presstalk 671-TALK (8255) or editor@farragutpress.com
• Twice you’ve written articles in the paper about paving, and my problem is with McFee Road. They want to re-do McFee Road. There’s three developments going in there right now — huge ones. They don’t need to do (paving) now. If they’re going to do it at all, wait until all this other stuff is done because they’re just going to wreck it. If you look right in front of Kohl’s on Kingston Pike, there’s a huge (pot)hole there. They haven’t fixed that in two years. They say it’s the state’s fault; I say, “Get on the state to fix it.” The paving on McFee Road, they ought to put it off until these developments are done. Drive down McFee Road, it’s in great shape; there’s nothing wrong with it. I don’t know why they’re even thinking about doing it now.
• I’m calling in regard to Susan Horn’s comments (District 5 representative of Knox County Board of Education, which includes Farragut schools) in the (Sept. 9) issue of the farragutpress, where she says that there are studies on both sides showing that masks don’t work versus masks do work. I would love for her to share the research that shows that masks don’t work, because in research it looks like, unequivocally, masks do help stop the spread of COVID-19 and also help keep schools open.
I also would like for her to consider that school closings and student/teacher absences have a far more negative impact on students’ ability to learn than the inconvenience of masking. Masks are no fun, but our kids are tough, and they can give up a bit of comfort to keep their schools open and their teachers and their peers safe.
• I read the farragutpress article about Steve and Ginny Williams’ experience with the (attendees of the recent Town of Farragut Staff-Developer meeting) and Mayor (Ron) Williams and some other aldermen. It was rather shocking that the Town seems to think the property in the Town is the Town’s property. … The Town runs over people on their property; they change the rules, they make it impossible to really develop your property and have any pre-planning on developing your property. You have to wait until you get before the Planning Commission.
By the way, the mayor and Vice Mayor (Louis Povlin) sit on the Planning Commission, which is not right, either. … The Planning Commission should be citizens, not the mayor or vice mayor. The mayor and vice mayor have too much control of the Town, and they’re running it like it’s their private fiefdom. Steve and Ginny Williams are going to sue the Town, and they’ll be others sue the Town. The Town is fixing to be sued by numerous people, it looks like, because of their dictatorial attitude about private property rights. This is America, and there is a First Amendment to the Constitution. The Town needs to remember that. It’s not the Town’s property, it’s the private property owners’ property. … They have bought the property, paid for it with sweat equity and hard work and the Town needs to remember that. It’s wake-up time for the Town of Farragut.
