Interview with County Mayor Alan Palmieri

A forthright conversation about the growth of Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Tennessee Mayor Alan Palmieri – Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

Jefferson County Mayor Palmieri recently discussed some of the challenges, misconceptions and benefits that he sees as associated with the proposed Jefferson County Megasite. The Mayor was one of the officials that introduced the project to the County, State and Media on January 9, 2013, though the concept of a large industrial development dates back several decades, according to Palmieri. He stated that Jefferson County had been fortunate enough in the past to have multiple opportunities for residents seeking all levels of employment in the manufacturing industry. With the close of Magnavox and other large employers in the County, the job market has suffered. During an interview in September of 2011, Palmieir stated that he would like to see economic development in the way of a large site, however it didn’t seem to be in the plans at that time. Nearly one year later, Jefferson County was in the initial stages of bringing a Megasite to the area. While Palmieri is supportive of economic initiative, he stated that he still has questions that need to be answered about the financial impact over the next ten or twenty years. He said that his office has been trying to do investigative footwork themselves to answer question about the projected impact but the information gathering process is slow. The Mayor stated that he is aware that the taxpayers underwrite everything for Jefferson County and any investment of their money should come with a good return. According to Palmieri, impact on schools, roads, emergency services and other infrastructure needs are still unclear. He is looking for avenues of information that have no financial stake in the project. The Mayor believes that that County is still in the early phases of the project and that the perception that the County is in deeper than they are is due to lack of experience in a project of this magnitude.

Palmieri is aware that many property owners are unhappy with the proposed site. He said that, while the project does require a location and generally people are unhappy about their land being the location site, property owner notification was not handled the way that he would have liked. The Mayor suggested that a more personal approach in dealing with property owners would have been more successful, however experts that were hired to assist the EDOC in acquisition and notification took the lead on that issue. Likewise, he felt that the recent public meeting at the Expo Center should have included a time for a presentation and information exchange. When asked about the possibility of eminent domain, he stated that is unfair to the property owners to lead them to believe that it is totally off of the table. Much will depend on the number of property owners that are willing to negotiate. Even if the County does not choose to invoke eminent domain, the State always has the option and it would be totally out of the hands of Jefferson County officials. He also stated that it is only logical that any property that is around the footprint of the Megasite is subject to the possibility of change.

The Mayor stated that he is still finding his comfort level with the outside companies that have been hired through the certification process. He has hopes that the County can handle the scope of the proposed Megasite and constructs the incentive package to secure that Jefferson County will not lose their entire initial investment, should the manufacturer pull out of the project during, or at the end, of the incentive period. Though rumors have surrounded the funding of the site, Palmieri is doubtful that surrounding counties will be a part of the site funding. He stated that Jefferson County does have a good relationship with surrounding counties and that they have been on board with the project since the information was first released, however any financial investment in the project would most likely be outside of site certification and preparation.

Even in the face of unanswered questions, Mayor Palmieri is in favor of the initial funding to move along the certification, feeling that the amount is a minimal risk for a huge potential return. He said that there is a good and bad side to every project-the impact on property owners in the area of the proposed site is certainly a negative, however the economic benefit to Jefferson County has the potential of solidifying a strong economic future for generations to come. The Mayor said that he is aware that sometimes the greater good comes at a stiff price and that every major advancement that Jefferson County has made came with tremendous personal sacrifice, Controversy and commitment from the County and community to make Jefferson County a more prosperous place to live.