Early Voting for Williamson County will be at the Thompson Station Rescue Squad (just off 31 and Thompson Station) the 20th-27th. I believe that the polling station opens at 8 AM and closes at 4:30. I will find out more tomorrow, but it would be a good opportunity to stop by really quickly on Saturday to early vote for our Williamson County elected officials.
Get out there and vote early! It is time for Spring Hill citizens to begin going out to the polls and take control of our various elections. We can sit here and gripe all we want about the way things ought to be, but now is the time to go out and actually start changing things.
Thank you to Dustin Dunbar, PJ Mezera, and Judy Hayes for showing some interest in providing information.
Also, I have reset the poll on the right side of the screen. Now that you know something about each of the candidates, please re-submit your vote! I am curious to see if this comes anywhere near the actual polling numbers.
Click here to go to the County Commission Election Information Page where you can find candidate contact information and questionnaire responses.
Beat the rush...Go to the polls this weekend!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Early voting
Posted by Gorilla in the Corner at 9:28 PM
Labels: County Government
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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is a series of personal opinions and is not meant to reflect an official position by the City of Spring Hill.
28 comments:
I just spoke with someone at the election commission office and they told me the poll isn't open down here until tomorrow, April 22. You have to vote between 8am and 12pm on Saturdays so make early plans. Thanks Gorilla for doing such a great job with the election information and encouraging people to vote. I'd also like to direct people to the articles written on the roads in the Journal of Spring Hill on Wednesday. If those dates (2016) for road improvements are NOT okay with you, please consider voting for PJ and Dustin. They live here and endure the traffic just like you and will fight to get those roads widened sooner.
How does PJ propose getting the state to fund these road projects before 2016?
From his questionnaire:
I will befriend and arm twist and call on the carpet (in that order) every person who stands in the way of getting what we need here in District 3.
If that's how he proposes getting it done, he's in for a big shock... Just ask Glen Casada.
Anon 10:24,
In all due respect, are you suggesting that everyone just vote the same old way so we can just continue getting nothing done about the district's largest problem? Would you enjoy gridlock all the way to Franklin on 31 and sitting on a virtual parking lot on I65 while the growth continues but the roads don't keep up with it? I'm glad PJ wants to do something. He will talk to Glen Casada, and whoever replaces Jim Bryson, and the Governor. He will go even beyond that if he has to. Any action is better than none at all.
He can do that as a citizen, even if he is not elected.
He will have more clout as an elected official representing the people of this District but, you are welcome to join him as a citizen.
Tammy,
Do you and PJ even know how to get the road projects moved up? Or is this another campaign promise with no actual thought. Much like disagreeing with an increase in the wheel tax, which was for future building of schools, but he wants to build more schools. Or like charging the developers more through impact fees, but not realizing they help keep the costs of new schools down by donating the land.
Dear Anonymous (is that your real name?),
When it comes to planning and improving county roads, who better suited to getting something done than the county commissioner? If as a county we plan ahead of growth by building new egress and ingress roadways we will not hit the roadblocks we face when trying to get the State to improve existing roads. Also, construction cost is significantly lower when you build new roads as opposed to widening existing roads. When it comes to improving state roads, it would become important to be a part of the MPO over the Davidson/Williamson County area. The MPO, as you know, helps in steering TDOT projects and would be the single best organization for moving up the dates for proposed projects. Another option would include funding projects in part or in whole that are critical as partners with TDOT funding. Or petitioning the State to abandon state roads that the county may then improve as needed.
But really to the point "anonymous", why are you not asking our current commissioners what they have done to improve our problems here in Spring Hill? The fact is that if they had been building our schools at an appropriate rate or planning our road infrastructure ahead of growth we would have no problems and I would be applauding their activism! Sadly that has not been the case and that is why candidates such as myself and Dustin Dunbar are compelled to sacrifice our time and energy to get something done. I have no self interest in running for commissioner other than to improve the schools where my children and the children of Williamson County attend, the roads that I and my fellow Spring Hill residents travel everyday to and from work, and to reduce the debt that our children will be burdened with if we do not commit to fiscal responsibility today. It seems, anonymous, that you are determined to keep things going the way they are while saying to yourself and anyone who will listen that everything is wonderful. Well, the people of Spring Hill and Williamson County know that everything is not wonderful, there are storm clouds on the horizon in the form of "uncontrolled growth". If we as a county maintain the pace we are on for infrastructure improvements and the pace of new growth continues at its rate, we are headed for certain disaster. We will watch as a county is developed that none of us would want to live in or call home. The time is now to make changes. The time is now for tireless representatives determined to turn the tide. The time is now for the residents of Williamson County to take control of their destiny and mold our county into what they want it to be.
Perhaps these blog posts have not done anything to change your mind, anonymous; and perhaps it is futile to reply anymore to you, but I hope that is not the case. I hope that you will join the rest of us in Williamson County in working together to make our county better; that you will join the rest of us from Spring Hill in making our city a GREAT place to live and raise a family.
PJ,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to Anonymous's comments. I hear your message loud and clear, and although I do think that your intent is admirable, it sounds to me like you are running for the wrong elected position. I don't see any County Commissioners on the Nashville Area MPO. It sounds like you should be running for Mayor of Spring Hill, Mayor of Williamson County, State House District 63 or State Senate District 23.
Trust me, I'm looking for a reason to vote for you, and so are others that I have talked to as well.
What specific infrastructure solutions do you propose, and how do you propose funding all of these new schools and projects? - Keep in mind that the county is currently assessing the state maximum Impact Fee. Finally, why do I need to vote for you as County Commissioner to get these things done?
Thanks in advance for your response, and good luck down the stretch.
From what I've read so far this looks like a legitimate blog discussion!! Where's all the name calling and mis-information?
I encourage all to take a long hard look at Mike Bennett. He's to quiet and his allies have much to be desired.
Has he or any candidate come forward with thier beliefs or views?
We know where Jerry Irwin stands.
Gorilla, maybe you can enlighten us.
Ron DeYoung may also be able to share some thoughts.
State Representative – 64th District
Democrat Guy Z. Derryberry
Republican Tom Dubois*
State Senate - 13th District
Republican Bill Ketron*
Democrat Vince B. Springer
Do any of the above candidates support the Spring Hill Hospital?
Silverback,
I'm going to answer for PJ because, as you can imagine, this is an enormously busy week for him with less than a week until May 2nd. When PJ said, "be a part of the MPO," he was suggesting that he could go to the meetings and make our district's voice better heard. Some one suggested he speak to Glen Cassada. He has and there is already hope that the I-65 project will be moved up. He will have to fight hard for Hwy 31 and he will.
There is a lot of wasteful spending in the county. We have properties that lose money nearly every month. Specifically, a conference center at the Marriot and a few other county "sacred cows" also fail to pay for themselves as they should. These things need to be made self sufficient or sold. You would do the same in your own personal business and the county representatives need to remember that they are just that, representatives of the people who elected them. I don't want my tax money buying things that end up swallowing revenue when it should create enough to at least pay for themselves. If you don't get new commissioners, these things will only continue.
With the elimination of wasteful spending, building projects for schools and roads can have some of the funding they previously lacked.
As far as impact fees, it is not our understanding that williamson county is at the limit on impact fees. I think they have only been proposed. Although, you may be right about that. PJ is checking into it. He knows more than I do on this subject. Sorry you must bear with me as only a less informed messenger.
Yes, builders donate land but, as someone previously pointed out they get something in exchange for it in the way of building permits or some other favor. Usually, it isn't the most prime land and there is not usually enough land to expand school buildings when the numbers of students increase. This costs the county more money because we are forced to build an entire other school where there could have been one larger one if it had been done right in the first place. Take Independence High for example. It is already near or exceeding capacity. There is not enough land to add on. We are going to need another high school down here and I don't even think there is a plan for one.
PJ wants to give better planning to this. We can't just get all excited because some developer wants to give us a little land. The county has settled for less too many times.
Why do you need to elect PJ to get these things done? He has fresh vision. He is honest. He isn't looking to personally gain anything for himself. He would enjoy serving our district with real goals. After these goals are met, or are going in the direction to keep them met, he would step aside and allow some one else the opportunity to serve. He doesn't desire a 20-30 year strangle hold on the commission.
He wants to see the growth managed well while preserving some of the beautiful open spaces we have. He doesn't believe that every acre of Williamson needs to be developed just because it will make somebody rich.
He wants to see that our really good schools become really great schools with good teacher student ratios and adequate, well managed funding. He wants to see advanced planning for new schools in growing areas of the county.
He wants infrastructure to come BEFORE or at least WITH the growth instead of after it. He would even explore a moratorium on growth until infrastucture can catch up. This traffic problem is nearly ridiculous. There are those who say he can do what he wants to do as a citizen. We know he can be more effective in the quest for road improvements as an elected official representing the district. He has already spoken with TDOT and our other elected officials. He IS already trying to get these roads improved.
I have voted for PJ and I hope you will too.
Sincerely,
Tammy Mezera
Impact Fees:
We are at the limit for residential impact fees which is $1 per sq. ft. It would not be that hard to get that limit changed.
We are NOT at the limit for commercial impact fees and the county gets not impact fees off of commercial development inside municipalities. That can change. The current county mayor and commissioners are not for that. That is why when they needed revenue they went for a wheel tax increase.
I meant "the county gets NO impact fees off of commerical.
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
You are very welcome.
PJ,
Thanks for answering my question about the roads. How do you plan on paying for your:
5 new schools that are larger than the current ones with more land
funding projects in part or in whole that are critical as partners with TDOT funding
Please remember you plan on reducing the school debt, not raise taxes, and possibly a growth moratorium.
At some point, especially since this county is the 5th most efficient when it comes to spending the tax dollars, you have to pay for things. I did not want a wheel tax either, but realized it would fund future school projects, so I voted for it since I was voting for more education. You platform looks like you are cutting the cash flow component, making it difficult to pay for these. Getting ahead of the growth costs money, which is funded by growth.
What is your deifinition of uncontrolled growth? It seems most other commissioners feel as though we have grown responsibly and controlled. Do feel like twisting others arms to get things done such as trying to get road project moved/removed from other commissioners districts (which they are fighting for), and getting more scarce funds for schools in your district is going to work? You are just one vote of many, and working with others seems like it would pay better dividends.
I appreciate your responses to these and previous questions. Do not feel obligated to answer as I have voted, but others may want clarifiaction. I would be interested to see you run for a city position, as a resident of Spring Hill you would have my vote. As a previous post mentioned I see you as a better fit for the city, as you seem to only reference Spring Hill, but seem to focus little on the other areas of District 3.
Bold Beauty,
The density for Wade's Grove is a City of Spring Hill issue, not the county. The more houses per PUD means more tax dollars. It is my belief that if you don't like the density don't move there. This will stop developers from doing that. I know of much larger lots that are much cheaper than the Wade's Grove spot.
You are right the Wheel tax was overturned by the voters, but when the funds are to be allocated to future capital expenditures for schools ( Tammy was wrong in saying the Wheel tax was to cover not charging an impact fee for commercial development), and building schools is a priority to a candidate then why oppose. By shifting it to the builders who pass it along to the consumers, it is cheaper per household to justify the wheel tax increase, if you believe in the school systems. You cannot continue to build ahead of growth and not have to pay for it. I assume when you go to Publix they do not just give you more groceries, while your bill stays the same. The same applies to the county.
That is why you explore doing something before you do it.
It seems that the commission is out of touch because everyone we speak to thinks the growth is out of control, including the people of Thompsons Station and Bethesda. That is why they HATE Spring Hill.
PJ and I refer more to Spring Hill on this blog because it is about Spring Hill.
PJ cares about the whole county. He has a very high learning curve and since you can get very little information about what the commission has voted on in the past three years and what the county's actual income and expenses have been it is very difficult to say exactly what he'd do.
Why does the commission make this information so difficult for the public to obtain. He'd have to watch hours of video commission meetings to find out much of anything about the last 3 years. What does the commission have against giving a public financial report? That really needs to change. Are they afraid of another tax revolt? Are they afraid the public may realize they might be wasting a bunch of our money on pet projects? Are they afraid the public may find out that the commission might favor developers over the average citizen?
These are just some questions I have.
Anonymous, before you answer, if you answer, when I say financial report I mean a detailed financial report. One that shows the county income and expenses. One that shows how much debt we have and the plan for paying for it. How does the current commission plan to pay for the roads, school building projects, the rec centers, the parks, etc.? What is the plan?
Look People, it boils down to this, PJ and Dustin are anti-tax increase. They are for the SH hospital.
Mr. Lynch and Mrs. Hayes are pro tax increase and give no response on the SH hospital.
PJ would like to make all the improvements he can and he'd like to cut wasteful spending. He will work with the other commission members, He's a team player, unless the team wants to do something that is wrong.
I write these things as an avid PJ supporter. I hope you will join me in voting for a smart man with a good heart who is truly a fiscal conservative who loves Williamson County.
Anonymous @ 7:05:
"I did not want a wheel tax either, but realized it would fund future school projects, so I voted for it since I was voting for more education."
I voted against the Wheel Tax. Although we were told it would fund future Education Capital Improvement projects, the funds would have been commingled with the general fund. Wheel Taxes should be used on roads. I think that most people would support a property tax increase if the funds were used for Education Capital Improvement projects.
Anonymous 24 April, 2006 21:07
said...
I encourage all to take a long hard look at Mike Bennett. He's to quiet and his allies have much to be desired
Has he or any candidate come forward with thier beliefs or views?...
...Ron DeYoung may also be able to share some thoughts.
Damn there's either a lot of folks in Spring Hill named Anonymous, or just one with a lot to say and lots of time to say it.
I've sent all of the Maury County Commissioner candidates a letter and set of questions that I will hopefully begin to recieve answers from early next week.
I have spoken with Mike Bennett's wife who was quite friendly and helpful. He will be out of town until Monday, but she will try to get in touch with him to ask him to call me.
I have sent a similar list of questions to all candidates for the School Board and will soon be doing the same with the Maury County Sheriff and County Clerk candidates. In my spare time I'll try to squeeze Derryberry and Dubois in there too.
All responses will be posted in their entirety on Maury News Net.
Who is running for office Tammy Mezera or her husband? Take some advice and let your candidate fight his battles... I do not think your husband wants everyone to know who is running his household. I agree in standing behind your man but not back there screaming so your voice is heard and his is not.
Remember nothing is as simple as you think and w/a family and a career it will be difficult to hang out at TDOT and Capitol Hill.
Tammy,
Try here
http://66.236.228.2/williamson/live/info.asp?page_m=1498&page_s=1457
If that does not work call David Coleman, I am sure he will provide it. All you have to do is ask. It is not as difficult as you make it out to be.
I doubt the commission is afraid of another tax revolt. I can't answer for them though, call and ask them, it should not be that difficult.
What do you define as a "Pet project"? Hopefully it is not those money losing buildings you talk about, but have not reviewed the financials closely. Because our schools do not make money. Many things in the county may be loss leaders, these ancillary projects make the county what it is. As for the last question, no elected official would favor a developer, they are not the ones who get them elected. That was a dumb question, but feel free to keep asking those. Unlike the previous anon, I enjoy the banter and commend you on posting.
Much like Dunbar and PJ, I think most are anti-tax, but some of the campaign promises do not seem to hold water without extra funding. As I am sure you are aware, I am for individuals who have been working hard for the area to continue what they are doing, the inexperience is a serious flaw in my eyes. Dustin's work at LBMC doing 5500's for 401k's is hardly qualified in my opinion, and the lack of an action plan and decent solutions to his promises on PJ's part rule him out. Then your last post seems to back off of original claims and his original promises. I live in Spring Hill and I am very happy. I attribute some of that to Hayes and Lynch.
How does PJ plan to create more green space? Will it be through the moratorium, which will penalize the citizens who he represents if they want to sell there farms, since they cannot get more /acre than before, or will the county use its funds to buy green space? The only true way to guarantee green space is to buy it with county funds, which costs money, that is not budgeted. PJ's "fresh vision" must be 20/400, because his promises do not hold up.
As for the hospital (which will be nice), I like the idea of not agree or disagreeing until all the facts are in. Would PJ be for a for-profit hospital, such as HCA, if Williamson Medical were to build a stand alone hospital in Spring Hill? What about Dustin?
Anonymous @ 19:59,
"I am for individuals who have been working hard for the area to continue what they are doing..."
Is this what you mean by working hard for the area?
From the Tennessean, September 1999:
Mayor Ray Williams and the city's aldermen are miffed about Williamson County Commissioner Judy Hayes' comment that Spring Hill is not a municipality in Williamson County.
"I was stunned," said City Administrator Ken York. "Here we were talking about our urban growth plan, and she said Spring Hill wasn't a municipality in Williamson County. Wooee."
Anon,
I appreciate your concern for our area, but I think you’re confused about what I do as a public accountant. I would agree with you completely that doing 5500’s for 401k’s wouldn’t qualify someone for a county commission position. Thankfully, my responsibilities have never included preparing 5500’s for benefit plans.
As for your hospital question, I think with a population predicted to double by 2010 and guaranteed traffic congestion, we should have a local hospital that will not take 20+ minutes to get to whether it’s a for profit or non-profit. You ask if Williamson Medical were to build a hospital in Spring Hill, if I would support it. A Williamson Medical hospital in Spring Hill would be great, but HCA is already in the process of providing that service. HCA will bring additional revenues into the city instead of putting additional debt and expense on the county. Should the government compete with private industry? There are many people in Spring Hill that want more restaurants, by that thought should the county build a Chili’s? I believe the republican view of government is that it should provide the services that private industry will not. But if you’re a big fan of our current commissioners, you might not share republican beliefs in the first place.
Dustin,
I stand corrected on your job, and am sorry for alluding to the wrong job. What is your role at the company? Do you do work on retirement plans?
As for the hospital and the republican values:
I assume you are referring to "I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations, and that the best government is that which governs least. " I could not agree with you more. Williamson Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital where its debt obligations are backed by the credit quality of the county, but the hospital is a standalone entity that funds itself. A not-for-profit can be a private organization. The county does not budget for the hospital. The debt for the building improvements, etc. show up on its own balance sheet, and other project are funded through its foundation. It has working alliances with the county, but is not run by the county.
"HCA will bring additional revenues into the city instead of putting additional debt and expense on the county." --Remember you are running for COUNTY COMMISSIONER, not the city. I hope that you would look at a project as more than just revenues v. expenses. The proper way to decide on a project is using a Return on Investment number, such as the Internal Rate of Return and its Net Present Value.
Just because HCA offers first does not make it the best deal for the COUNTY.
With that being said, would you support a hospital if Williamson Medical expanded here?
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