A citizen's response (below) to a letter (bottom) sent out by the Mayor on November 12th, 2009.
FROM WAYNE LANCE:
November 13, 2009
Letter to the Editor
The Daily Times Newspaper
Dear Editor:
On November 12, 2009, Louisville Mayor, Geraldine Anderson, sent a letter to The Daily Times and others that contained her positions on the Community Center process. The public record and the Mayor’s positions are not in agreement.
The undersigned served on the Louisville Town Hall/Community Center Building Committee and he has attended almost every Board of Mayor and Alderman (BMA) meeting for the last three (3) years. Mayor Anderson’s version of the state of the new building process is very different from the official record which he witnessed as a participant. The facts are as follow:
Every recommendation from the Building Committee --- most of its members were appointed by the Mayor --- was approved timely by the BMA --- no delays. The contract with Joseph Construction was approved more than five (5) weeks ago but construction mysteriously has not commenced. The Project Manager Position was created by the BMA and Steve Carico was hired by the BMA --- no delays. There was a delay: There was a donor the Mayor alleged “was” willing to donate the landscaping. Well, while attempting to dictate the construction process to the BMA that alleged donor threatened on more than one occasion to withdraw his offer which included grading. When it was time for him to begin, guess what, HE DID NOT SHOW UP. Five (5) weeks later still no donor. That was NOT a BMA caused delay. That was a delay caused by the Mayor’s unreliable donor.
So the facts which the Mayor used that required her to “assume my duties” because of “delays” are just not supported by the record. She politicized a process she pushed so hard to start even though the requisite donations had not been achieved. If the donations do not come in Louisville citizens will have to kick in another $350,000 from its treasury. According to the funds raiser whom she appointed, “Ingram said, thus far 74.2 percent of the matching amount has been pledged.” (The Daily Times, November 12, 2009) The Town is short of the requisite donations, nevertheless the Mayor, assisted by Vice Mayor Bob Gormley, pushed hard --- insisted --- on signing a construction contract with Joseph Construction for $970,000.00. If the donations do not come in the cost to the citizens of Louisville will go up about $370,000,00.
In 2006 Mayor Anderson was running for her third term. She announced to the The Daily Times that a “Miraculous Town Hall Donor” had contacted her and pledged to donate the Louisville Town Hall. “I can’t sleep,” she said. She ran out with the BMA and had a “ground breaking.” Both announcements were covered by The Daily Times. Those articles contained misrepresentations of fact which may have swung the very close election to Geraldine Anderson. Too bad the Donor story wasn’t true. When the Donor finally was revealed more than a year later it turned out the donation was $250,000, payable over five (5) years, conditioned on Louisville Citizens matching the $250,000. The cost of the building is projected at more than $1.3 million. A donation of less than 20% of cost was hardly a “Miraculous” offer. Further, there was no BMA approval in place to obligate the Town to any such SECRET agreement so the phony ground breaking was an unlawful event.
It appears to the undersigned that three (3) of the aldermen who represent the Majority in Louisville have lost faith in the Mayor’s ability to administer the Town’s business. Her letter published on Wednesday only demonstrates her propensity to spin the record which is not kind to her. The power granted to the mayor under the Town’s charter consists of only one (1) of five (5) votes so her statement, “assumed my duties,” supposes power --- bravado --- the Mayor is simply not granted under Louisville’s charter. There will be no “assuming duties” unless the BMA directs those duties to the Mayor.
Now, another tall story appeared in The Daily Times on November 12th right after the Mayor announced her intent to run for a fourth term. That tall story was not true either. What about facts checking? Aldermen Steve Dixon called it “gutter politics.” The undersigned thinks it was worse than that.
Sincerely yours,
Wayne Lance, President
Louisville Citizens’ Association
(865) 405-4342
FROM MAYOR ANDERSON:
TOWN OF LOUISVILLE
ROBERT GORMLEY, Vic. Mayor
MICI-IAEL LONG, Recorder
BOB SKURDA, Assistant Recorder
November 12, 2009
P. O. BOX 215
LOUISVILLE, TENNESSEE 37777
GERALDINE ANDERSON, Mayor
ROBERT TINGLE, Alderman
STEVE DIXON, Alderman
JOE GALLAGHER, A1d.rman
To the Citizens of the Town of Louisville, our donors to the Town Hall/Community Center and to Joseph
Construction:
Because of the recent actions of the coalition of three (3) Aldermen in threatening the disbanding of the planning commission and reducing citizen participation in the planning commission; the disbanding of our Town Hall building committee; the distrust of our donors to the town hall/community center project; the resignation of our town attorney of 20 years because of the barrage of harassment from an alderman and his citizen mentor; the attempts to impede the efforts of the fund raising group by two aldermen and a prominent citizen, it has become necessary for me as your Mayor and Chief Executive Officer of the town, to assume my duties as Chief Executive Officer and assure the completion of the Town Hall/Community Center under our construction contract. When the three aldermen voted to disband the building committee, one of your donors, who was donating free excavating, grading and landscaping - a donation worth at least $50,000, - withdrew his donation as he did not want to deal directly with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, whom he said had no knowledge about how to build a building.
We have a signed contract with Joseph Construction which must be honored. We have commitments to our donors that must be honored. I have sought the help and support of many citizens and have received assurance from our fund raisers, our donors, members of our now disbanded building committee and Joseph Construction that they will go above and beyond the call of duty to complete our Town Hall/Community Center. As authorized by the Board, I will employ Steve Carico as project manager. I will meet regularly with members of the former building committee - Darrell Dillard, Gene Haun, Pam Dorsey, Travis Loope, Bob Gormley, Ann Bennett, Lynn Roberts, Diane Morgan, Tony Metler, Ron Davis and Tom Bickers seeking their advice and comments.
I will, as always, strive to work with every citizen of the town in a polite and courteous way but, as your Mayor, I cannot allow the recent events to continue. I will use all the means at my disposal to see the Town Hall/Community Center completed and to return the Town to calm and civility.
Sincerely,
Geraldine Anderson,
Mayor and Chief Executive Officer, Town of Louisville
office every Monday from 6 - 7 pm.