Well, for those of you out there that like to correct grammar, and give quotes to all of our fellow readers, I am sure that they appreciate it...which brings me to a few of MY personal favorites.
First of all, regarding achievement (and some other things):
All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.
-Benjamin Franklin
I think in our city this is very much the case. Ms. Pickard, Mrs. Cantrell and Mr. McCulloch are very fine people. I would love for them to lead Sunday school or participate in their local PTO. Their failure was in not moving when the ground beneath them moved, and not listening to the CITIZENS when they did in fact speak. Instead of "moving" and rethinking a position, they chose to dig in and isolate themselves amongst those that thought like themselves. They chose to fight battles and anger citizens with actions and decisions that a VAST majority in our city do not support. Those decisions do not make them bad people, but it does speak to their credibility as elected officials.
What you will find out if you read this site for very long, or pay attention to this "movement" in our city that was brought to light for everyone on Thursday, is that our young city is starting to get involved in our collective future. WE are not afraid to try new ideas, we are not afraid to work for change, and we are not afraid to unseat very "nice" people if they refuse to listen to us (and by us I mean the community, not the gorillas). WE are about finding solutions to the problems that face the city right now. The aldermen that were unseated were not capable of seeing beyond their own fog of influence to find the answers that this city needs to find to succeed.
As an example, I love my mother-in-law. She raised my wife, who is an exceptional young woman (who also did a little singing in New York City I might add) and has an incredible family, such that would make most families jealous of their knowledge, accomplishments, and generosity. Having said all of that about my fantastic mother-in-law, I would probably never vote for her to hold ANY elected position in ours or any other city. Being nice, being accomplished and being a good solid christian family woman does not mean that she should be handling city issues. That is exactly the case with those that have been unseated. In this election, you are welcome think what you want, but in EVERY race, the candidate that deserved to win did in fact win. Michael Dinwiddie, Eliot Mitchell, Rick Graham, and Bruce Hull all outworked each and every one of their competition and were much more "in tune" with their city than any of the incumbents that lost. This opinion is not mean or degrading, but an absolute FACT.
So, here is a mask for you! I think that you will see quite a few "gorillas" up at the mic on Monday evening. Thankfully, you now may also see quite a few behind the bench! And, here is a quote (if you give me the author by Monday night, I will give you a cookie.)
The extent to which you are able to transform your "self-concern" into "other concern" will determine your effectiveness in getting others to follow along.
See you all Monday night! Come see you city at work, and your new board installed.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
What a week!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
And the Winners Are...
Unofficial results of the City of Spring Hill 2007 Election
Ward 1:Michael Dinwiddie
Ward 2:Eliot Mitchell
Ward 3:Rick Graham
Ward 4:Bruce Hull
Voting Results
Ward 1
Ron Defrancisco - 103
Michael Dinwiddie - 613
Brandon McCulloch - 457
Ward 2
Jim Gabriel - 466
Eliot Mitchell - 669
Ward 3
Sharron Cantrell - 300
Tommy Duncan - 263
Rick Graham - 435
Tim Holm - 75
Tamra Mezera - 132
Ward 4
Bruce Hull - 738
Viola Pickard - 409
Day of Change is HERE!
Dear Spring Hill Resident:
It is election time in Spring Hill and your vote is critical in the upcoming City elections. An informed voter is an effective voter. Before you decide “who” you want as your local Alderman, I believe it is important that you know “what” some of these candidates stand for and “where” their interests lie.
In our recent past, the Board of Mayor and Alderman voted to re-apportion the voting districts within the city so that representation on the board would be proportional to the citizenry each Alderman represents. This allows for a more fair and balanced local government, where one particular segment of the population does not dictate policy and local law for the rest of the population.
The road to getting reapportionment passed was a long one. I was very involved in getting petitions signed in support of reapportionment and am relieved that it passed. But I am not quite sure we are getting what we asked for yet. The only way we get the representation that we need is to go exercise our right to vote. That time is now to vote for candidates that reflect YOUR needs and values!
In our upcoming election, there are 12 candidates running for four Ward seats. All the candidates are from varied backgrounds and have certain strengths that they bring to the table. Of particular importance to me as a voter is:
(1) how do I begin to determine how these candidates measure up and
(2) are there fundamental differences that set them apart from one another?
In order to make an informed decision on who I will vote for on April 12, I started to do some digging.
As I have been reading articles on these candidates and researching past voting records of incumbents, it has become clear to me that some of the candidates are falling into one “distinct” category based on their personal motives and self–interests. Ironically, it appears the very individuals that did not support reapportionment or more equitable representation, fall into the same category. That category is panning out to be developer-driven with a focus on getting “their guys in office” to continue to promote their personal agendas. Which leads me to the “Coalition.”
I recently learned that there have been several meetings taking place between 4 candidates in particular and they are Sharron Cantrell, Viola Pickard, Brandon McCulloch and Jim Gabriel. It seems that in their meetings, as well as in Sharron Cantrell’s and Jim Gabriel’s own campaign financial documents, these 4 people specifically represent a few special interest groups within the city and ignore many citizens’ concerns in regard to many issues.
The time has come now to go to the polls this Thursday. All of our work for re-apportionment has done one thing very well and that is give us viable choices for elected officials in every area of our city. Now is the time to do our part and get out and vote. We need to take our city back from the few special interest groups, and make this our family oriented community.
I am not here to tell you who to vote for, but I am here to tell you in depth information about each candidate to make the decision for yourself. If you are interested in learning about the candidates, please visit www.UniteSpringHill.com.
Most importantly, GET OUT AND VOTE, and have a fantastic day!
City of Spring Hill Election – Thursday, April 12th from 8:00AM to 7:00PM
Maury County Residents – Spring Hill Community Building on Maury Hill Street Next to Evans Park
Williamson County Residents – Campbell Station Fire Station, 4000 Campbell Station Parkway
Sincerely,
the Gorilla
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Talk is Cheap
What an interesting find, campaign literature from the Sharron Cantrell camp. Well, let's look into each of her issues one by one and read between the lines a little bit.
Here we go...
1.) Managed growth for the available infrastructure.
What exactly does this mean? Does this mean voting AGAINST the development and funding of a city plan? Does this mean voting AGAINST improved road improvements at key intersections around our city being paid for entirely on the front end of developments? Does this mean being in favor of adding schools and developments on roads and in areas of the city that will not be prepared for increased traffic for quite some time? Does this mean placing NEW road projects ahead in the pecking order of Duplex, Buckner, Buckner, Beechcroft, etc.? If that is what managing growth means, then absolutely she has managed it...to a slow and painful death!
2.) Pro Rec-Center
If I recall correctly, everyone on the BOMA voted in favor of the Rec. Center. I wonder if she is equally as accepting of other parks and recreation projects (excluding the senior citizens projects). Has she offered one idea in regard to increased city parks or recreational fields in the past 8 years? Good luck finding something there.
3.) Voted against the 800% pay raise for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
One minor exception, she voted against the budget (which included the BOMA pay increase). I was at that meeting, and the work session, and she did not voice too much displeasure about the pay increase at the work session. In fact, she still does not voice too much displeasure, she has cashed every penny. That is not true for one alderman in particular in this city (Eliot Mitchell). The extra $$$ is entirely optional, so why exactly would you accept the cash if you as so against it, and choose to use it as a campaign talking point?
4.) Pro Hospital
You are correct here, in print at least. Every member of the BOMA is in favor of the hospital and every candidate running for the BOMA is in favor of a hospital. Sharron was so much in favor of the hospital that she attended two (of 5) town hall meetings and even served breakfast for one of them. She was ALWAYS there for the photo ops, but rarely if ever there for the nuts and bolts planning that went into the citizen campaign to help actually GET the hospital approved. Again a lot of talk (which is good) but not a lot of action.
5.) Represents all of the citizens of Spring Hill without regard to wards.
Is that why she was so active in opposing Re-apportionment? You know, come to think of it, I have called and emailed her numerous times (before I had a website AND after) and I have yet to receive a call or email back from her. I have yet to hear a person say, "boy I emailed all of the aldermen, and that Sharron Cantrell responded very quickly." In fact what you generally hear is, "I emailed all the aldermen, and the only 3 to respond were Mr. Duda, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Gallardo." Sometimes you will hear Mr. McCulloch or Mr. Johnson thrown in there as well. Either way, Sharron is VERY responsive to those that she wants to hear from, others...well good luck!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Commitments Indeed!
In thursday's Williamson Herald, Ward 3 and 4 candidates are profiled. Below is a direct quote from Sharron Cantrell's provided response:
Main campaign message: Politicians are elected to represent the will of the people who voted them into office and not special interest groups.
Below is a list of contributions taken directly from Sharron Cantrell's Campaign Financial Disclosure Statement:
Don Cameron (Developer) - $500
Monica Raines (Realtor) - $200
Carol Raines (Spouse of Developer Charles Raines) - $200
Boyce Magli (Realtor/Developer) - $100
Cheryl Magli (Spouse of Realtor/Developer Boyce Magli) - $100
Mary Crutcher (Spouse of Realtor/Developer Pete Crutcher) - $500
Ashley Pratt (Spouse of Developer Trey Pratt, Donnie Cameron's Partner) - $200
Carolyn Pratt (Spouse of Developer Sam Pratt, Donnie Cameron's Parnter) - $200
UPDATE
Below is a list of contributions taken directly from Jim Gabriel's Campaign Financial Disclosure Statement:
Don Cameron (Developer) - $500
Monica Raines (Realtor) - $200
Charles Raines - $200
Ben Gary (Auctioneer/Realtor) - $200
Mary Crutcher (Spouse of Realtor/Developer Pete Crutcher) - $500
Ashley Pratt (Spouse of Developer Trey Pratt, Donnie Cameron's Partner) - $200
Carolyn Pratt (Spouse of Developer Sam Pratt, Donnie Cameron's Parnter) - $200
Folks, that's $2,000 of donations from SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS donating to both Sharron Cantrell AND Jim Gabriel. The same group that we exposed meeting in secret last month with four sitting aldermen.
Is there any wonder why Sharron Cantrell feels that a school on Cleburne Road is a good idea? I can give you about 500 reasons from Pete Crutcher, the developer of this project.
Is there any question why Sharron Cantrell and Jim Gabriel would choose to go to a secret meeting thrown by the very developers who are financing her campaign instead of going to a concerned citizens meeting on Denning Lane held at the same time?
I'm beginning to understand more of what those 'commitments' are that Charlie Schoenbrodt refered to in his recent article in the informer (see the post At IT Again!):
From my experience, candidates work together when they have similar interests and commitments.
Commitments indeed!
It only gets more tangled from here. Stay tuned!
I just can't stop shaking my head.
Campaign Finances
On April 5th, candidates who have spent over $1,000 on their campaign were required to file a Campaign Financial Disclosure Statement with the Maury County Election Commission for contibutions and expenditures through April 2nd. Candidates who did not file have either spent less then $1,000 or are in violation of state campaign disclosure laws.
Candidates are required to list Itemized Contributions, In-Kind Contributions, Expenditures, Loans and Obligations over $100. Interesting stuff to say the least. I'll be commenting on some of this once I have had a chance to go over them in detail. Until then, enjoy...
Ward 1 Candidates
Ron Defrancisco - Spent: $1,793.16
Michael Dinwiddie - Spent: $929.80
Ward 2 Candidates
Eliot Mitchell - Spent: $2,599.67
Jim Gabriel - Spent: $1,131.97 Updated 4/9/2007 @ 1:45 PM
Ward 3 Candidates
Sharron Cantrell - Spent: $2,474.22
Tommy Duncan - Spent: $4,149.18
Rick Graham - Spent: $5,073.51
Tim Holm - Spent: $4,868.31
Ward 4 Candidates
Bruce Hull - Spent: $1,057.76
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Deserves Repeating
Longtime commenter and sometime supporter DRM has started a topic over at the forums at Do!SpringHill.com that asked the following question regarding the election:
Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:41 am
Post subject: Anyone else voting to clean house?
Author: DRM
---------------------
I willing to give new and unproven faces a shot this election cycle in Spring Hill in an effort to get the old guard out of office and some change in...
Anyone else feel the same way?
Well...you all know how I feel about that question. Ward 2 Alderman and Candidate Eliot Mitchell responded with a comment that I feel deserves repeating:
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:57 pm
Post subject: Don't throw out the baby with the bath water
Author: Eliot
---------------------
I would like to make the point that I ran for office 4 years ago as a candidate fighting the status quo. I ran a campaign that complained about the lack of roads, parks and the general direction the city was taking. I made a point to identify the self serving attitude the BOMA had. The status quo was NOT happy when I won.
I have fought for new roads and pedestrian infrastructure. I have demanded integrity, transparency and honesty from our city government. I have pointed out in public the unethical and potentially unlawful activities taking place at city hall. And when I did that, I stood my ground as I was told to be quite and resign. So as you consider cleaning house of incumbents hoping for a new direction, I think you should take into consideration that my opponent is the alderman whose seat I won four years ago. He is running as a partner of the other three incumbents. My three incumbent colleagues are NOT endorsing me, they are endorsing my opponent. So IMHO, replacing me actually gets you the exact opposite of what you are looking for. Thanks for your time, energy and opinions. I am glad there are citizens like you passionate enough to participate and even initiate dialogue. Eliot Mitchell Sr.
Anyway, I have turned off comments to this post (to give credit where credit is due) and provided a link directly to the forums at Do!SpringHill.com if you want to chime in. It takes just a moment to sign up for a username as long as you provide an email address.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Dissecting Campaign Rhetoric
Someone made an interesting comment last night that I feel deserves a little more attention. A few of the incumbent candidates have made the '800%' increase in Alderman monthly pay a campaign issue. For a little background information and flashback, see the post from last June titled Are People Losing Their Minds?.
Ward 3 Alderman Sharron Cantrell says this in her Tennessean Candidate Question and Answer Interview:
"I am one of the few who voted against the 800 percent raise for aldermen."
And Ward 4 Appointed Alderman Viola Pickard says this in her prepared response to the Tennessean Questions:
"I recently voted against an 800 percent pay increase for aldermen because I strongly believe in serving my community and contributing where I can."
Now, here's the facts:
Fact 1: Spring Hill's monthly pay for Aldermen at $50 per month, was the lowest pay of any city around (consider that Brentwood and Dickson pay almost $1,000 per month) and as one previous candidate for mayor (and also a renown keynote speaker on city finances) once said "$25 a meeting hardly pays for their gas to get to the meeting."
Fact 2: According to Spring Hill's General Law Charter, "6-3-109: The compensation of all officers shall be established in the ordinance adopting the annual budget and capital program."
Fact 3: I have called city hall myself to verify the following. The only alderman who did not vote for the salary increase that CONTINUES TO RECEIVE $50 PER MONTH, is Alderman Eliot Mitchell. Everybody else can say that they voted against the increase, but when it came down to it, each REQUESTED to receive the increase EXCEPT Alderman Eliot Mitchell.
Now, here's the interesting part...Candidates can say that 'they voted against the 800% raise for alderman', but according to Fact 2 (they voted against Ordinance 06-31, an ordinance establishing the 2006-2007 budget), couldn't it also be said that they also voted AGAINST funding for our Library, Parks, Police and Fire Departments?
So, let me get this straight...SHARRON CANTRELL and VIOLA PICKARD are so against the city giving them extra money that they now CHOOSE to continue taking it? Go ahead ladies, campaign away on that one! Frankly, Eliot is the only one of the non "yea" votes that has the integrity to actually refuse the extra $400 per month.
hmmm...Something to think about!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
At IT Again
Well it appears that some people will just never learn, or never understand. The more I read "the informer" the more I just cringe at the lack of good information and disjointed thought process. At least in this latest issue, the completely unbiased opinion of Ceja Kingsley (aka Cindy Williams) is no longer present. Remember as you read this, that Mr. Schoenbrodt is in fact part of the group trying to elect the "fearsome foursome" as one of you put it a day or two ago.
Enjoy the article, and I will put my two cents in where it is needed.
Monthly Marathon Ends Early
by Charlie Schoenbrodt
The monthly marathon meeting at City Hall ended early March 12. The Work Session of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen started at 7:13 pm and ended a little earlier than last month. However, it was only 16 minutes before last month's ending time of 11:44.
An interesting event took place early in the meeting. Jonathan Duda, was faced with defeat when he tried to place the issue of establishment of a Historic Commission, which was defeated on the second reading last month, on the agenda as a second reading. City Attorney, Tim Underwood, informed him that the issue will have to start from scratch again with a first reading. Mr. Duda argued, but finally had to yield when the attorney stood his ground. Eliot Mitchell did his best to support Mr. Duda, but the two were rendered helpless to the rules of the Board itself. The Historic Commission will go through two readings and a public hearing.
The next item on the agenda was the most hotly debated matter of the evening. Harvest Point is a large development in a part of the city where little development has taken place. The developer has generously donated about 35 acres for the site of Spring Hill's long awaited Middle School. As has been the case in so many meetings in the past, Mayor Leverette, Jonathan Duda, and Eliot Mitchell argued that another site offered for donation off Port Royal Road is better suited for the Middle School. Maury County School Board Chairman, Shaw Daniels and Spring Hill School Board Member, Tommy Dudley, tried their best to explain that the Port Royal site is not large enough due to part of the donated land being in the flood plane. This would require considerable grading to mitigate the problem. Mr. Daniels also tried to explain that the Port Royal Road developer has required that the School Board build a road to the site. The Mayor and two aldermen argued that there is no growth to the southwest side of the city. Keep in mind that this site is part of a development that will have about 1,200 living units and that grading has started for a development of about 700 units just across Beechcroft Road west of the railroad tracks. In addition to this growth, the City has contracted for sewer lines to be laid along Beechcroft to Dr. Robertson Road. Mr. Duda questioned the offer of land on Derryberry Lane, but no one seemed to know what he was talking about at the time. Mitchell indicated that he has had several calls from constituents complaining that infrastructure needs to be in place before development. Yes roads are a part of the infrastructure, but so is water, sewer and schools. County seems to be ready to do their part, acting proactively, but three Williamson County residents on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen seem to be trying to prevent this.
I wanted to let him get through his entire article before I commented, I really did. Charlie Charlie Charlie...Please go drive out to Cleburne Road and let me know a couple of things when you do. Do you think that the city should place a multi million dollar road improvement of Cleburne Road ahead of Duplex, Buckner (either one), Beechcroft, Miles Johnson Pkwy, etc? Also let me know WHO is going to pay for that if we do not? Now, you tell me who is being railroaded (literally) into a decision that is detrimental to the city. Frankly, you can talk about infrastructure all you want, and franky the road issue on Cleburne is a HUGE infrastructure issue, especially since that is a county road, and the county has made it very clear where they stand on that.
You are correct in one thing, Mayor Leverette, Jonathan Duda, Eliot Mitchell, Mingo Gallardo, and Miles Johnson do have something to gain by the school being built elsewhere in the city. Frankly everyone in the city has something to gain by following a development plan for the city instead of scrapping the whole thing and letting the developers decide to create a absolute mess (like has happened in the past). Wake up!
Now back to Mr. Schoenbrodt...
Following a break for the Board to go into executive session, Huntley Gordon announced that Arrowhead Land Co. had offered to donate a 30 acre tract between Jim Warren Road and Derryberry Lane along Interstate 65, to the School Board for a school site. He also indicated that there is an alternate site just across I-65, 24 acres, that may be available if the 30 acre site is not acceptable. Neither of these sites would be appropriate for a Middle School since State requirements for a Middle School are a minimum of 35 acres.
Near the end of the meeting, the Board discussed the creation of a new position for the city. City Administrator, Ken York indicated that there is now a need for a full time City Planner. The position is estimated to have an annual salary of $40,000. Mr. Duda stated that it would be impossible to get a qualified, experienced person for that salary.
During the round table, Mr. Duda seemed to be confused about the rights of those seeking election to the Board. He indicated that several of the Aldermen had met together along with another candidate opposing one of the current Board members. It seems that Mr. Duda does not feel that this is appropriate. However, he held a Bar-B-Q during his campaign, at which there were other candidates present. I am not sure what he thinks is different about the two situations. From my experience, candidates work together when they have similar interests and commitments.
It was nice to get out of the meeting before 11:30 pm but I am still waiting for the leadership we had two years ago when long meetings ended at 9:30 pm.
Wow, is it just me or does someone have a "mancrush" on Mr. Duda? I know that Mr. Schoenbrodt was not a big fan of Jonathan, but this is pretty amazing stuff! I guess those secret meetings that Charlie has been keynote speaker for has done a good job passing the Koolaid and bashing opponents. CHARLIE...please go back to the old Charlie and at least think for yourself! You are becoming crazed and maniacal, and frankly I liked the Charlie from a couple of years ago better.
Here is the key quote from the entire article.
From my experience, candidates work together when they have similar interests and commitments.
I could not have said it any better myself!
So Charlie, you have attended the secret meetings...what exactly are the commitments that bind your group of candidates together? Better yet, WHO binds Sharon Cantrell, Brandon McCulloch, Jim Gabriel, Viola Pickard, and Charles Raines together?
It is also said in the article that Mr. Schoenbrodt liked having the leadership prior to Mr. Leverette. The leader that INSTITUED the behind the scenes dealing, dark alley conspiracies, and leaving out MANY from the whole government process. Meetings only lasted until 9:30 pm for two reasons:
1. Everything was taken care of behind the scenes. Discussion did not have to take place, because they had already happened (off the record). When everything is decided out of the public eye, questions do not need to be asked, discussions do not need to take place, and issues are resolved very quickly.
2. There are more agenda items, and more community involvement in our city than ever before. Enough said.
Things take longer when Work Sessions are just that. Communities actually get involved when work sessions take place. COMMITMENTS should be to the citizens, not others attending secret meetings with a select few developers (including the school site on Cleburne Rd).
Now, you tell me something. Who is missing what here? Mr. Schoenbrodt, please pull your head out and look around you! Some sitting on our board are out for the good of the community, and openly argue to make government MORE accessible not less. Some sitting on the board have been proponents of developing a comprehensive city plan and have actively lobbied and voted for a city planner. Some on the BOMA have presented ideas to help the city integrate old treasures and new development. Some on the board have presented ideas for city parks, increased development standards, and frankly a better family oriented community.
Others on the board have opposed every measure mentioned above at one time or another. These same aldermen also just happen to be the very ones with hidden agendas! You tell me WHO needs a reality check?
...and one other thing. I called and talked to Mr. Duda about that Bar-B-Q that he held during his campaign. If I am correct, all of the mayoral candidates were invited to come speak to his group of supporters and that included Danny Leverette, Michael Dinwiddie, and CHARLIE SCHOENBRODT. The only candidate that showed was Mr. Leverette (for about 2 minutes), and he was also in fact the only sitting aldermen. So, let me get that straight...ONE elected official at the event even though ALL of the candidates were invited. The secret meeting at the Best Western (like many others in previous weeks and months) was attended by FOUR sitting aldermen and those were the only ones invited other than the candidate picked to take on MR. Mitchell (arch enemy #2 or 3 of the "good ol boys").
If there is anything that I am missing, feel free to fill me in. Until then, enjoy the election!
Oh yea, and what are those COMMITMENTS again?
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Campaign Event: Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce Luncheon
Sorry about the late notice, but the real Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce is holding their regular monthly luncheon this Thursday at the UAW at 11:30 AM. They have invited all candidates to a "Meet the Candidates" event. According to their website, the luncheon starts at 11:30am and the cost is $11 for members and $15 for nonmembers.
To make reservations e-mail luncheon@springhillchamber.net or call 931-486-0625
Also, I have posted a new poll to the right for those that are curious and would like to participate. If there is any type of funny business (as was the case last fall during the State Rep Election), I'll have to take it down. Until then, enjoy!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Ward 1 Candidate Tennessean Responses
The Spring Hill and Thompson's Station Journal With the April 12 election right around the corner and with early voting beginning March 23, it's time to start thinking about your citizenly duty.
Ward 1 Candidate Responses
Brandon McCulloch
Michael Dinwiddie
Ron DeFrancisco
Published: February 28, 2007
By: Sue McClure, Staff Writer
As in, who will get your vote?
Beginning today, we'll talk with candidates from each of the city's four wards, asking them about the main issues and why they're the best man/woman for the job.
We'll run those comments each week by ward.
So, today, we'll start with the folks hoping to represent Ward 1: incumbent Brandon McCulloch and challengers Ron DeFrancisco and Michael Dinwiddie.
Ward 1 is the most commercial of the four wards, being home to the Ryder distribution center, Phoenix Metals and Penske.
BRANDON McCULLOCH
A short bio:
Brandon McCulloch, 55, has lived in Spring Hill since 1990. He is married, with five children and six grandchildren.
He has been a member of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for nine years, serving as alderman, vice mayor and mayor, upon the death of Ray Williams. He also served as secretary of the Planning Commission for four months.
He has served on the city's public works committee, the library board of trustees and the five-year growth committee.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I have experience in how our city government functions and how all the departments work. It takes at least a year to fully understand all the government processes, ordinances and what government can and can't do. I've served as an alderman, a vice mayor and mayor, so I think I have a good understanding of how the city works.
What would you focus on?
As a city, we are responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens. So my focus has always been on those services: police, fire, wastewater, the freshwater plant and public works. I want to continue to work with state officials to see some improvements made to our roads and I want to focus on smart growth in the community.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Yes.
We've already committed to using city money for an engineering study for Duplex Road, and we've worked diligently with state leaders and representatives to make sure they are aware of our situation. We even took them on a bus tour and TDOT officials agreed that the roads needed to be fixed. We've also spent $25,000 for a traffic study by an independent consultant, Wilbur Smith and Associates. The main thing is to get on the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) project list. We are continuing to work very hard on this issue.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
No, I'm not for a moratorium. In order to have smart growth, we need to really look at R4 high density and make sure it is convenient to the major thoroughfares. And make sure that commercial property is properly placed. And do thorough PUD (Planned Unit Development) reviews to make sure the high density and commercial is applicable to the site chosen.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
We've just reenacted the Economic Development Board to look at recruiting businesses and what would benefit our area. I've never believed in giving away the farm (providing financial incentives to lure businesses), so everyone who has come to Spring Hill pays his own way. In order to keep good city employees, I believe in promoting from within and giving our employees the tools and equipment to do their jobs. We do a good job of retaining employees and the benefit package is second to none for a city our size.
MICHAEL DINWIDDIE
A short bio:
Michael Dinwiddie, 35, has lived in Spring Hill for five years. He is married and has two daughters. He is a charter pilot for Colemill Enterprises in Nashville.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I've been here for five years and I've seen the city change. Before moving here, I lived in Franklin for six years, when Cool Springs was still a pasture, and I've seen the growth come. I think I'll do a good job because I see things that need to happen and I get along with everyone on the board. And I think I can bring unity to the board and a spirit of working together to get things done for our city.
What would you focus on?
Three things. Fiscal responsibility: We need to closely analyze what we're spending our money on. We need priorities. As a homeowner, we make decisions on how to spend our money, and as a city, we need to do the same. Second: economic growth. Two years ago I said we needed an industrial park and we still need one. Now we have an economic development committee, so let's use them. Our city needs another source of income other than impact fees. If we had an industrial park, our economic development committee could bring in big businesses like Nissan that would bring jobs and generate money for the city. Third, I want to protect the city's integrity. We are growing so fast that we're starting to build on top of what makes Spring Hill special, our history.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Yes.
Highway 31 is a problem. And there doesn't seem to be much foresight with new construction along it. They are building so close to the road that when it is widened and water and sewer lines dug up, it will be a real problem. We've got other roads that need our attention. Port Royal needs to be widened and Duplex needs to be widened and improved. As an alderman, I can't do much about the roads, but I can allocate city funds for road improvements.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
No, a moratorium would probably create more problems than it would solve. I've already outlined my idea for an industrial park. And we need to widen these roads while we can, before it gets away from us. I know we've spent money on a rec center, and that is needed, but do we want to sacrifice roads for a swimming pool? We need to build our infrastructure.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
That's the job of the economic development committee. It's a perfect time to recruit businesses, since we have no state taxes and no local taxes. We need to carefully plan where to put these businesses and industries so they don't interfere with the city and prepare the infrastructure for them. I'm thinking the industrial park would be a good fit on the other side of the interstate (I-65), because it's in a remote area and won't disturb anyone if we plan it properly. As for city employees, keep them paid well — they were just given a 5 percent raise — and make sure their needs are met. And add staff to handle the increased duties as the city grows.
RON DeFRANCISCO
A short bio:
Ron DeFrancisco, 27, and his wife have lived in Spring Hill for one year. He is Internet commerce manager for Yamaha/Suzuki/Honda of Cool Springs. He is a former code enforcement supervisor for the city of Lauderhill, Fla.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
My experience in Florida. I've seen what rapid development can do to a city and I see us making some of the same mistakes. I can guide the city to avoid the problems South Florida has: traffic, high density, crime rates, school overcrowding. As we grow as a city, we need to do more planning to avoid these problems.
What would you focus on?
The biggest thing I'm looking at is planned development. We need to look at the land around us and determine whether there are road improvements and infrastructure and build within those confines. We need to be more proactive, rather than reactive. And I'd like to see more citizen involvement with the city. I'd like to see the aldermen taken off the Planning Commission and have them appoint citizens from each ward to the boards. They would bring a differing set of opinions. And I'd like to expand volunteer experiences with the city. God forbid we should have a natural disaster, but if we did we'd need all the trained personnel, like volunteer firefighters, that we can get. Also, I'd like to start a reserve police officer program.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Absolutely.
I know it's been in the news about impact fees and how to make sure development is paying its way. I think it is very important for us to determine what the impact fee needs are and what the true impact of a project is.
We need to sit down with the state and give them a five-, 10-, 15-year plan saying that we anticipate our growth to be thus, so these are the roads we need to focus on, and what can we do to accomplish it? Normally, the state comes in and does an impact study and by the time they've done it, we've already outgrown it. We need to be ahead of the growth curve.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
I wouldn't say I'm for a moratorium, but we need to slow down on development. When I hear terms like "neighborhood development" and they are talking about medium to high density, even with open space, I worry about that. They are approving complexes with 1,000-plus. We need to slow the pace down to what we can take care of. There's no reason to give out rezonings like they're candy on Halloween. Smart growth is definitely what we need, or everyone suffers.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
I'm all in favor of bringing businesses to the city to keep our tax base here and our citizens working here. And I think our economic development committee can do that. But I'm against what I call the "Florida mentality" where you have a strip mall on every corner with eight of the same businesses in each of them. That causes people to lose their business and lose their jobs. We need to look around the city at the commercial space and decide what we need.
I wouldn't object to having an economic coordinator to work on bringing business in. As for the city employees, we need to look at the pay scale, which I have for police and firefighters. It's absolutely pathetic. They are starting out at under $30,000 and with the responsibilities they have and the jobs they do, it's no wonder they're leaving for Franklin and Brentwood, where the benefits and salaries are better. I don't think it's a morale issue, they seem happy, but it's salary. We need to make sure we're the best in the area so we'll attract the best and the brightest to Spring Hill. But we need to pay them enough so they can afford to live here.
Ward 2 Candidate Tennessean Responses
The Spring Hill and Thompson's Station Journal
Ward 2 Candidate Responses
Eliot Mitchell
Jim Gabriel
Published: March 7, 2007
By: Sue McClure, Staff WriterJust two candidates are vying for the Ward 2 seat.
Ward 2 encompasses the greatest portion of the city's population, on the heavily populated Williamson County side of the city.
Issues important to this area include neighborhood development, improving infrastructure and seeing that commercial development doesn't infringe on residential quality of life.
ELIOT MITCHELL
A short bio:
Eliot Mitchell, 46, is a senior consultant with ICS Infrastructure and Support. Mitchell, his wife and their three children have lived in Spring Hill since 1993.
He has served as alderman for the past four years and sits on the city's Economic Development Commission. He was a co-founder of the Heritage Community Recreation Association, which provides recreational activities for children in southern Williamson and northern Maury counties and still serves as its treasurer, in addition to coaching baseball and basketball.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
What I bring to the table is independence and a willingness to listen. I have an honest desire to advocate any issue a citizen brings to me. Now understand, advocate doesn't necessary mean I agree with you. But I will make sure that your issue is heard. Also, I have lived a lot of the issues the average Spring Hillian deals with on a daily basis. I've been president of my homeowners association and my three children have attended six schools and we opened three of those schools, so I understand the issue of children having to change schools.
What would you focus on as alderman?
Quality-of-life issues, like new and improved roads and more park space. I would like to facilitate volunteer and community civic groups, such as the arts, theater, youth and senior citizens, to see that they have what they need. I am for family-value issues, because Spring Hill is a community of families. So I want to make sure that what we spend our energies on is improving our quality-of-life issues.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to try to speed up this project and others?
Absolutely. It is imperative that any new development on these roads needs to pick up the costs for improvements — widening, sidewalks. Worst-case scenario, the city needs to look into floating bonds for road repairs. Congested roads are the biggest threat to our quality of life.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium on building?
I am not for a moratorium on building. There are too many people in this city who make their livelihood from that business, and we have to take into account who wouldn't be able to buy groceries based on our decisions. So, no. But smart growth pertains to making sure that our open building permits don't exceed the bandwidth of our city staff to monitor them. We need to make sure that we have the ability to support the units that have already been approved, that we have the sewer, water and roads to support each of these units as they come on line. We don't want to be playing catch-up on infrastructure.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses that would provide good-paying jobs for Spring Hill residents? And how can the city recruit and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
First, on recruiting business, the city has already put in place an advisory committee, the Economic Development Commission. The city needs to work with the chambers of commerce to market the city's strong points. We are an upwardly mobile demographic, and that's a strong selling point. We need to look toward recruiting services and health-care industries. We've already brought one major industry to our city — a hospital — and both counties are fighting us on it. We need the counties to quit being inhibitors to our bringing good-paying, white-collar jobs to our city. As for keeping city employees, it is benefits, salary and work environment.
One of the critical needs of the city is a human resources department to manage our 130-plus employees. My goal is to make sure wages paid city employees affords them the opportunity to live in Spring Hill. And I would like to propose, from an employee standpoint, a three-part awards program. The first would be a "Night on the Town Award"' that would give an employee $100 or $200. An employee would be nominated by either a colleague or a manager and management would approve it. The second would be an "Achievement Award" of between $500-$1,500 for an employee who is either part of a long-term project or someone who goes above and beyond his job duty. This would be a management nomination and have two levels of management approval process. The third would be an "Award of Excellence" of between $1,500-$3,000 for leadership — if an employee has been instrumental or the architect of a long-term process or has come up with an idea that has saved the city a lot of money. This would have two management nominations and would have two management approvals. This sort of program would be an incentive to employees and we could budget money every year for it.
JIM GABRIEL
A short bio:
Jim Gabriel, 46, is business manager for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) U.S. Region Global Quality Assurance Group. He and his wife have six children and three grandchildren. They have lived in Spring Hill since 1992. Gabriel served as an alderman from 1994 to 2001, a planning commissioner for three months, a member of the city's parks and recreation board and a member of the board of directors for the Maury County Chamber of Commerce. He is a wrestling commissioner with the Heritage Community Recreation Center, head coach of Heritage Middle School's wrestling team and president of the Independence Take-Down Club, which supports high school wrestling.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
Being in a leadership position for 15 years in corporate America and for seven years on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and loving Spring Hill. I think I can make a contribution.
What would you focus on as alderman?
Whatever the issues are. I can't tell you that I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that; I'm only one vote. But I'm going to make decisions based on the facts and the way the people in the city are feeling.
There are two big things I would consider. First, the financial position of Spring Hill, and make sure it stays in good, sound financial shape. And second, to continue growth in a managed way, balancing the growing pains and making sure the domino effects of infrastructure are all in place as growth comes on line.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to try to speed up this project and others?
I would have to ask two questions: How much is it going to cost and what's the payback period? If it makes sense to do it, yes, I would. If not, no. I would ask what this is going to do to the city coffers and look at it on a cost-benefit basis. That's how I look at this issue and other issues affecting the city.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium on building?
We need to look at what's coming in and the impact it is going to have on the things around it. As for a moratorium on building, no. I look at things on a case-by-case basis. Some things fit, some won't. But as long as people are building within the confines of the law, I'm fine. If not, we need to look at them or change the laws.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses that would provide good-paying jobs for Spring Hill residents? And how can the city recruit and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
We need to understand what's out there and available and make some calls to the appropriate people in those businesses. We have the Economic Development Commission set up, which is a proactive move, and we need to work with them. It all begins with defining what we mean by "good-paying jobs." Maybe a business park, maybe a Nissan. Then, cater all our energies to that, asking them if they are serious about locating here and what do they need. We would bring that to the board and discuss it. That would be on the proactive side.
On the reactive side, we would consider each business on a case-by-case basis and assess what we need in the city. As for city employees, I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'll give them all raises. That's not the answer. If voluntary attrition is a problem, we need to find what's making them quit and are there things we can do about it?
We need to create a work environment that gives employees room to grow and have a future and not be stuck in the same jobs all their lives instead of having a career. We need to create an environment where people want to stay and have room to grow.
Ward 3 Candidate Tennessean Responses
The Spring Hill and Thompson's Station Journal
Ward 3 Candidate Responses
Sharon Cantrell
Tommy Duncan
Rick Graham
Tim Holm
Tamra Mezera
Published: March 14, 2007
By: Sue McClure, Staff WriterWard 3 is the city's most hotly contested ward, with five candidates vying to represent it on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
The ward includes the city's "old downtown" area and more established neighborhoods, extending up to Buckner Road and down to Depot Street.
Here are the contenders:
SHARRON CANTRELL
A short bio:
Sharron Cantrell, 59, and her husband have four children. They have lived in Spring Hill for 12 years. Cantrell is a teacher at Whitthorne Middle School. She has served on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for six years.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I think experience does help. I have been an alderman for six years and I know the ins and outs of the process of how government works. I have always tried to represent the citizens and vote the way they want me to vote. In fact, several times I've voted in a way I would not have voted myself, but my constituents wanted me to vote that way. Ward boundaries have never been an issue for me.
What would you focus on?
Three areas. First, to make sure we are representing citizens as a part of our government. The citizens elect us to represent them, and we need to make sure their opinions are getting heard. Second, fiscal responsibility. I am one of the few who voted against the 800 percent raise for aldermen. I want us to look closely at what our budget has in it and be fiscally responsible. The reason many people moved here is because of the zero property-tax rate; older people on a fixed income and young families just starting out. So we need to make sure we are being responsible with our budget. Finally, managed growth. I voted against the GBT (development) on Duplex Road because of the high density and I received calls from residents saying it was too much for that dangerous road. I also want to continue to lobby our legislators to get our roads fixed.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to try to speed up projects?
I would look at it. A lot of people don't realize how expensive road repairs are. Hopefully it will be less than 10 years before that road is widened. I'm always open to new ideas, but we also need to look at how much money we have and be fiscally responsible with that money.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
We have a five-year plan that people are working on and we need to look at that plan and decide where we want that growth to go. There have to be certain areas where certain things aren't built. For instance, young families don't want to look out their backyard and see commercial building going up right there. But, we have a very active Planning Commission that looks at those zoning matters to make sure that development is appropriate to the area. I'm reluctant to say "moratorium," because you stand to lose some of the growth you do want. We have some people who want things to come into Spring Hill, like Target and Lowe's and others, so they don't have to go to Columbia or Franklin. But our growth has to be a kind of balancing act, using the five-year plan and long-range planning as a guide. I also think we should have a needs assessment of what the city needs and incorporate those items into our plan.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
We formed an Economic Development Commission to actively recruit businesses to our city. Our water and electric usage shows that we are a bedroom community and that our residents go elsewhere to work. It would be nice to have people staying in Spring Hill to work. Our mayor also does work with recruiting; I know people approach him about locating in Spring Hill. As for keeping qualified employees, we have to pay those employees a salary comparable to other cities in our area. I have always voted for a cost-of-living raise for city employees. We have the most top-notch employees in the state, even in the nation, and to keep them here we have to make sure their salaries are comparable to others. If word goes out that Spring Hill is a good city to work for, which it is, we will attract and keep our good employees.
TOMMY DUNCAN
A short bio:
Tommy Duncan, 43, is vice president for operations and technology for Quality Mortgage Services LLC in Franklin. He and his wife and two children have lived in Spring Hill since 1999. He serves on the board of zoning appeals for the city of Spring Hill and did serve on the city's Economic Development Commission.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I understand a lot of the needs the city has. And in order to provide for its needs, the city must capture its revenue. Spring Hill is currently a bedroom community, where people leave the city to work, go to ballgames and attend entertainment events. Because of that, Spring Hill is losing thousands of dollars. I see Spring Hill not being like that; I want people to stay in Spring Hill to work and shop, and I see other people coming to Spring Hill to shop and eat. So my platform is, let's keep our citizens in Spring Hill and not have to raise property taxes because we can live on the money we raise here. I have a great deal of experience in leadership skills. I've never been an elected official, so I hope to round out that part of my leadership skills.
What would you focus on?
Bringing jobs to Spring Hill that represent the demographics of the people who live here — publishing companies, architectural jobs, the types of jobs that citizens already have. An estimated 10,000 people leave Spring Hill every day to go to work. I personally spend $6.60 every day on a Subway sandwich. What impact would that have on the city if half the population stayed in Spring Hill? That's what I hope to do.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Yes. However, I'm not for spending money we don't have. So we'd have to look at this in regard to our other initiatives, like bringing parks and other recreational facilities into Spring Hill. We need to also look at our master land-use plan and develop a grid system to divert traffic off the main arteries. That would be a partial solution.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
We are not the Spring Hill that we were six or eight years ago. I am for smart growth. We definitely have the people and the tax base. Now let's look at things that give citizens items of convenience, like a Target center and a movie theater. I'm also for an incentive program for builders to encourage wise planning — like encouraging them to give land for schools in exchange for higher density. That's a win-win situation for both. We are not desperate, so we can now be picky, or selective, about what we get. We don't need a moratorium on building, but we need to try to build around the road network the city has in place.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
When Spring Hill started building homes, people came to Spring Hill to look for homes. If we build facilities and make them available to the public, they will come for those. For instance, I was talking to a software company that couldn't find the square footage in Spring Hill. If you build it, they'll find it and come. As for the city, as a business owner, I know there are training mechanisms out there for all types of jobs. We need to interview and screen employees to make sure they are of the highest caliber and then use training to better the quality of employees. I am for seminars and management training. There are all sorts of training programs available.
RICK GRAHAM
A short bio:
Rick Graham, 50, and his wife and two sons have lived in Spring Hill for four years. The general manager of dining services for Lipscomb University in Nashville, Graham serves on the Campbell Station Homeowners Advisory Committee. His roots run deep into Maury County, where he was married and worked at Maury Regional Hospital.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
My 26 years of business experience, including budgets and project management. I've been involved in strategic planning, so I'm very much into five-, 10- and 25-year plans. I believe in building relationships, I'm a team player and can be both a leader and a follower. Also, my time schedule will allow for this, since I get off at 2 or 3 p.m. I am honest, have common sense and I'm working toward consensus building in Spring Hill.
What would you focus on?
My whole campaign is more a mission than a race. I want to unite the board. Of course, the roads issue is the biggest issue for our city and we need to work with the state on the state roads, but also work with the city on the city roads. I want to manage taxpayer dollars well, and I will never vote on anything we don't have cost estimates on. Also, I'm looking for more citizen feedback. I think the board needs to allow citizens to discuss issues as they come up before the board.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Only if approved by the taxpayer bill of rights, which I'm huge on, so only by referendum. Regarding Main Street, we can only do the Spring Hill portion, so what will happen at Thompson's Station? Will it just drop off? We need to be creative and keep working with TDOT but also make some hard decisions, based on cost estimates, about our city roads. We've got to do it right once; we don't need to put down sewer or water pipes knowing we'll have to eventually move them. We need to have a plan and work our plan.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
Definitely not on building. We need to manage our growth wisely, but if we're not growing, we're dying. We can't have the philosophy of "closing the door behind us." But we do need to be wise about the density of future developments. I think we should be pushing more developments west and I also like the idea of an industrial park and a business park.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
We need to use the Economic Development Commission to go out and entice and recruit businesses. And the city needs to help and do as much as we can for the existing businesses, working with the chambers of commerce to sponsor more "Shop Spring Hill First" events. If we bring in businesses that will keep people here in Spring Hill rather than going to Cool Springs — like Applebee's and Jeffrey's Grille — we will benefit those businesses and the city. The fact that we have no property tax is a big enticement. Regarding city employees, I'm really concerned that we aren't paying our city employees enough, that they are below what our neighboring cities pay. I'd like to see a pay study of those cities comparable to Spring Hill, like Franklin and Brentwood, and I don't think our city employees should be paid less than the employees in those cities when we're about to pass them in population. I'd also like to address their concerns and see that they get the proper tools to do their jobs. I can't say enough about how great our police and firefighters are, so I want to make sure their pay scale is in keeping with comparable cities.
TIM HOLM
A short bio:
Tim Holm, 21, and his wife have lived in Spring Hill for nine years. He is a corporal deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff's Department and has served for four years with the Tennessee National Guard. A member of the Republican Party, he graduated from Page High School in 2004 and was active in Junior ROTC. He also heads up an explorer program at the Sheriff's Department.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I have lived in the city for nine years and I've seen the changes, the mishaps and beneficiary stuff that Spring Hill has gone through. It's gotten too big for its shoes, so we need to take a more proactive approach when it comes to the growth of the city. I want to work to maintain the small-town feel of Spring Hill.
What would you focus on?
Putting government back in the hands of the citizens. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen has the ultimate power, but they are forgetting the citizens. I want to see us start some independent boards, like a beautification board, that could focus on revitalizing the overall appearance of the city. I also want to focus on disciplined growth in Spring Hill. Not necessarily stop development, just slow it down so we can build a solid infrastructure and roads to support the growth.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to try to speed up this project and others?
Definitely. I want to allocate excess city funds to divert traffic off the main roads and do much more than just talking to TDOT. We need growth management. And if we need more money to pay for that, we should research raising impact fees and licensing fees for projects. If development wants to come into the city, they won't mind paying those fees because there's no property tax. I will vote against reinstating the property tax because it's not needed.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
To encourage smart growth we need to revisit our master land-use plan and clearly designate certain areas for certain types of growth. We also need to come up with a "wants and needs" list. We don't need strip mall after strip mall after strip mall. If we have that, we'll have business spots that aren't filled. I think we should put an annual cap on commercial and residential building projects. We could allow 2,000 houses to be built a year and then that's the limit. At the same time, we should be building new access roads to ease the traffic problems.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses that would provide good-paying jobs for Spring Hill residents? And how can the city recruit and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
I'm in favor of bringing in businesses that would generate the most revenue and bring good-paying jobs to residents. I believe in small-city values and want to maintain the small-city feel of Spring Hill. As a public service officer, I see the need to work with the police chief and fire chief to improve their departments and will seek more operational funding. I will research the need for a public service office to house both the police and fire departments. I will work to create a plan for retaining proficient firefighters and police.
TAMRA MEZERA
A short bio:
Tamra Mezera, 39, and her husband have nine children. They have lived in Spring Hill for five years. Mezera worked at a Salvation Army camp for inner-city children for 10 years before moving to Tennessee from California. She describes herself as "very politically active."
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
A lot of people move to Spring Hill thinking this is a starting point; you make money and then move to Franklin. I don't want that. I think if we plan better and deal with the traffic, Spring Hill won't be a consolation prize for Franklin. Like the schools — we've got very good schools. We have a low crime rate. I think I can help make it happen. I talk to a lot of parents and I understand their concerns and I want to help address them. As a parent of a lot of children, I know how to listen and how to hear what people want.
What would you focus on?
First, we need to catch up on our infrastructure. Right now we have 2,000 building permits approved. Either we need to slow down and catch up or come up with innovative ways to address our roadways. I'm losing quality of life because my husband is sitting in traffic and not home with his family. I want us to be the best-planned city in America, not necessarily the fastest-growing city in America. We can have a beautiful well-planned city where people want to live. Also, I'm all about preserving land and parks. We need fields for sports so our children don't have to go to Franklin to play ball. We need sidewalks. I'm driving my 14-year-old over to a friend's house, when she could walk or ride her bicycle over there if we had sidewalks.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to try to speed up this project and others?
Yeah, I would. We need to continue to work with our lawmakers, but the state also needs to update its open-container law and get those funds back. Gov. Bredesen needs to get back the road money that was taken out of the budget for other uses. It wouldn't take 10 years to fix Main Street if we did those things. And again, we need to keep working with our state legislators and the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) to get things done.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
I'm not for a moratorium, but I am for a slowdown. We don't need to kill growth, but we need to be more thoughtful about it. Every single new project needs to be studied to see what the impact will be. I'm kind of tired of strip malls — that's one of the places where we need to say, "How many more?" Many of them are sitting empty. I'm all for the Target center and not giving them incentives. They get plenty of tax breaks by coming to Tennessee. I don't want to see Spring Hill give tax breaks to businesses. It's a privilege for businesses to come to Spring Hill, so they need to pay to be here. I would like to see more of the big-box stores. They keep residents here, spending their money here. I represent a demographic of people who stay in the city and spend their money here.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses that would provide good-paying jobs for Spring Hill residents? And how can the city recruit and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
(In Franklin) Mayor Miller was very proactive about going to Nissan and lobbying them to come here. We should do the same thing. Why can't Spring Hill have a Hewlett-Packard or an eBay locating here instead of California, where they're paying outrageous taxes? And as for the city, we need to go after good workers the same way schools recruit coaches. If we know of a good fire chief or police chief in another city, go after them. Or hire a headhunting firm, if necessary. We also need to do whatever it takes to make the city's work environment pleasant and productive.
Ward 4 Candidate Tennessean Responses
The Spring Hill and Thompson's Station Journal
Ward 4 Candidate Responses
Viola Pickard
Bruce Hull
Published: March 21, 2007
By: Sue McClure, Staff WriterWith just tow days left until early voting, there's one more ward we need to visit, Ward 4.
Two candidates are vying to represent the area, which encompasses the southwest part of the city, bounded on the east side by Kedron Road. While this is Spring Hill's least populated ward, it is also one that will face the challenge of growth in the future, particularly in the Beechcroft-Cleburne Road area.
VIOLA PICKARD
A short bio:
Viola Pickard, 73, is a mother of six children, five of whom attended Spring Hill schools. A widow, who was married for 35 years and has lived in the city of Spring Hill for 24 years and in the Spring Hill area for 38 years. She has served as alderman from May 2005 until the present. She worked as a school cafeteria manager at McDowell Elementary School in Columbia for 27 years and served as president of the Maury County school cafeteria managers from 1982 to 1984. She served as vice president of the Spring Hill Senior Citizens from 2004 to 2005 and as a board member from 2004 to 2006.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I have experience as being a city alderwoman for two years and attending every city council meeting and work session. I also have knowledge of the Spring Hill area from being a Spring Hill area resident for 38 years and having a background in working and dealing with people. I recently voted against and 800 percent pay increase for aldermen because I strongly believe in serving my community and contributing where I can.
What would you focus on as alderman?
I would focus on the traffic issue in Spring Hill. We need to work diligently with the State of Tennessee road department to get immediate relief. Roads like Duplex and Beechcroft are extremely dangerous and literally represent a life and death situation to our Spring Hill citizens. U.S. Highway 31 is a traffic nightmare early mornings and late afternoons, which could significantly impede emergency vehicle transportation. I would also focus on ensuring our residential population is served by a quality school system. We, as aldermen, must work hand in hand with our county governments to provide the best education possible for our citizens.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up this project and others?
The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen in 2006 approved the money to be paid to TDOT to speed up the improvement of state roads in Spring Hill. I voted "no." Unfortunately, we have had little result from the monies paid and I feel it is unnecessary and unwise to spend city monies to speed up road projects. In my opinion and research I have conducted on other cities in the state of Tennessee, cities such as Spring Hill should not have to contribute additional funds to speed up road projects.
State revenues are collected in Spring Hill daily for use in our state road systems. what we should do as aldermen is make sure our allotted share is spent in Spring Hill and not elsewhere. We must work as a team and engage in dialogue with our state of emergency we presently have with our roads. We must also be careful not to place a high density development in dangerous traffic areas. I recently voted "no" to the rezoning of a high-density development on the corner of Duplex and Port Royal roads because of dangerous Duplex Road, a state road.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium on building?
We as city officials should welcome growth; however, in doing so, we must fully protect the moral and property values of all citizens in Spring Hill. We can do so by enforcing our zoning regulations, encouraging responsible growth and promoting community involvement. I am not in favor of a building moratorium as long as the city infrastructure is sufficient and serves the needs of the city. Continually increasing the city infrastructure is an ongoing process and it is important to the vitality of our city.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses that would provide good paying jobs for Spring Hill residents? And how can the city recruit and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
Simply put, we should portray the City of Spring Hill as a model city - a city that businesses "want" to locate in. We can do that by keeping our city taxes reasonably affordable, impact fees fair and continue to portray Spring Hill as a user-friendly community. We can keep quality police and fire-fighters by ensuring that our police and fire departments are run by highly qualified leaders, continuing to pay fair wages and benefits and treating every employee with respect.
BRUCE HULL
A short bio:
Bruce Hull, 38, and his wife and two children have lived in Spring Hill since 1998. He owns a home inspection company and is part owner of a printing and mailing company. He is serving his fifth year on the Spring Hill Planning Commission and his first year as its chairman. He served on the city's Five-Year Plan Committee and was on the board of directors of the Spring Hill Arts Center and the former Merchants of Spring Hill Association.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
Leadership, my time in the Marines and my business management skills. I have owned and operated businesses my whole career. I have been involved in the community and have experience on the planning commission. I have good people skills and I think that involves respecting and placing values on others' opinions. I have commitment to the community. The day we moved into Spring Hill, our family has been involved in the community.
What would you focus on as alderman?
I would start looking for ways for the city to fund itself in the future. We don't have property taxes, which is a good thing. But the impact fees won't last forever. So we need to come up with a plan and see what businesses pay the best and recruit those businesses. Planning for the future is very important. I like the direction the administration is going, looking five years down the road. We have a master thoroughfare plan that they're working on and we'll have some decisions to make when that comes back. So, financial and planning are my main focuses.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up this project and others?
Yes. The roads in this city should be a shared responsibility. I wouldn't close the door on any ways to speed up those projects.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium on building?
Well, I am head of the Planning Commission, so I'd say we are being smart with our growth. We have activated the Economic Development Commission and we've developed a master land-use plan for the first time in years. We can't do enough planning. We have Wilbur Smith and Associates in Franklin working up a master plan and it's all falling into place. I don't favor a moratorium. That could have a disastrous effect on the city, which funds itself with impact fees. If we do that, property taxes would have to go up and that would hurt the economy.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses that would provide good-paying jobs for Spring Hill residents? And how can the city keep qualified qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
We need to continue to focus on our quality of life and our city's affordability. That's going to attract businesses to our city. The Economic Commission is doing its job of recruiting businesses, but we as citizens have a responsibility to make our city attractive. As for employee pay, our police department is among the lowest paid in the state. They are using Spring Hill as a steppingstone. So pay is the main issue.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Roll Call!
Well quite frankly, I have been a little bit shocked at the number of emails that I have received wanting to know who was at the secret Best Western meeting last Wednesday night, so here are the people that I personally saw and can account for. There were another dozen or so people, but frankly I did not recognize all of them, so I will be doing a little more research to add a few more names with faces. Enjoy!
Roll Call!
Aldermen and candidates:
Sharon Cantrell (Ward 3 Alderman)
Brandon McCulloch (Ward 1 Alderman)
Jim Gabriel (Ward 2 Alderman Candidate)
Viola Pickard (Ward 4 Alderman)
Charles Raines (Ward 4 Alderman)
Developers:
Donnie Cameron (Developer Autumn Ridge, Cameron Farms, Cherry Grove, etc)
Trey Pratt (Donnie Cameron's partner and developer of Autumn Ridge)
Pete Crutcher (Harvest Valley, aka Cleiborne Road Developer)
Local Politicos:
Cindy Williams (aka Ceja Kingsley)
John Murphy (State Representative runner up v. Glenn Casada)
Charlie Schoenbrodt
Carol Raines
Monica Raines, Varney, and the Hometown Realty crowd
Leigh Gillig of the Gillig Group and company, including Jeff Martin (Spring Hill Planning Commissioner)
Trudy Gabriel
Terry Cantrell
and a few other assorted people that I have yet to identify.
That looks like a pretty interesting list to me. Now you all know who is connected where. NOW, is there really any doubt at all in your mind about the Ken York depositions a few months ago. The Aldermen listed above still do not understand that city business absolutely should not be conducted in private. And it only gets more interesting from here.
A commenter under the previous post made the following observation that I really hadn't thought about until now:Not sure if anyone is aware, but the residents of Denning Lane - opposed to a proposed development on Denning Lane; have been very involved in the last year trying to come to a compromise with the city regarding the development. These same residents held a meeting the same night as the "secret meeting" and only ONE -only ONE current alderman had enough care & concern to attend. Jonathan Duda was out of town; and Eliot Mitchell was the only alderman that cared enough to attend and listen to citizens concerns over a proposed development.
Keep in mind that this meeting was advertised in the newspapers, flyers, emails and on the radio. All the alderman and candidates for alderman were invited. Six candidates for alderman showed up but only ONE current alderman. I guess this tells us where their priorities lie.
I'll tell you this...I'll think twice the next time I hear an Alderman say that she 'always listens to her constituents', considering the fact that she felt it more important to attend a developer and realtor held meeting for HER CAMPAIGN over a meeting of HER CONSTITUENTS.
More to come later!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Developer Control?
You know, there was an interesting article in the Tennessean a month or so ago, and I thought about posting something then, but it seems that it may be much more appropriate now. Here it is, and then I have a few comments considering some of the things that have been going on around here lately. What the heck, let's throw another log on the fire. Enjoy!
Conflict issues common on local boards
By JESSICA FENDER and SHEILA WISSNER - Staff Writers
In his first months in office, Thompson's Station Mayor Leon Heron, also a real estate developer responsible for proposed Roderick Place subdivision, has:
• Appointed a business partner's wife to the planning commission that must OK progress on the upscale, 80-acre Roderick Place. New commissioner Marcia Franks is married to the man Heron collaborated with to build the town's second and largest sewer system, records show.
• Finished a deal that leaves the town on the hook for upkeep of the 1.3-million-gallon sewage treatment center. A company Heron founded paid for about half of the $7.5 million system and gave the town $300,000 to take over its maintenance.
Heron says these actions aren't examples of conflict of interest.
Heron said Marcia Franks, the wife of his business associate and fellow developer, was a strong candidate for the planning commission spot because of her solid reputation in the community.
He said the sewer system was a gift he and Franks’ husband built to help the developing town, and that not just their developments that will use it.
See, I don't really have a lot of sympathy for our friends up north regarding this situation. Afterall, they knew exactly what they were going to get when they voted for Heron as Mayor. By the way, we have a nice track record with a few running for Aldermen in our city. Let's see if we(as a city) are smart enough to elect the right people. Here is the portion of the article that includes something that is a little more pertinent to our current situation:
The documents detailing the politicians’ income sources and investments show that Thompson’s Station is not alone in electing people with development and real estate interests to top positions in Middle Tennessee’s fastest-growing communities.
The setup — where politicians both guide growth and could potentially profit from it — is one ripe for conflicts of interest, experts and residents say.
At least 18 top local officials from booming Williamson, Sumner and Rutherford counties fall into that category, a Tennessean review of ethics disclosure forms shows.
Thompson’s Station resident Mary Khim said having a developer in charge of her town — where there are fewer than 2,000 residents, most of whom aren’t even tied to a sewer system — raises all kinds of questions.
"If anything comes up that just pertains to Heron’s property, he should recuse himself," Khim said. "But what happens when it’s a development down the road, which is seen as competition? Isn’t that seen as a conflict of interest? You’d almost have to recuse yourself from everything legitimately."
Now...had the Tennessean included Maury County in their review, they would have found another in our Ward 4 Alderman, Charles Raines. Now, Alderman Raines will be quick to tell you that he only votes with what is best for the citizens of Spring Hill. How could this be when almost every decision he makes most certainly effects his business in one way or another, ESPECIALLY LATELY? In fact, those of you interested in new school sites, do a little bit of "due diligence" and let me know if anyone in our city has anything to gain by pushing through any school sites in particular.
It sure seems to me that this thing has been set up for an awfully long time to artificially stimulate development in certain areas of the city that are not prepared for it. It also seems to me that certain people are intentionally trying to put the city in a horrible pickle. EVERYONE complains (including sitting aldermen running for re-election) when development spearheads growth without infrastructure to support it, and now they are the very ones trying to force growth to areas before infrastructure is in place to handle any of it. This will force the CITY to spend MILLIONS in road improvements and railroad improvements years before it is needed! Why not tack on another road that our city will have to try to figure out a way to widen in the immediate future.
While we are on the subject of "influence", I wonder how many of the other aldermen running for election next month are greatly influenced by big money developers in Spring Hill? Go ahead, take a guess.
I wonder how many running in this election have been having meetings behind the scenes, specifically discussing strategy, fund raising (with developers presenting plans before our city right now), and current city business? Would you be surprised to learn that as much as half of our sitting BOMA is meeting behind the scenes on a regular basis to specifically discuss city business?
IF you had been sitting at the Sultan's Table last Wednesday evening, you would have seen a parade of cars and activity into the Best Western for one of these such meetings. It would have been a Who's Who of developers, WAKM radio hosts, local politicos, former State Rep. candidates, and...oh yes...4 sitting Aldermen. I wonder what they would be discussing for two hours?
Here's my question to you all...What alderman candidates (if any) do you think are being supported by developers in this Spring Hill election? How much influence to you want our developers to have with our elected officials? It certainly would explain a few strange votes in the past couple of years by half of the board. And it sure would explain the divided nature of our board, especially when dealing with items passed to them from the Planning Commission. Think about it for a second...
Take your best guess, and if you are lucky, I will let you all know exactly who is dealing behind the scenes THIS TIME. I would think it lends quite a bit of credibility to Mr. Ken York's deposition if a couple of those people happen to be the same?
I wonder if Ceja Kingsley was there to report on any of this? Well I know she was there, but probably no report.
Something fishy going on here. Now the only question is ARE WE GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT THE VOTING BOOTH?
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Re-Elect...You Sure About That?
Notice anything wrong with this sign?
Here's a hint...Alderman Pickard was never elected, she was APPOINTED by our Board of Mayor and Aldermen after Ted Roop vacated his seat.
So, shouldn't the sign say this?
Had re-apportionment not happened, it sure would have. Then again, when you order identical signs as your voting/campaign partner Alderman Cantrell, these sort of things sometimes happen.
