presstalk 865-671-TALK (8255) or editor@farragutpress.com
I read the letter to the editor in the farragutpress last week, and I agree with the Ward 1 alderman. Farragut does not need a $116,000 economic development person. What they need is the mayor and vice mayor to tell the staff to not have so many comments on every commercial development, not drive people crazy with rules and regulations trying to get into the Town. You know, the history of the Town is we lost Walmart, which was a big sales tax generator years ago. The former vice mayor and the mayor frustrated Hy-Vee, the Des Moines, Iowa company [which] was going to invest $75 million on a general merchandise store on Eddie Ford's property. They frustrated that company and they went away. The vice mayor and the mayor lost that prospect. We also lost a $50 million assisted living company off of Village Commons and Boring Road. It was turned down by the vice mayor and the mayor. So we need the leaders of the Town… maybe we'll have a new mayor coming up; maybe we need a new mayor… we need the leaders of the town to be proactively encouraging economic investment, not denying it. And we don't need another bureaucratic position. We need the staff to be more sensitive on economic development proposals, not having so many comments that frustrate people like Hy-Vee and the assisted living company out of Virginia Beach to run away. We just need to be smarter about economic development for the leadership of the Town. Thank you.
