What We Need Is a Good Old Fashioned Debate!

So, this thread has been created to provide a space for the two contenders for County Exec to debate each other. No moderators. No canned qurestions from the "League of Women Voters." Just a good old fashioned back and forth debate between the two candidates. No heckling allowed. Only candidates may post here.

Normally, I'd flip a coin to see who gets to go first, but the simpler solution is to let "first come" be "first served." That is, whichever candidate posts their opening remarks first, gets to go first. Incumbent Vanzant and challenger Gordon, the stage is set... and we're all waiting to hear from you!

The Answers Are In, Part Two

Well, I got back six questionnaires from the commissioner candidates. To find out who they are and how they answered, click on "comments," below.

The Answers Are In, Part One

Click on comments below, to read the answers given by both County Executive candidates. Then, feel free to comment yourself, on the answers that are given.

Muzzled No More!

Click on "comments" below, and you can read a speech I wrote some years ago, for the Planning Commission of Giles County. Needless to say, I wasn't allowed to deliver it, even though I had extensively rehearsed it, and could have done a good job with it...

It's long, but worth reading. Especially to find out how local county politics murdered my father. And how a corrupt banker forced school consolidation down the county's throat. Plus, you've gotta get a kick at me pitching "civil disobedience" to a zoning committee! Read it and see for yourself, and then maybe we can have a nice discussion on the issues raised.

Free at Last, Free at Last, Free at Last!

If you own property in the infamous "five mile zoning" region outside of Pulaski, you are now free to subdivide it as you please, and do pretty much whatever else you want to do. And Dan Speer can't do a darn thing about it!

Why? Because, the moment the County Commission passed a zoning plan, under state law TCA 13-7-306, the city's "five mile zoning" was "automatically superseded and repealed." See page 191 of the CTAS county guide:

http://www.rutherfordcounty.org/pdfs/ctasguidebook.pdf

This is the only point I've seen in the LUMP's favor. Five mile zoning is dead, dead, dead. And nobody will ever be able to resurrect it, because the county now has a "regional planning commission." So let the subdivision begin! Ahh, freedom!

Vanzant Replies to the Rumormongers

This thread is closed to anyone other than Janet Vanzant and the blogmaster. Any interlopers who comment here will be deleted immediately. Okay, Mrs. Vanzant... the ball is in your court. I've done all that's humanly possible to be fair and impartial, and the rest is up to you. Take it away, and "wow" us!

A Couple of Announcements

First of all, I'm postponing publishing the tally of questionnaire returns until this Friday. I'm still getting these things mailed back to me, and I hate to cut off anyone who wants to participate in my survey. But early voting starts on Friday, so that should be a firm deadline.

Secondly, I have an awful lot of work to do over the next few days. Some of it involves stuff that I need to write and post to the blog (stuff about zoning, mainly). In order to get this work done, I'm going to take a day off from replying to comments addressed to me. Don't anyone take it personally, but I really need some time to myself.

Finally, I'd like to announce that money is being raised for a full page ad to be run in Tuesday week's Citizen. This ad will mainly be devoted to telling who's been naughty and who's been nice on the Commission, but it will also include a small blurb pointing people to this blog.

Want to donate money to help pay for this monstrously expensive ad? Email me, mcpeters@usit.net, and I'll get you in touch with the fundraiser. And on a related note, I'm going to try running this in the classifieds:

Read the blog "they"
don't want you to see:
www.snipurl.com/sbla

Anyone who wants to help pay for this (if the management of the paper will even run it, which I am unsure of at the moment), feel free to contact me and we'll work something out. Want credit for your support? I'll gladly give it... or you can donate anonymously.

That's all for now. I'm getting back to work... see you in about 24 hours!