Aikens seeks re-election in LC mayor’s race

Alyssa B. Martin news-herald.net

Tony Aikens has been Lenoir City’s mayor since 2010. He was the last two-year term mayor and the first four-year term mayor in the city.

During this re-election year, he is running against Wayne Collins for the upcoming Nov. 5 election.

Aikens spoke to The News-Herald on Wednesday, Oct. 23, regarding his life in Lenoir City, as well as his current campaign. This interview has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING HERE?

Well, I don’t know if I have any least favorite things. I enjoy the people. I think we have some great folks in Loudon County, Lenoir City, and of course being public safety, as you know, and then being the mayor since 2010, and before that was elected Council in ‘03.

I’ve obviously had to deal with the public a lot, and so I think, I don’t know about the bad, but certainly the good is the general public.

SPEAKING OF YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, DO YOU THINK THAT THAT’S IMPACTED YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE WHEN YOU’RE WORKING WITH THE COUNCIL AND OTHER OFFICIALS IN THE COUNTY AND CITY?

No question, no question.

Chief of Police before becoming the Chief Deputy, and again, that was a lot of folks, and I know city government as well as county government, and there’s no question about that.

IF YOU’RE TO BE RE-ELECTED, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR YOU TO ADDRESS THIS NEXT TERM?

Well, obviously I hear a lot about growth, and we have, regardless of the social media postings and the negativity out there from one member of the county commission, we do prepare for the growth.

Lenoir City Utilities, I was just telling the leadership group yesterday I spoke at, Lenoir City Utilities, we’ve taken those steps making sure that it’s the responsibility of the property owner or the contractors to put their utilities in and be charged for that.

Of course we’ve got a moratorium on apartments, and of course that’s, I’m just guessing here, probably another six months, but I’m prepared to extend that 12 more months if need be. I haven’t discussed it with the city council, but I think they would probably go along with that.

Some of the things I want to see done, we’re currently working with trying to get some grant monies available to improve Old Highway 95. It’s a heavily used secondary road … Broadway is absolutely a nightmare. The work on the bridge, the interstate, usually, typically at least one time a year, I have seen it more than that. The interstate for some reason will be shut down… So, we’re currently working, we have a second phase of a CMAQ grant … and we continue to work on the traffic signalization.

We’ve already spent over a million dollars on traffic signalization. We’re getting ready to spend another million there. It’s grant money, TPO money.

And so when we get that installed, I think people are going to see a big improvement on traffic on 321 and Broadway, because the traffic signals will be able to communicate with one another. People need to be more patient, and if they will, and I ask them to be and it takes time. Anytime you’re dealing with federal state monies, grant money, it takes time to implement and get it started … I want to try to get us another city park.

We’re currently working with TVA and EDA, Jack Qualls … We’ve got some land that we’ve identified for a new city park.

Our city parks are well used by the folks, and I want to try to put in a new city park. I want to try to expand or put in a secondary splash pad. If you’ve driven, I’m sure you have, down Broadway during the summer, a splash pad is well used. A lot of people can’t afford to go to Dollywood and can’t afford to go to Sevierville or can’t afford to go on vacation, period.

And this gives people of all quality of life to go down and to use the splash pad and take their families down there and enjoy the summer months. And it’s a safe, clean environment. So I want to try to put in a secondary splash pad in the new city park.

And I want to try to have a bigger one, too. I think it’s needed because that one is so heavily used. I want to try to do that.

DO YOU THINK THAT IF YOU’RE REELECTED, YOU’LL TRY AGAIN FOR THE SALES TAX AT SOME POINT?

I don’t know. I mean it’s failed twice now. We’ve tried to. I think there was a lot of misconceptions out there. But the people spoke, and I respect their decision.

Before we have gone in with the school system to try to accommodate their needs, and it’s failed. So I don’t foresee that. But again, we’re giving the people the choice. We’re not doing it ourselves.

One thing, we couldn’t do it ourselves, even if we wanted to. The law says you have to put it before a referendum. But I believe that’s the fair way regardless.

It was $0.75 on $100 worth of groceries. But again, the people had the choice. The people said no. And I respect that.

I respect their decision.

And we’re going to live by that right now.

IT LOOKS LIKE FROM WHAT I’VE SEEN AND GATHERED THAT YOUR OPPONENT IS ADVOCATING FOR AN EIGHT-YEAR TERM LIMIT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

I’m glad you mentioned that. What my opponent doesn’t understand is that the people of Lenoir City already determined the amount of years that city council was to serve.

They decided that many years ago.

Just recently, in 2012 or 2014 … voters of Lenoir City decided that the mayor, now again, the voters decided this, not Tony Akins or city council. The voters.

My opponent doesn’t understand Lenoir City government, because we’re a home rule town.

And anything, anytime, anything like that’s changed, it’s not up to city council to change it.

It’s up to the voters to change it, because we’re home rule. And the voters decided on city council, as I say, many, many years ago, and they decided on mine, or not on mine, but on the mayor’s office in 2012 or 2014.

That’s when it went from a two-year, I’m the last two-year guy and the first four-year guy. I’m the first full-time mayor.

So the voters of Lenoir City decided to make that a four-year term, not me, and not city council.

Lenoir City is one of 19 home rule towns in the state of Tennessee. Our closest home rule town is Knoxville. Our next is Oliver Springs. So what does that mean, basically? It means that the people of the city decide, not the legislators in Nashville.

And it’s just like the city of Loudon, for instance.

The city of Loudon extended their terms and got them on a rotating basis like Lenoir City.

Well, they had to get the legislators to do that.

Lenoir City voters have to do it in Lenoir City. So the only way for that to be changed is that it would have to be back on the ballot, and it would be up to city council to decide if that would go back on the ballot or not.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR FREE TIME?

Well, obviously I spend time with my wife, my family. I’ve got three grandchildren and one of them has had some health issues.

And so we obviously try to get together in the summer. My wife and I, we do some boating and I am a hunter. However, I’ve sort of gotten away from that the last several years. I’ve not had time.

WHAT ARE YOUR GENERAL POLITICAL BELIEFS?

God, family, country. I’m a Christian and I’m an active member at Maranatha Church of the Harvest up on Highway 11. There’s a lot of things in local government that I have no control over, personally, or as the mayor of Lenoir City. But my record speaks for itself.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU OVER YOUR OPPONENT?

Well, the one thing experience, I think it means a lot. I could talk all day on things that have gone on in Lenoir City government over the last 14 years, since I’ve been mayor — something that my opponent has no clue about … none whatsoever. And the knowledge did not happen overnight.

I know a little more about city government.

I’ve worked here. I’ve been a police officer here. I’ve been a chief of police here and been on city council, obviously been mayor since 2010.