Treasurer for school board candidate served two years for armed robbery

Campaign official convicted for robbing restaurant in California

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Tommy L. Boulton

The campaign treasurer for a school board candidate may have a record of wanting to serve his community, but he also has a prison record.

Tommy Boulton, the treasurer of Cordenus Eddings' school board campaign, served a two-year sentence for the armed robbery of a restaurant in California 19 years ago.

Boulton, a licensed real estate broker, acknowledged the conviction to NashvillePost.com as he did when he applied and was approved by the state for an affiliate brokers license with the Tennessee Real Estate Commission.

A call to Eddings for comment was not returned at the time of publication of this article. She is challenging school board incumbent Ed Kindall.

In his letter to the commission, Boulton states, "This offense occurred in the state of California with another individual, over 14 years ago at the age of 23. A two-year sentence was served, restitution was made, and probation was satisfied, whereby all conditions were completed. Participation in an armed robbery of a restaurant took place, where fortunately no harm was brought to any of the parties involved. At a youthful age, in a large city away from home, and the wrong kind of company led to a very bad decision on my part. I regret having made such a decision and participate in such a situation. I learned from my mistake and I can clearly assure that it will never happen again."

In a conversation with NashvillePost.com, Boulton said that he was not surprised that information had come to light and that he has tried to serve his community positively since the incident.

Interestingly, one of the letters of recommendation that Boulton obtained in seeking his real estate license in 2005 was from none other than then Vice-Mayor Howard Gentry. Gentry, whose wife Sharon is also seeking election to the school board, states that he had only known Boulton for a short time but had known his family all his life. To be fair, such letters from elected officials are a common occurrence.