Some people can still work with a broken bone, but when that person suffers a broken right leg and is ordered to rest, that person is in a disabling situation. Generally, Oak Ridge is broken, but what will heal it?

Why else would a charter commission be voted upon, if nobody thought the status quo of Oak Ridge were leading the whole city into the future incorrectly? It is the moniker of people who believe in what has been going on for 20 years.

Mike, labels, monikers, and acronyms are of all Oak Ridgers. Some are just wanting Oak Ridge to move out of its civic dump attitude in the name of big business is going to save us. Oak Ridge has older buildings and homes sitting empty. On lush and green undeveloped property, you can build all the new buildings and homes you want. The current plan for our city is failing and costing us more in taxes and fees. How is that going to change our city?

After 20 years, you have to believe many people have lost their faith in what local leaders want to do with city taxes and fees. If you would like, I can take you into the heart of the problem and walk with you into streets and neighborhoods with the thugs, prostitutes, and dealers who thrive on the empty building syndrome of Oak Ridge.

Ellen, also thank you for the discussion of our city government. I look forward to the years ahead of you and other council members discussing what this commission brings to us.

“In one week, we can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom-up. In one week, we can choose to invest in health care for our families, and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future. In one week, we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo. In one week, we can come together as one nation, and one people, and once more choose our better history.”

President-elect Obama had a point but to agree with it one would have to concede that the “status quo” needed to be changed on a presidential level. As we know, enough citizens in the US agreed with that position. For Oak Ridge, I do not believe the system is broken. A majority of Oak Ridgers agreed. I urge you to use a phrase other than “status quo” when referring to our current system of electing council people unless you really believe it is broken of in need of change.

Thank for allowing me the opportunity to speak.

Mike

Direct elections of the mayor and school superintendent are not (as far as I know) on the wish lists of any of the charter commission members. (These changes were not proposed by CDAR, and since ORION candidates generally supported the status quo, it would be inconsistent for an ORION candidate to support these changes.)

I’m glad to be able to say that no one is seriously proposing election of the superintendent. There’s no denying that parents and the public have had many complaints at various times regarding our professional school leadership, I believe we would have many more complaints if our schools were led by a nonprofessional elected superintendent. I think it would be seriously irresponsible to make this an elected job.

There are benefits of having a full-time elected mayor instead of a city manager, but there are also significant drawbacks. I believe that Oak Ridge is much better off with a professional city manager than we would be with a citizen mayor.

Mike, many people opposed me when I said we need to elect our mayor and school superintendent At-Large. This gives our city more positive press, would always bring about more discussion in our city, and would be viewed differently by guests, because when the headlines read “Mayor voted in by 4 votes,” common sense people would be asking when is the recount.

You keep on trying though. Someday you may move to the inner city. In the meantime, maybe you can sit in with the Agle’s and understand what CrackerNation people do. Then you can understand why I expect segregation is next.

Electing a mayor was not even an issue that most candidates including some from CDAR that should be considered by the charter commission. If we were to elect a mayor, would we have to elect one from each district? What if the mayor were elected from Emory Valley? Hummm. Bet you wouldn’t like that.

Also, the city manager does not raise taxes as you said above.

You and other NetBots have said we do not need to elect a mayor At-Large because our current city manager form is working well. If you only knew how corrupt this form of government can be, and how others who see a mayor voted in by less than 5 votes without a recount makes Oak Ridge the least desirable city to move to. Our current city manager is raising taxes for continuing payments totaling more than $200,000.00 a year to a Chamber of Commerce, businesses only move here because he pays them to do so in tax grievances, he pays city departments to build spec. buildings on open natural land while buildings sit empty in our city, all the while the mayor of our city waits for a photo opportunity because he is not busy working for the city. People visit this city and the word flies around you can go here but not there. That statement works both ways without representation: by location for fear of a crime and by location for fear our city functions will not have the head count to continue. Failure covers all issues, and failure is evident when many districts are left out of the conversation of progress needed to improve our city.

Another action of lack of district representation is found in our school board by them cutting the busing immediately around our schools. This works for some schools in out of the way locations nestled inside residential districts, but many schools in our city are not in safe locations. That is why rebuilding a high school was a poor choice for our city, while building new would have secured a safer location at a lower cost. I firmly believe we would have had all the extras the school board wanted if the school would have been built new. The land the high school sits upon would better fit retail development while many other locations in our city would have provided a safe place for students The people of the Robertsville district, including myself, have brought the danger of cutting busing for Robertsville, but since not one school board member lives in Robertsville. Why did our school board not listen to the Robertsville district who has been dealing with this problem and still does. Problems of safety still exist while clearly easy solutions are available. Is that the only building we can vote in? I am all for moving the voting precinct out of that school due the parking problems and fire safety zones violated while students are in school. Once again, the lack of district representation is very evident in our school board and in our city council. They do not know of the danger that is around that school and all schools when we talk about bars open for business and sexual predators looking at our city as a re-entry city. Why is that?

We continue to invite all these newly released prisoners yet we do not have a jail. If you only knew how many times we send a police officer out of this city to drop off arrested people at the jail in Anderson County while another crime is committed her in Oak Ridge and that officer is needed here, not being a delivery driver. How can a city survive with the incarcerated being shipped here for a re-entry program and our police cruisers drive out tens of thousands of miles a year to the jail?

Do you have a monitored alarm system in your Box of Crackers? I also propose that all monitored businesses and residences be imposed a false alarm fine. Every time one of your crackers set off the alarm and just continue to bring in the groceries without calling in the false alarm, you should be fined. That also goes for these apartments built with continuing false fire alarms, and more of these cracker boxes are being built. I would like to see how much these false alarms cost the city, all because you do not feel safe in your district., all the while innocent people cry out for help of the danger facing them and our city council just sits there with all eyes and ears on James O’Connor.

Our problems are heading to your street CrackerBox. I hope you soon realize we all need help, not just your empty list of problems.

Does Oak Ridge have no problems to you? If not, list them. I will then know you have a grasp of the issues to talk about the problem.