What part of No doesn't the mayor and City Council understand?

Voters protested the homeless "campus," the stormwater fee,
annexation and higher property taxes. They ignored every one.
Now they wonder why the mayor is being recalled.

Maybe they will figure it out once they are out of office.

Liz Norris
efnorris@bellsouth.net

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Liz represents several Chattanooga residents who have been "deceived" by the smear campaign that has been going on for the past several months, pushed into orbit by the 'big money pockets' sitting up in "The Horizons".

1) who would not want to help the truly homeless people by making the services offered to them available without them having to walk miles from one service to another. They are already down and out and any one of us, could be in those same shoes if we lost our source of income. Put yourself in their shoes - if they have any.

2) the stormwater fee is a federal mandate.

3) Annexation has been part of the city plan for 10 years .... just happens the 10 years is up on Mayor Littlefield's term. No one in the eye of annexation likes it. It's called progress .... we are a city on the move, which comes with new people, new businesses, new roads, new jobs, etc. If the city doesn't grow its tax base, how can it afford to provide services to the larger population? The people within the city limits shouldn't be expected to foot the bill for everyone.

4) Property tTaxes are a necessary evil to make a city run. There were many services, including more police officers, that had to be cut in order to reduce the money needed from the original budget proposal prior to refining. Four of the City Council members actually voted no on the increase because they wanted a 'higher' increase. Eventually, the
council hashed out which services had to be dropped and then 'they' voted the tax increase in. Chattanooga has not had a property tax increase in over nine years, however the cost of the services has continued to climb with cost of living increases. Yes, the buck stops with the mayor - and that's why everyone likes to call it 'his' tax increase and why he and the city are having to endure this
deliberate, deceitful attack - brought on by few and fueled by one.

All the "corruption" charges are completely false and baseless.
All the "hiding information" claims are without merit. The recallers have been given all the facts and information, but, of course, will
avoid those details that do not support their desired claims.

Nobody talks about how Mayor Littlefield, immediately upon taking office, undertook audits of city departments to be able to run the city more efficiently. Abuse of certain financial allowances in some departments had been taking place for a number of months, and in some cases, years. Some were felonies resulting in several employees being relieved of their duty - some are in jail right now and some are still awaiting court dates. Our mayor has always been a very frugal man with our money as well as his own.

In case it's never crossed your mind to actually research information for yourself, instead of taking a morsel of information from the media or another person and riding the band wagon, the city budget is published for everyone to see.

Proud to be a Chattanoogan and very proud of my mayor's job performance.

Renee McIntosh

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No, Liz, we the taxpayers have been "deceived" by Mayor Littlefield. I have written so many letters about Igou Gap I can't count them. For years, even before the mayor started cowtowing to VW, we have asked and have been passed over for our road to at the least be resurfaced.

They paid a lot of money to Arcadis to survey it and dig it up all up and down the road. The mayor and Jack Benson made promises in print to schedule this work. It never happened as anyone who has traveled this road will tell you.

I signed that petition and I vote every time the polls open for an election. My neighbors signed it too and we are sick of being told the mayor has higher pryorities than our road. He can't expect that people are going to cheerfully kick in for a tax increase when he does nothing to take care of our neighborhoods. You can't just expect people to sit back while he spends all the money on big business and neglects the rest of us. The crime situation out here is bad and these gangs are not just downtown.

The politicians don't listen once they are in office. I think most - especially the City Council - need to have term limits. After the City Council people are in office too long they get complacent and become ineffective to the folks.

Yes, I signed the petition and I will sign the one on Jack Benson, too.

Susan Nicholas

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Continuing to beat the dead homeless horse on 11th Street shows how desperate folks must be to find a way to have a voice - have a voice they are certainly entitled to.

These are frustrating times for many people. Points made about tax increases and fees for dealing with massive stormwater runoff from parking lots are specious. The increases are necessary to run the basic business of the city and break even in the same economic times which are so frustrating to the readers.

But, using the goodness of the mayor’s heart in seeing displaced persons as a having basic rights as citizens of Chattanooga; giving those citizens a voice; inferring that Chattanooga’s outreach to the homeless, which is among the finest in the country, is an undesirable thing; using people for whom a kind word, a hot meal, a time to laugh may change their lives; using these people as targets of hate is a reprehensible thing.

Andy Smith
Lookout Mountain, Ga.

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It always amuses me when someone writes in that a reader is misinformed and is being misguided by the people who are supporting the recall.

First, there is already enough help for the homeless in Chattanooga. I don't mind helping people who are down, but a lot 'choose' to live that lifestyle. We are just going to attract more to Chattanooga if we keep building more shelters. It's the ugly truth that the good doers such as the mayor doesn't like to admit or accept. Second, the police department is considered full strength at 473 officers. The department is around 406 officers and it is going to get worse because the rate of attrition is greater then the police department's ability to replace them,

What happened to all the money that was suppose to fund for the 60-plus missing officers over the past two years? I guess to the homeless shelter. Now the city is paying for this lack of foresight by the cities crime rating. It will take years to get the police dept back up to full strength.

Third, I don't argue that some sort of tax increase may have been needed, but because of the mayor's agenda and poor planning the citizens are paying a heavy price. An example of this is the mayor committing to build an EPB garage in an agreement to keep the home office in Chattanooga, I understand the intent to keep jobs, but not at the expense of taxpayers and robbing citizens of basic services that we need. The mayor's agenda and ability to manage money are the reasons for the recall efforts against him. He has done plenty of damage already.

Linda Stover
Hixson

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I want to thank Mayor Littlefield (with a tip of the hat to the school board) for waking up the citizens of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. For too long elected officials in all levels of government have pretty much figured that they can do whatever they want with no reprisals from the voting public. Quoting Mayor Littlefield – “What are they going to do – recall me?” In the past the answer would have been no – but not any more, for we are now involved, and we are no longer your servants – you are ours.

For governments to operate properly requires an engaged public – one that pays attention and gets involved. Chattanooga has that now, so I want to thank the Mayor (and the School Board especially Janice Boydston ) for actions so outlandish, and replies so repugnant that you have personally made Chattanoogans a better electorate by waking us up - even though that wasn’t your intention.

Gregg Juster