- Andy Ogles emphasizes his deep roots in Maury County, stating his commitment to residing in Tennessee and prioritizing his family and local community over time in Washington (Columbia Daily Herald, Feb 2022).
- Ogles and his family have publicly displayed firearms in Christmas photos, drawing both national criticism and satire, including being mocked by Saturday Night Live after a widely shared 2023 Christmas card (Columbia Daily Herald, Apr 2023).
- In 2014, after the death of his infant son, Ogles organized a GoFundMe that raised over $23,000 for creating a memorial and helping other grieving families, but there has been controversy and lack of transparency around how the funds were distributed (The Tennessean, Mar 2023).
- Requests for documentation or beneficiary contacts regarding the use of the GoFundMe funds have not been met, and local community members cited no visible memorial being established, while Ogles said the fund’s purpose evolved to providing direct support to families (Columbia Daily Herald, Mar 2023).
- Ogles has characterized media scrutiny over the fundraiser as a “smear campaign” and described questions about his family and the fundraiser as personal attacks (The Tennessean, Mar 2023).
- He has justified absences from some county meetings by citing family sickness and stated that his position does not require attendance, noting he maintains involvement by watching meetings remotely (The Daily Herald, Jul 2022).
February 2022: Andy Ogles Stated Commitment To Maury County Residency According to Columbia Daily Herald, "Ogles said if he seeks the seat, his home base would remain in Maury County. 'I think we need someone who wants to stay in Tennessee for the majority of their time, not someone who wants to spent their time in Washington,' he said. 'I live here and raise a family here. This area of Tennessee is my priority.'" [Columbia Daily Herald, 2/17/22]
2021: Donna Locke Reported Andy Ogles and Family Displayed Firearms in Christmas Photo According to an opinion piece by Donna Locke in Daily Herald, "In a bit of apparently serious performance art, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles and his family flaunted big guns for a Christmas photo. Ogles has been pre-campaigning for some office, any office maybe, for some time, so I guess this is an effort to get the gun vote." [Donna Locke - Daily Herald, 2/13/22]
2014: Andy Ogles Raised Over $23,000 Via GoFundMe After Son's Death According to The Tennessean, "Andy and Monica Ogles raised more than $23,000 in a GoFundMe campaign after the death of their son Lincoln. 'Help us help other families,' the description reads on the GoFundMe set up in 2014." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2014: GoFundMe Confirmed Ogles Received Raised Funds According to The Tennessean, "A spokesperson for GoFundMe confirmed that the money raised was paid out to the organizer of the fundraiser. Ogles is listed as the organizer." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2023: Ogles’ Spokesperson Did Not Provide Documentation Or Beneficiary Contacts According to The Tennessean, "Ogles' spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked if financial documents would be released showing the payouts helping families or if they could connect The Tennessean with a family who benefitted from the fundraiser." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2015: Pam Stephens Said Ogles Did Not Respond To Offers To Collaborate On Fund For Grieving Families According to The Tennessean, "Pam Stephens, an owner of Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, organized an effort to help families. In 2015, she said she told Ogles other families had a similar idea and offered to pull the project together. 'All I know is I offered my help, and they never reached back to me, so I have no idea what the funds were used for,' Stephens said Wednesday evening." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2015: Stephens Stated No Memorial Established At Mount Hope Cemetery According to The Tennessean, "'I know there has not been anything that's ever been done over there,' Stephens said of Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin where Lincoln is buried." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2014: Andy Ogles Organized GoFundMe Fundraiser After Infant Son's Death According to Columbia Daily Herald, "Andy and Monica Ogles raised more than $23,000 in a GoFundMe campaign after the death of their son Lincoln. [...] The fundraiser's initial goal was to buy plots at either Mount Hope Cemetery or Williamson Memorial Gardens and help other grieving families with the financial burden of burying a lost child." [Columbia Daily Herald, 3/19/23]
GoFundMe Confirmed Andy Ogles Received Fundraiser Proceeds According to Columbia Daily Herald, "A spokesperson for GoFundMe confirmed that the money raised was paid out to the organizer of the fundraiser. Ogles is listed as the organizer." [Columbia Daily Herald, 3/19/23]
2023: Ogles' Spokesperson Did Not Provide Evidence Of Fund Distribution According to Columbia Daily Herald, "Ogles' spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked if financial documents would be released showing the payouts helping families or if they could connect The Tennessean with a family who benefitted from the fundraiser." [Columbia Daily Herald, 3/19/23]
2023: SNL Mocked Andy Ogles For His Christmas Card Featuring Family With Assault Rifles According to Columbia Daily Herald (Tennessee), "Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost and Michael Che ridiculed freshman Congressman Andy Ogles over the weekend for a Christmas card featuring his family holding assault rifles." [Columbia Daily Herald (Tennessee), 4/5/23]
2023: Ogles Faced Criticism Over Christmas Card Showing Family With Firearms According to Columbia Daily Herald (Tennessee), "Congressman Andy Ogles who represents the district where the Nashville shooting took place is being criticized for a Christmas card where he and his family are holding assault rifles." [Columbia Daily Herald (Tennessee), 4/5/23]
2015: Ogles Stated No Funds Had Been Spent Due To Unexpected Burial Regulations According to The Tennessean, "A year later, however, Ogles told The Tennessean that there were unexpected regulations with the burials, and that none of the money had been spent." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2023: Ogles’ Office Said Fundraiser Purpose Shifted To Helping Families With Funeral Costs According to The Tennessean, "What we raised wasn't enough for our original goal of a more significant memorial, so the purpose evolved from a memorial to direct financial support for families covering the cost of funeral expenses and other needs for their children as opportunities to help arose," the statement says. [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2023: Ogles Characterized Fundraiser Questions As A 'Smear Campaign' According to The Tennessean, "Ogles then lashed out at the original story by NC5, calling the questions 'disgusting lows.' ... 'The smear campaign and muckraking against me is one thing, but questions about my son have crossed a line, and I will not tolerate it,' the statement says." [Tennessean, 3/17/23]
2015: Ogles Stated Money Had Not Been Spent Due To Unexpected Regulations According to Columbia Daily Herald, "A year later, however, Ogles told The Tennessean that there were unexpected regulations with the burials, and that none of the money had been spent." [Columbia Daily Herald, 3/19/23]
Ogles' Office Claimed Fundraiser Purpose Evolved To Direct Support For Families According to Columbia Daily Herald, 'What we raised wasn't enough for our original goal of a more significant memorial, so the purpose evolved from a memorial to direct financial support for families covering the cost of funeral expenses and other needs for their children as opportunities to help arose,' the statement says. [Columbia Daily Herald, 3/19/23]
2023: Ogles Criticized Questions About Fundraiser As 'Disgusting Lows' According to Columbia Daily Herald, 'The smear campaign and muckraking against me is one thing, but questions about my son have crossed a line, and I will not tolerate it,' the statement says. 'Exploiting the death of any child in an attempt to gain some sort of journalistic fame is vile.' [Columbia Daily Herald, 3/19/23]
July 2022: Ogles Justified Absence From Commission Meetings Due To Family Sickness And Lack Of Vote According to The Daily Herald, "In response to his non-attendance at some county governmental meetings throughout the year, Ogles, who attended two funerals on Friday, said family sickness plays a role as well as how duties of mayor are defined. 'First and foremost, I don't have a vote on those committees and my attendance is not required,' Ogles said. 'We have had a great deal of sickness in our family, while balancing family and mayor. The great thing is that I can watch these meetings afterwards from my computer at home.'" [The Daily Herald (Columbia, Tennessee), 7/10/22]