City Administrator's Office

Rydell Wesson, City Administrator

Contact Rydell Wesson

Rydell Wesson has worked for the City of Dickson for more than 30 years, advancing from Planning and Zoning to Public Works to City Administrator. He has served as City Administrator since 2011, overseeing the daily operation of the city’s more than 200 employees and $32 million budget.


Mr. Wesson first joined the city as an Assistant Building Official in the Planning and Zoning Department in September 1988, where he remained for two years. After four years as the Codes Enforcement Officer in his hometown of Savannah, Tennessee, Mr. Wesson returned to the City of Dickson in October 1994 as Director of Planning and Zoning. In December 2008, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. appointed Mr. Wesson as Director of the Public Works Department, supervising 25 employees in the Street, Sanitation and Maintenance departments. During the illness of Tom Waychoff, Mayor Weiss designated Mr. Wesson as acting City Administrator in April 2011 and he assumed the position full-time a year later.


A Savannah native, Mr. Wesson is a graduate of Hardin County Central High School with an emphasis in general building and trades. He studied Construction and Blueprinting at North Lake Community College in Dallas, Texas. He has completed numerous classes and certifications through the Southern Building Code Congress International and the International Code Council related to building codes and inspections, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for erosion and sediment control, and the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service in public administration. He is a 1997 graduate of Leadership Dickson County.



Mr. Wesson is a member of the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce, where he serves on the Board of Directors. He has been the City of Dickson’s representative to various regional and state boards and commissions, including the Regional Transportation Authority, Greater Nashville Regional Council, Rural Planning Organization, South Central Tennessee Railroad Authority, Solid Waste Committee of Dickson County, Growth Plan Committee and others.


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