Willie David Cox Jr., known by friends and co-workers as David, was elected as Union County Road Superintendent in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. In this vital county position, Cox is responsible for directing, planning, and organizing the county road maintenance program. He oversees and performs many duties required to keep our county roads safe and traversable, such as paving, maintenance and repairs, striping, placing guardrails, culvert cleaning, ditching—as needed—and mowing. The Union County Highway Department is also responsible for the maintenance of the Union County Ferry.

Cox, a lifetime resident of Union County, was introduced to road maintenance by his father, who also worked on Union County roads. When Cox was a young boy he rode in the plows and dump trucks clearing roadways of snow and became very fond of working with big equipment. Something that fortified his liking of equipment and machinery beginning at a young age was a lifetime of farm work. Cox still works with cattle and hay, and is a newly appointed member of the Board of Directors at the Union County Co-op.

Cox graduated from Horace Maynard High School in 1982, and took a position in road maintenance at the age of 19 working for Renfro construction. On recommendation from his uncle, Cox was hired to run the road grader, and with on-the-job training soon perfected the job. He stayed with Renfro Construction for 24 years, working his way up the ranks to Foreman and then Superintendent. Harrison Construction acquired Renfro Construction, and Cox stayed with them another five years.

Cox proudly relays that he built the road through Maynardville that runs from Highway 61 to Hickory Star Road. Since being elected Union County Road Superintendent in 2012, the county has improved at least 150 of the 380 miles of roadway running through Union County. His goal is to pave all 380 miles of county road before he retires! Cox has a strong sense of responsibility to the community, stating, “We try to do the right thing for the people of Union County. We can’t do it all, but what we can do, we do right.”

Cox also stated that he enjoys what he does and tries to answer all calls for road maintenance needs swiftly. He is very thankful for the trust placed in him as he begins to serve a third term as Union County Road Superintendent. He thinks it is important to work close to home, living in the community in which one serves. Cox thoroughly enjoys his work and appreciates the continued opportunity to serve Union County. When asked for his thoughts on the future of Union County, Cox indicated, “We’re definitely moving in the right direction.” For incoming businesses, Cox advises that offering benefits to employees makes a huge difference in their longevity with the company. Low turnover of employees is one of the key elements of business success.

When asked how one might successfully pursue a job in road maintenance, and then perhaps a road superintendent position, Cox stated that it helps to be mechanically inclined. He stated that a large aspect of the job is learned with on-the-job training, and added that a background in asphalt would be very helpful since that's a large part of what they do. An example of how being mechanically inclined contributes to the success of this position: a couple of years ago a tractor rolled off a bank and broke in two. Cox sought advice from other mechanics and decided to save the equipment (and Union County taxpayers’ money) by repairing it. They pulled it into the garage tore it completely apart and put it back together. The transmission had literally been broken in half, but to this day that tractor is running well.

Cox asserts that the department used to struggle with equipment in the early days of his career but now they have an almost new fleet, although very little debt! This helps them get their work done in a timely manner because they're not spending a lot of time working on equipment, which frees their hands to work on the roads and just maintain existing equipment.

The Union County Road Superintendent office is located at 707 Highway 61 East, Maynardville, TN 37807. Normal business hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm and the office phone number is 865-992-5286.