Mayor Brookshire's plans for Lenoir City is not much different than episode 13. The Mayor has big plans to transform Lenoir City from what it is now to what he thinks it ought to be. This is a common occurrence when liberals control government. Just imagine the arrogance of those who think they know best how everyone else should live. While everyone agrees, Lenoir City has some problems with blighted properties and some less than "pretty" properties, the Redevelopment Corporation is not about addressing those issues. That's what the Livability Court, the Better Building Board and codes enforcement are for. Do not be deceived, the establishment of the Redevelopment Corporation is for exactly what it's name says it is, redevelopment.

From a 2005 News Herald article, "The corporation was created to transform parts of the City Mayor Matt Brookshire characterized as not reaching their full potential to become areas that will “benefit everyone.” The Mayor is quoted as saying, “The wonderful thing is you can take an area, find someone who wants a redevelopment project and match them up with an area." What the Mayor calls wonderful, I and most anyone else with common since would call stealing land. Can anyone think of any Lenoir City developers who would love to get their hands on cheap property in town? Everyone needs to read this article. Fortunately I have it here. Click here to view and read it carefully. The article is very telling as to the motives of the Mayor and council. The character of the city is what it is. I guess the Mayor and council would rather see a string of Styrofoam and stucco buildings than the businesses and buildings that have made Lenoir City what it is.

There has been a lot of discussion as to how the  Redevelopment Corporation came about without the citizens really knowing anything about it. This was a stroke of genius on the part of the city officials. In the NH article linked above you will note that the council voted to authorize the Lenoir City Housing Authority (LCHA) to create a subsidiary charged with that task (creating a local redevelopment corporation.) By moving the establishment of the Redevelopment Corporation under the control of the Lenoir City Housing Authority (LCHA), this took the operation out of the public spot light. Few citizens or the media generally attend the meetings of the LCHA thus there was no coverage of the organization and implementation of the Redevelopment Corporation. That's how it got as far as it did before anyone even knew what it was all about.

And finally, if you haven't read the article in the 9/6/06 News Herald, "Reaction Examined", it's a must read. Click here for full story. Talk about trying to make chicken salad from chicken poop. The article is an interview with Mike Lawson, chairman of the Redevelopment Corporation, about the public meeting held to discuss the Redevelopment Corporation. I'm not sure what meeting he was at, but it sure doesn't sound like the same one everyone else attended. Here are some highlights.

While most citizens responses were negative, Mr. Lawson believes those opinions are changing as the public begins to better understand the proposal.

It was just a general overall misunderstanding...........maybe a lack of understanding.

I think what we didn't see were all the other voters that didn't show up who perhaps supported it.

The public reaction is pretty much what I expected.

If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Any property owner, commercial or residential, who currently owns property in the proposed redevelopment area would be advised to sit up and take notice. Or as the mayor said, relocation would be a necessary component, so you folks might find yourselves as "a necessary component."

-v-