Are We Just Throwing Darts?
The Industrial Development Board met last week and there is a new composition on the Board. For several years, this Board has struggled to find its feet, in regard to property acquisition in the County, and they have been waylaid by one thing after another. In their search for usable, appropriate land they have gone […]
The Race Is About To Begin
We are fast approaching that time of year when candidates will begin to commit to the election process or announce their decision to leave the political arena. Though we are still a couple of months from picking up petitions, most candidates for the May election are already in the process of weighing their options. The […]
Stuck In The Shadow Of The 80’s
This week I have been pondering the question Why is Jefferson County stuck in the shadow of the 1980s? and how can we move forward to where we need to be in 2014 (because 2013 is already shot). Frankly, I loved the eighties. Big hair and plastic shoes still make me smile but I was […]
Looking To The Future
A recent report was released to the State that indicates that Jefferson County is not ready to move into the future. While we are doing fine presently, largely due to the growth boom of the last couple of decades, we simply are not preparing for the future. I suppose that most of us knew that […]
Mandated ACT Testing?
Jefferson County High School received their scores this week for the Class of 2013 ACT, which all juniors take in the spring. I find that rather astounding. The State of Tennessee pays for every student to take the ACT test, regardless of their post high school plans. I. personally, do no subscribe to the notion […]
A Two Way Street
I often write about the way that elected officials should treat the public when they appear before them and I have made no bones about the fact that sometimes our elected officials are less than professional with the public. It is a two way street, however, and this week I was reminded that sometimes it […]
Come on 7 or 11
Jefferson County will have a new committee meeting this week to address the County audit findings. The committee is State mandated and that should tell us something. We are in the radar of the State government and they don’t like what they see. We have a multi million dollar deficit of nearly $ 5 million […]
Change Is Good
Change is good. Well, usually change is good. Sometimes, change is just change and sometimes change brings hard results. The new Patriot Academy opened this week and, for the first time in more than 30 years there is no freshman class at Jefferson Count High School. While I still have my reservations about the concept […]
Keeping an eye on the prize.
Students head back to class this week and that means a lot of changes for Jefferson County. For the first time in more than 30 years, freshmen will not be on the main campus of Jefferson County High School and that has many parents breathing a sigh of relief. It is difficult enough for some […]
Teacher’s Pay
The State of Tennessee is promoting merit pay for teachers for next school year and Jefferson County Department of Education will be charged with coming up with a formula that encompasses a variety of facets to distribute merit pay. Gone are the days of longevity and advanced degrees being the only way that a teacher […]
The Norm For Us
It would appear that the County is another quandary and it is becoming the norm for us. Sometimes I wonder exactly what is going on in the minds of those that are charged with guiding our County. Granted, it should go without saying that an elected official should vote their conscious. And, if their conscious […]
Wake Up Call
As parents, we spend much time teaching our children to stand up and take responsibility for their choices. We know that functioning adult own their decisions-both the good ones and the bad ones. Why do we expect less from our elected officials than we do our children? No sooner had the last brick hit the […]
A Curve Ball
Sometimes you think that you are going in one direction and life throws you a curve ball. I had planned to write this editorial on the lack of understanding that most County Commissioners seem to have regarding the State’s demand for an Audit Committee. There appears to be little understanding of the serious nature of […]
Open The Books Or Give The Money Back
It is time that Jefferson County demands transparency from those that profit from our pocket books. It simply isn’t right that tax dollars go to support groups that hide behind their non profit status to try and keep secrets. I am sorry but you just can’t have it both ways. The Chamber of Commerce gets […]
Good Judgment Is Free
Sometimes I think that Public Officials are confused about what the public expects. They get all caught up in the legalese of an issue and only focus on what is written in code or that has an official opinion from one legal mind or another. Ultimately, it is not the court of law that these […]
A State Of Denial
We have been in a state of denial in Jefferson County for quite awhile and, now that we are being forced to pull our head out of the sand, the time has come for a realistic look at where we stand. The Department of Education presented a budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year that has […]
