According to the ads in the News Herald and the Daily Edition, the ads were "paid for by Tony Aikens". The news letter is paid for by the tax payers of Lenoir City. That means, the candidates that aren't being supported by the mayor had to help pay for the ads for the other candidates that are supported by the mayor. Just something screwy about that. Tax payer funder candidate endorsement??
According to the mayor, Eddie Simpson, Jennifer Wampler and Mike Henline have been "outstanding individuals that have helped make Lenoir City what it is today."
Let me translate what the mayor actually means. He means, please elect Eddie Simpson, Jennifer Wampler and Mike Henline because they'll do what ever I tell them to do. How does he know any of the other three candidates wouldn't be even better than the two incumbents and Mike Henline? Heck, Mr. Henline isn't even an incumbent. He was defeated two years ago, so he hasn't been "helping the city" for at least the last two years.
You might think I'm just being political. Not so. I can prove my point with facts.
March of 2019, I did a story on the fact there are almost never any "NO" votes at a city council meeting. In fact, out of 1,052 items voted on by the city council over a five year period, there were only three individual councilmen,"NO" votes in all that time. Three!!!
I went back to check if there had been any "NO" votes since I did that story. In the last sixteen months, in more that 200 council votes, you guessed it, not a single "NO" vote registered in the meeting minutes on any vote. This has got to be some kind of world record. Six elected officials have collectively cast only three NO votes in six and a half years.
I think I'm getting the picture now, Mayor Aikens doesn't want to take the chance of someone getting elected that might disrupt his record setting lack of "NO" votes maybe? Or maybe he just likes to hear, "Yes Mayor".