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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2002
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Lowe Presents Resignation to Hollow Rock Board Members |
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By Pat Cole
pcole@mckenziebanner.com |
Jimmy Lowe makes his final comments
to town alderman after presenting each with a copy
of his resignation as Mayor of Hollow Rock. |
Citing unresolved differences between himself and board
members of the Town of Hollow Rock, Mayor Jimmy Lowe
presented a prepared statement of resignation,
effective, Monday, January 21.
In his statement, Lowe stated:
Board of Aldermen, Town of Hollow Rock:
It is with deep regret that I resign as Mayor of the
Town of Hollow Rock, effective January 21, 2002.
I served as an Alderman from 1994 to 1998 then as Mayor
from December 2000 to now, January 21, 2002. My only
reason for taking office was to try and make our Town a
better place to live.
I have no respect whatsoever as Mayor from the Board and
very little respect from employees. Our Town cannot move
forward with the Mayor and Board pulling in two
different directions. I honestly feel this is best for
Hollow Rock, and I know it's best for me and my family.
Respectively,
Jimmy Lowe
Lowe becomes the second man to resign the post in less
than two years. Former Mayor Tommy Bridges resigned less
than a year after taking office citing much the same
concerns, a lack of communication between himself and
members of the board. Two aldermen also resigned with
now acting Mayor Greg Hilliard and Ray Waters being
appointed to the position of aldermen and then being
elected during the November 2000 election. Lowe was the
only man to qualify for the position of Mayor and became
Mayor unopposed. Following the 2000 election in which
Bob McMackin was reelected to serve as alderman, he
received a job transfer out of state and resigned with
John Rutherford being appointed to take his position
until the next election, which is November 2002.
After presenting his letter of resignation to attending
aldermen, who responded without any action or comment,
Lowe made several statements noting that he had believed
he could help the citizens of Hollow Rock during the
two-year period and was sorry he was unable to remain
for the full elected term. However, he also noted that
he had other commitments, including being a businessman,
family concerns and as elder in the Marlboro Church of
Christ. He stated that during his tenure he did not
receive a single word of encouragement from any
alderman, not a word that his work was appreciated. He
also stated that if he had any ideas for the betterment
of the town and if any alderman had a different idea,
his was not taken seriously. He did complement the
board, with the exception of Alderman Ed Carey (who
voted against the purchase) for gaining the new city
hall and said he appreciated their support in that
instance.
Lowe also referred to possible lawsuits against himself
and the town and noted that if it had come to that, it
was time for him to leave. He was apparently referring
to office worker Brenda Blackburn who duties were
recently changed to 20 hours of office work and 20 hours
of other duties. Lowe has said he did not believe the
office was in need of two full-time workers and had
reduced Blackburn's office time to 20 hours. However,
Blackburn has reportedly suffered a back injury while
completing janitorial duties and "mental anguish"
wondering what else she might have to do for the 20
hours of non-office work. Blackburn will reportedly be
on sick leave for two to three months and has indicated
her intention to file a lawsuit for injuries sustained
while completing her new duties.
Lowe completed his statements by telling board members
that the town was in good shape financially and would
remain so until the new budget is written if the board
acts wisely. He said, "I've been here a little over a
year and its obvious we can't work together. Maybe we
can be friends." Lowe shook each alderman's hand as he
left the building.
Following Lowe's departure, acting Mayor Greg Hilliard
noted that according to Town Charter, the board has 30
days to act on the resignation, to make his acting
duties permanent through November and appoint a new
alderman, or appoint someone else as mayor. The
appointed position will last until the November
election.
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Butler Appointed Commissioner of the Department of
Personnel |
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Walter Butler |
Gov. Don Sundquist has announced the appointment of
Carroll County resident Walter Butler as Commissioner of
the Department of Personnel. In addition to Butler's
appointment last week, the governor appointed Lt. Col.
Denny King as commissioner of the Department of Safety.
They will succeed Dorothy Shell and Mike Greene who both
announced their resignations two weeks ago.
Butler, 48, currently serves as deputy commissioner of
the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and
has also served as deputy commissioner of the Department
of Personnel and assistant commissioner for the
Tennessee State Park System at the Department of
Environment and Conservation.
"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Walter
Butler," Sundquist said. "Walter's knowledge of state
government made him the ideal candidate for this
position. I know the state will benefit from his
experience and his demonstrated commitment to state
employees."
Butler holds a degree in biology from the University of
Tennessee at Martin and a degree in accounting from
Bethel College. He also graduated from the University of
Tennessee's Center for Government Training as a
Certified Public Administrator
He was elected Carroll County Executive in 1994, a
position he held for two years prior to joining state
government. He also served four terms, a total of 16
years, as Carroll County trustee.
In 1981, Butler was a key player in implementing the
vision of James Washburn and Bob Greene in establishing
a countywide Chamber of Commerce in Carroll County.
Butler was honored as Carroll Countian of the Year
during the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet November
5, 2001.
During his tenure as deputy commissioner of Personnel
and Director of Tennessee State Parks, the state was
recognized as one of the top four state park systems in
the nation.
"I have been privileged to serve in the Sundquist
Administration for the past five years, and I look
forward to this new responsibility," Butler said.
"Tennessee's state employees are dedicated, hard-working
individuals, and I am excited to be working with them,
and citizens all across the state, in this position."
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Commissioner Michael E. Magill named Mark Reineke to
succeed Butler as Deputy Commissioner of the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development.
"I sincerely appreciate Walter Butler's service and
dedication to this Department, and we will miss him
greatly," Magill said.
Reineke joined state government in 1997 and has served
as a staff attorney for both the department of Labor and
Commerce and Insurance. He was appointed General Counsel
for the Department of Labor in January 1999.
A native of LaFollette, King, 49, has 28 years of
experience in the Department of Safety. He has served as
chief of security for the governor for the past seven
years. King also served on Gov. McWherter's security
detail as well a Gov. Alexander's, in which he also
served as chief of security for several years. King
currently serves as President of the national Governors
Security Association. Before joining state government,
he was a police officer for the City of LaFollette.
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Huntingdon Town Council Honors Philadelphia Phillies
Draft Pick Kris Bennett |
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 The
Huntingdon Town Council met in regular session on
Tuesday, January 8 at which time Mayor Dale Kelley and
Council members honored a young man characterized by
Mayor Dale Kelly as "an example for the young and the
old of our community" awarding him Huntingdon's highest
honor, the Pinnacle of Excellence Award. The award
celebrates excellence in extraordinary achievement,
exceptional performance and exemplary standards.
Kris Bennett played Little League Baseball as a child
growing up in Huntingdon, a pursuit that formed a
building block for the making of a great baseball
player. He played college baseball at Jackson State
Community College his freshman and sophomore years then
played with the Tennessee Vols his junior and senior
year, helping the team advance to the 2001 College World
Series. He holds the record in hits and RBIs in that
series.
Drafted in June 2001 by the Philadelphia Phillies, Kris
is living the dream of many youths in small towns just
like Huntingdon all across America. The dream came true
through Bennett's "talents, hard work and love for
baseball (that) have brought him to a level that we are
proud to recognize and present to him our highest honor,
the 'Pinnacle of Excellence Award'. We're proud to be
the hometown of Kris Bennett," declared the Mayor.
Council Approves Planning Commission Recommendations
Mayor Kelly announced the necessity to rescind a measure
taken in the November 27, 2002 session requiring site
plans for a commercial structure measuring greater than
2000 square feet to be drawn by a licensed land surveyor
of licensed civil engineer as further discussion with
the planning commission added clarification to the
commission's needs.
Council members voted unanimously to rescind the
previous measure, adopting in its place the following
three ordinances at first reading, with the reading
waived:
Ordinance No. 448 amending the official zoning ordinance
text to delete and restate a portion of the text to
clarify site plan requirements.
The ordinance provides for the following amendments:
Section 1: The review and approval of a site plan by the
Huntingdon Codes Enforcement Officer for any building or
addition under 2,000 square feet or for any
single-family single family residential structure. The
Codes Enforcement Officer reserves the right to refer
any site plan to the appropriate body for additional
review. This power shall not include the authority to
specify or alter the architectural style of the proposed
or existing buildings. This power also shall not include
the authority to approve site plans involving
non-conformities or drainage concerns, as such items are
to be referred to the Planning Commission for review.
Section 2: (b) The review and approval by the Huntingdon
Municipal/Regional Planning Commission for any permitted
use or for any land alteration by excavation or by
grading, as required by this ordinance. The Planning
Commission may require such changes in the presented
site plan as may be necessary to minimize the impact of
the requested use upon the Town of Huntingdon and the
community as a whole. This power of review may include,
but not be limited to, setbacks, screening, lighting,
parking, location, orientation of structures, access,
and general landscaping requirements. This power of
review shall not include the authority to specify or
alter the architectural style of the proposed buildings
or existing buildings.
Section 3: Planning Commission and Board of Zoning
Appeals: In instances where site plan review is required
by either the Huntingdon Municipal/Regional Planning
Commission or the Huntingdon Board of Zoning Appeals,
the site plan shall be drawn by a licensed land surveyor
or a licensed civil engineer and shall be drawn to a
scale of one inch = 5o feet and shall include, at
minimum, the following:...
Ordinance No. 449 amending the official zoning ordinance
text to establish transient lodging as a permitted use
in the B-1 (Neighborhood Business) and B-2 (General
Business) Districts and to add a definition for
transient lodging.
The definition of transient lodging is set out in the
ordinance as "a land use that serves in a commercial
capacity as a temporary residence. This use shall be
limited to hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast
establishments. Mobile homes shall not be allowed to
serve in any way as transient lodging.
Ordinance No. 450 amending the official zoning ordinance
text to make vicinity maps required on site plans. Mayor
Kelley assured the Council that this inclusion will
create no additional burden on citizens as it will be
part of the documentation provided to those seeking a
permit.
In another matter relative to the Huntingdon Planning
Commission, Town Council members agreed to the
replacement of Planning Commission member Janet Brown's
replacement by Sylvia Cary as Ms. Brown's schedule has
interfered with her ability to attend meetings.
Kim Easley to Offer Theatre Classes
Council members approved a proposal by Kim Easley to
hold theatre classes for children in the Dixie Carter
Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center. Classes
are projected for grades four through six and seven
through nine at a cost of $30 per month per child. Ms.
Easley will earn $80 per month (representing $20 per
hour salary) with the balance retained as a fundraiser
for the DCPA project.
In other business, Council members approved the state
contract bid of $13,559.77 for the purchase of a 2002
pickup for use by the PUD. A second bid had been
submitted by Tri-County Motors for $14,220.75.
Mayor Kelley announced town gasoline costs are down to a
two-year low of $.6695 per gallon with the highest cost
over the same period being $1.1489 in May 2001.
Emergency repair to the sewer line behind J and J Carpet
consequential to recent flooding will be attributable to
in-kind contributions for the 2002 CDBG project.
The town has filed a claim with insurance providers,
Tennessee Risk Management relative to damage incurred on
the Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment
Center building. |
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or
Fax (731) 352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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