Joe Dumas, a faculty member at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has announced that he is a candidate for the Signal Mountain Town Council in the November 5th election.
Dr. Dumas filed his qualifying papers with the Hamilton County Election Commission on May 22, becoming the first candidate to officially enter the race for a Council seat.
Dr. Dumas, 41, who first ran for a council seat in 2000, says that one of the main reasons he is running again is the 43% property tax increase that was enacted by the Council in August 2001.
"This unprecedented tax hike, which came on top of a water rate increase and a huge increase in sewer fees, came as a financial blow to the citizens of Signal Mountain right in the middle of a recession. Families and senior citizens were hurt the most. I believe with better management of the Town budget this tax increase could have been avoided. If I am elected, I will work to balance the budget by spending more wisely, not on the back of the citizens by increasing taxes."
He added that he would like to roll back all or as much as possible of last year’s tax increase.
Pedestrian safety is another issue that the candidate said says he wants to bring to the forefront of his campaign. "My wife and I live on James Boulevard and every day we see children, joggers, moms pushing baby strollers, and other pedestrians using the automobile travel lanes because there are no sidewalks on that part of James. With all the traffic in the area, this is a very unsafe situation and it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt or worse. I would like to see the Town promote pedestrian safety by constructing more sidewalks, especially along the routes children use to travel between the schools, the library, and the Town recreation complex."
Dr. Dumas says one of the reasons voters should support him is that he is involved in the community and informed on the issues. "I have attended most of the Town meetings for the past two years to keep up with what has been going on and I have spoken up when important issues have come before the Council. I went to the meeting with FERC and spoke out against the proposed gas pipeline and pumping station that threaten our community. I know what is going on and I get involved because I care about our Town."
Dr. Dumas summed up his candidacy by adding, "I believe in government by citizen servants, not by politicians or the ‘good old boys’ club. I want to give back to our Town of my time, energy, and skills to help make Signal Mountain an even better place than it already is. I will listen to citizen input and make decisions that are based on facts and common sense and that are in the best interest of Signal Mountain residents. I will do so honestly, fairly, and without allegiance to special interests. I humbly ask for your support on November 5th."
Interested citizens can contact Joe Dumas at 886-7628 or visit his campaign website at www.JoeDumas.com.