Improve Red Bank by electing Causer
Our elected officials represent the citizens of Red Bank. We must have leaders who have the utmost of integrity. Red Bank should and must be respected. We need people who are not eager to vote for higher taxes. We need someone who understands the needs of our city and is not so concerned with their own personal agenda.
The interim city manager did not ask for a tax increase. The commissioners, except for Commissioner Floy Pierce, requested a tax increase be added to the budget.
Our city had $5 million in reserves and was told that it is only recommended to have half that amount. Was it maybe for a new City Hall?
Mayor Monty Millard has been our sole representative on the Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority board. He sold us out by voting for a sewer rate increase. I believe he just blew his chances to entice new development, businesses and families to come to Red Bank with his higher taxes and higher sewer rates. Our low taxes are one of our best assets to grow our economy.
Vote for Rick Causer. I know he is a man of his word.
JEAN HUCKEBA
Red Bank
Vote against recall proposal
The November ballot has a referendum that intends to amend the recall standards for City Council members. The city's charter section 3.18 currently requires a petition with 50 percent of a district's votes in the last election to force a recall. The new standard, based on Tennessee state law, would require 15 percent of the registered voters in a city district to petition a recall. City Council's plan to abandon the city charter on this issue may seem sensible, especially given recent court recall fiascoes; but it reduces their accountability and affords unconscionable protection to incumbent City Council members.
Due to the traditional low voter turnout for the March city elections, the 15 percent state standard works hand-in-hand with a low turnout to protect incumbents from any future recall effort; all this benefits an incumbent with an established base of support.
Finally, the 2009 election cost the city $138,000, and $200,000 is budgeted for 2013. How much could be saved by moving the elections to August of the off-year elections?
Please vote NO in order to maintain our City Council's accountability to the people.
LARRY GROHN
Fair comparison favors DesJarlais
I am very disappointed by this newspaper's barrage of daily negative articles designed to drive Dr. Scott DesJarlais from office based solely on highly contentious divorce proceedings of 12 years ago. In its one-sided pursuit of Dr. DesJarlais, the Times Free Press has failed its duty to even minimally compare the candidates' qualifications for national office.
As a Franklin County resident, I am familiar with both candidates' qualifications.
Eric Stewart's personal history indicates that he dropped out of college, mismanaged his insurance agency and failed to timely pay his federal income taxes. His Tennessee Senate votes show him to be a highly partisan supporter of the liberal agenda for increased spending and ever-expanding government. His negative, single-issue campaign misrepresents that record by claiming that he is a bipartisan supporter of family values and financial responsibility.
Scott DesJarlais is a successful physician elected two years ago because he espoused the conservative principles of the 4th District electorate. His congressional voting record reflects his conservative, fiscally responsible approach to government. He has kept his campaign promises and has ably and faithfully represented his constituents.
By any fair comparison, Scott DesJarlais is clearly the superior choice for 4th District representative!
BERT COFFMAN
Winchester, Tenn.
Allen didn't 'kick' Duncan off board
During the campaign season, even in small towns, dedicated elected officials can be victimized by rumor. Annette Allen has served on the Signal Mountain Town Council for six years. I have worked closely with Ms. Allen, who has served as the Park Board liaison. That's why I was astounded to hear a rumor suggesting that Ms. Allen had "kicked" Dr. Jeff Duncan off the board. It is important to set the record straight.
The Parks Board is a seven-member working board. We build and maintain trails and bridges and, by example, teach others good stewardship. Expertise and interest are important qualities for membership, but so is time -- hours to spend in the woods cutting, clearing and building. Dr. Duncan travels as a senior executive at the National Park Service and has a young family.
In 2011, the Parks Board recommended the appointment of a new member instead of reappointing Dr. Duncan, whose term was expiring, because the new applicant had not only the expertise and the interest, but also the time. The Town Council approved the new appointment unanimously.
As citizens, we must appreciate the volunteer service that Ms. Allen and Dr. Duncan have given to our community and not allow rumor to replace fact.
BILL FRONK,
Secretary, Signal Mountain Parks Board
Obama needs four more years
A lot of the wealthiest now are asking Congress to raise their taxes in order to pay our country's debt. But most Republicans have signed a pledge not to do that. They choose instead to cut budgets like Planned Parenthood and NPR.
Sen. Lamar Alexander himself pledged his support for funding of the Chickamauga Dam lock, a no-brainer. Now that is up to Congress.
When President Obama took office he inherited two wars financed by debt for eight and 10 years, ($2 trillion of debt), tax cuts financed by debt for over 10 years now, an unregulated finance system which cost Americans $8 trillion in equity lost, and a health care system that is 36th in the world for effectiveness and No. 1 for costs. The economy was shedding 800,000 jobs a month and unemployment was 7.8 percent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the economy shrank by 8.9 percent.
Obama has turned that around in four years without help from those who care more about power than bipartisanship.
Obama has concentrated on new means of energy and cleaning up older, outdated power plants. The pollution he inherited was prematurely killing 65,000 Americans a year. He needs four more years.
ROGER SHIPLEY
Ringgold, Ga.
Globe not warming at alarming pace
David Cook "Metro & Region" (Oct. 26) reckons that global warming is behind most if not all the world's problems. There is now and has been for a long time a belief that the global warming frenzy is based on flawed science. A recent article in the London Daily Mail seems to offer proof that might counter the idea that the earth is warming at an alarming pace.
The Daily Mail says "the earth stopped getting warmer nearly 16 years ago. From the beginning of 1997 until August 2012 there has been no discernible rise in global temperatures."
The new figures were compiled from more than 3,000 measuring points by Hadcrut 4. They found that since 1880, the planet has only warmed by 1.3 degrees F.
Britain's energy minister vowed "the high-flown theories of left wing scientists will not override the interests of ordinary people."
WILLIAM GODSEY
Crossville, Tenn.
Chief's link unnecessary
Regarding the comments Police Chief Bobby Dodd made concerning the arrest of the rape suspects of a woman jogger on Oct. 12, it was wrong for Chief Dodd to allude to any connection with either of the suspects to Washington Hills or the Washington Alternative Learning Center. It was completely unnecessary to mention that the juvenile was at the center or to mention Washington Hills community. The center is not the student's home school where he is officially enrolled for accountability. In addition, the incident happened almost 10 miles from the area of the school, so where is the connection for this incident to the center or the community.
The comment was a slap in the face for the center and the community the center is located in. Since the policy is not to identify juveniles, why would you give or provide certain bits of information that make it almost a certain fact that the juvenile will be identified.
If Chief Dodd wants to bring peace in our neighborhoods, why link such an incident to a neighborhood or community not involved! Chief Dodd has put our center and the community in the worst limelight, for no valid reason.
JOSHUAH BARBER
Practicing what we preach is difficult
We as a nation like to highlight our Christians credential but practicing the ways of Jesus might be shocking. Suppose after 9/11 we had "turned the other cheek" and built hospitals and schools on the fields where terrorists learned their techniques; assisted and showed genuine love for these our enemies, and taught by example the meaning of the "second mile." Where would we be today?
I suspect there would be no national debt and there would be thousands of our fighting men and women still living productive lives. There would be less need for veterans hospitals to care for many more thousands maimed physically and scarred emotionally. We would be enjoying the respect of many nations and peoples, and the wind would be to our backs. During one of the presidential debates, one of the candidates suggested that we could not kill our way to peace.
We as Christians just don't have the guts to practice what we preach.
FRANCIS A. GREEN
Chickamauga, Ga.
Heiskell dedicated and hard-working
I live in Walker County and am proud to say so. I have a very hard-working, dedicated commissioner. She has worked (many hours) to oversee my county. I know what BeBe Heiskell has done in the past but I don't see any qualifications in her opponent. BeBe has the experience, knowledge and compassion to run Walker County. You would be surprised at the things she has done behind the scenes to help the people of Walker County.
I remember one night on her weekly TV show that a caller had with a problem and BeBe wrote her address down and said she would stop by on her way home. Her show goes off at 9 p.m. Not many others would have done so (especially at that time of night) -- that's how dedicated she is. Let's keep what we are sure of. Please vote BeBe on Nov. 6. Thank you, and may God bless you.
MIKE NOWLIN
Chickamauga, Ga.