’s arrival. He’s hoping that the mega site will bring “multi-generational change” felt by years to come.
“Stanton is something close to Mayberry RFD, a tight-knit community where, for the most part, everbody gets along... giving Stanton the opportunity to maintain its quaint lovability while also offering space for residents to participate in the growth and development destined to come.”
Providing opportunities for Stanton residents has long been Mayor Sterbinsky’s goal. Over the course of his tenure as mayor, he has worked to improve the quality of life for everyone. He has put in an orchard near the town’s playground and walking path so that residents can walk healthy and eat healthy at the same time. There is work-out equipment available on the same lot, so that adults can get in some exercise while watching their children play.
One of his most beloved projects in Stanton thus far has been The Cannery, a business incubator in town that allows residents various opportunities to rent the equipment to create and market their own products. The cannery has equipment that allows patrons to can their own jams and jellies, bake cakes or other shelf stable goods, or to rent out the space completely and use it as your own personal restaurant at certain times each week as a trial run of owning and operating a restaurant. This will, he hopes, give residents a chance to get their foot in the door of the restaurant industry to promote greater success.
And now, Ford’s introduction to the region could offer development previously only dreamed of. Be it through a healthy walk on the trails, an opportunity to kickstart your own business, or the introduction of major industry and opportunity nearby, Mayor Allan Sterbinsky is enthusiastic about any opportunity to better the lives of the people he leads. “I just love helping people,” he says about the perks of his job. “Every morning I get up and I can help people. It’s a wonderful thing. These are God’s children and I get paid to help people. What a deal!”
