City of Murfreesboro Council appoints Jeffrey Peach as new City Attorney
Town of Smyrna Attorney will replace Adam Tucker who served in role since 2018
The City of Murfreesboro announced the hiring of Smyrna Town Attorney Jeffrey L. Peach to serve as Murfreesboro’s next City Attorney, approving an employment agreement, March 5, 2026. Peach has served as Town Attorney for the town of Smyrna, Tennessee, the state’s eleventh largest municipality, since 2013. Hired as a staff attorney in 2008, Peach has 17 years of continuous service as a Tennessee municipal attorney. The Columbia, Tennessee, native begins his new role as Murfreesboro City Attorney on or before May 4, 2026.
The Murfreesboro City Council voted to appoint Peach during Thursday’s City Council meeting following a public interview during the Council Workshop on Feb. 12, 2026, in which Council directed employment contract negotiations to proceed. The decision to interview Peach followed a regional recruitment process that began in January.
“Jeff Peach has faithfully served as Town Attorney and Staff Attorney for the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee for more than 17 years, working on a number of important and complex legal matters, including civil litigation, employment, land use planning and zoning concerns, and other municipal legal issues,” said Mayor Shane McFarland. “The City Council was impressed with his background as a municipal attorney that has included contract negotiations and intergovernmental affairs. His experience encompasses cases before state and federal courts, the Court of Appeals, and writs before the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Prior to serving as a Town and Staff Attorney for Smyrna, Peach worked as a detective and police officer in Smyrna from 1996 to 2009. Peach earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middle Tennessee State University.
Peach is currently serving his second four-year term as Commissioner of the Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), appointed by Governor Bill Lee. Peach is a member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association and is an associate member of the International City Managers Association.
He lives in Rutherford County with his wife, Katie. They share four adult children and five grandchildren.
On Feb. 12, the Murfreesboro City Council appointed Kelley Blevins Baker as interim City Attorney. Baker, the longtime Deputy City Attorney, began working for the City in November 2001. Former City Attorney Adam Tucker announced his resignation on Dec. 19, 2025, to relocate to his native Northeast Ohio. Tucker’s last day as City Attorney was February 17, 2026.
“We are grateful to Ms. Baker for her willingness to serve in the interim until Mr. Peach can make the transition from Smyrna to Murfreesboro,” said City Manager Darren Gore. “The City is also appreciative to the Town of Smyrna and its leadership for understanding our excitement in finding a highly qualified City attorney so close to home.”
The Employment Agreement is attached to the March 5, 2026, Council Agenda.
