I'm not in the Chattanooga community but I have watched closely this mayoral recall and all the pros/cons of the situation. Now with the judges ruling I have to wonder how on earth your mayor can serve knowing that a large majority of the voters don't want him.

Would one worry about that, feel hurt and try harder to lead? Or would today's politicians merely laugh it off as another one of those "little people" activities that are as bothersome as a mosquito?

I respect the voters of Chattanooga for trying to make a legitimate difference in what they perceive as mishandling of the office. Most likely this is a small glimpse of what is happening all over the country.

Does anyone hear what the people are saying? I dunno, remember in November.

Sue White
Cleveland

* * *

Judge Hollingsworth has ruled that the effort to recall Littlefield had technical issues that make it invalid. I have no problem with the narrow ruling on the letter of the law. I think Hollingsworth is a good man, and I wish he would run for mayor.

Now Littlefield will have intense scrutiny over everything he does. Gone are the days when his good rapport with the city council and the populace of Chattanooga in general gave him the credibility to push his pet projects through. Littlefield seems to think he has some kind of divine providence that makes him know more than the voters. In this regard, he is like another famous Democrat named Obama, who rammed through policies and programs most of the country doesn't want while he had a favorable congress and the opportunity to get it done. The city council is Littlefield's favorable legislative body, and those that support him now, and those who raised taxes a few months ago, will suffer for it when the next election comes around.

The point is simple: Littlefield will remain as mayor despite the will of the people. He will serve as mayor of a city that has voted to remove him, regardless of the technicalities that allow to keep his job. He has belittled his office and sullied what used to be his good name. The remainder of his term he will serve under the cloud of knowing he kept his office only by lawyering up. Most sadly, he will be remembered as much of the country thinks of Al Franken and Al Gore.

It's a shame he allowed his thirst to keep his office made him lose sight of his legacy. He should have been honorable and accepted the result of the recall and run again. If reelected, he would have had a mandate to do whatever he wanted. But now he's spoiled goods, serving only because of legal maneuvering. Not many people respect the kind of self-importance that he has shown.

To the city council members that hope to remain after the next election, remember one thing: we're watching you. We'll remember whether you help the now illegitimate mayor or whether you hold his feet to the fire. I promise that those who voted for the recall are the majority, not the fringe minority. Remember you work for us, not over us.

Jim Nichols

* * *

The judge said that the recall failed because the city charter had never been "enacted," only amended. In 1997, the state enacted a law, governing recall rules for cities and municipalities. A city could change the rules for a recall through a referendum. In 2002 Chattanooga placed a referendum on the ballot to change two things about the charter: choosing to bring forward all the existing charter, which included a lesser number of signatures and number of days allowed for carrying out a petition, thinking this would comply with the 1997 state law. The City Council has since labored under the belief that the city charter was law. Current Election Commission officials informed the Recall Ron effort of these rules -- 8964 valid signatures gathered within the 75 days of the recall effort.

Petitioners abided by rules as the Election Commission ordered. Comes now the judge to to say that what was brought forward from the existing City charter in 2002 was not an "enactment" but merely an "amendment," which has no force of law. Further, the court accepted that all the signatures were gathered within the 75 day period, being authenticated by the Election Commission and by the court, but 4000 of them were deemed not valid because they did not have the actual date of the signing beside each name. Petitioners were told by the Commission in the middle of the effort that it was not necessary to cite the actual date as long as a signature gathered was within the 75-day period. Each petition sheet containing signatures was stamped by the Election Commission with the date when it was turned in. So the intent of the law, i.e. to guarantee that the signatures were gathered in the prescribed time frame, was perfectly satisfied.

The Mayor's slick attorneys seized on this to cheat the people of Chattanooga of their voice in his recall. Last night in the City Council meeting, members were in a consternation. They understood that by relegating this section of the charter to be irrelevant and considered by Judge Hollingsworth to be an “amendment” and not “enacted” law, the entire charter has been irrelevant since 2002.

In a panic they directed the City Attorney to rectify this matter immediately. The Mayor has not been recalled because the judge deemed the city of Chattanooga to be without relevant law to guide its legal affairs. The judge refused to hear arguments on issues relevant to the case until after his ruling in favor of the mayor - this to add to the irregularity of the case. 10,000 Chattanoogans were disenfranchised by this ruling, but the Mayor is not off-the-hook. Already he is boasting that it is full-speed ahead with his reckless tax proposals. This recall effort is only the beginning of nightmares for the mayor.

Jim West

* * *

I'm sick that the judge ruled in favor of the state law, even though the local Election Commission stated that the local City Charter rules should be applied. We did as we were instructed to do by our local Election Commission.

I never got involved in local politics before, until I realized that today's mayor be become tomorrow's governor, or Congressmen. If you cannot be trusted to respect the will of the people as mayor, how can you be trusted with anything?

Once again the will of "We the People" has been thwarted by elitist politicians who believe they know what is best for us. Let me remind them that we pay their salaries, and we are sick of how and where our hard earned tax money is being spent.

And Mayor Littlefield, for the record, those of us in the tea party are not ignorant, unemployed slobs who have nothing else to do but cause trouble. No sir. We are hard working, tax paying citizens, who love our country, and realize now that you, at the local level, and Obama and Congress at the national level, cannot be trusted to do what is right.

We have no "personal" vendetta against you; it is simply a matter of policy. For you to sink to depths to call everyday American citizens names, has caused me, personally, to think entirely different of you, the person. You made personal attacks of several very respectable people, which was "poison" politics, and uncalled for. These people have never made personal attacks on you.

We in the tea party have simply joined together and together we stand. You will be watched sir. You and the council. Please don't waste another red cent on frivolous matters- it will be made known to all. And if you think this is over, think again.

It takes character to make a man, and that character if lacking in our own mayor, and many of the council members. Take heed- this matter may not be over- but your political days just may be.

Debbie Peck

* * *

Sitting in Judge Hollingsworth courtroom for the recall case, I find it hard to believe in 2010 that the Tennessee recall law is so flawed and with roadblocks, ambiguous language, loopholes and inconsistencies that the politicians have made it almost impossible for the voters to have the right to due process.

Yesterday was a prime case book example of laws and rules written by the elected ones for the elected ones. How fiercely and obsessively they cherish their power and ego has no limit in achieving those means.

It was beginning to sound like the Mayor's attorneys were looking for fly specks on grapes as they nit picked on issues irrelevant to the case. If the judge had not stopped that line of questioning by calling all attorneys into his chamber to drop immaterial time consuming items we would all still be there. It was obvious the Mayor's attorneys were going to "milk" the hearing as long as possible.(Why not, they are paid by the hour).

This morning the mayor surrounded himself with all the ex-politicians he could gather in one day and wanted to extend an olive branch to us and move on. Not a single word on concessions , compromising or listening to the people.

He still just doesn't get it.

Bill Watkins
watkins238@aol.com

* * *

Whether you supported the recall effort lead by the Citizens to Recall the Mayor, Chattanooga Organized for Action, and the local Tea Party, or not, there are approximately 9,500 registered voters that have definitely been “bamboozled.” The only purpose of the lawsuit filed in circuit court, Littlefield vs. the Hamilton County Election Commission was to intervene, stop, and completely derail a recall election that would have occurred on November 2nd. That is, would have, occurred if a lawsuit had not been filed against the Hamilton County Election Commission. It is an interesting proposition to serve at the will of the people, by force.

All the claims of good faith intervention, on behalf of the people, are comical, especially after reading the brief filed by the city. Nothing will change the facts that the Hamilton County Election Commission Board had 1) voted to allow a recall petition to proceed, 2) approved the petition language, and 3) voted and provided the recall groups with the number of signatures they would be required to obtain. It is also a fact that the Election Commission staff verified on August 30, 2010 that approximately 9,500 registered voters in the city of Chattanooga signed the recall petition endorsed by the Hamilton County Election County. So, what would have been the harm of allowing another election to occur, if you serve at the will of the people?

Recall efforts should always be assumed to be grassroots, underfunded, with no legal staff. As a result, interpretation of the recall provisions in a City Charter should be understandable to the citizens that create and govern the Charter provisions.

It is absolutely shameful to silence the civil rights of 9,500 voters that called for an election after following the recall provisions set forth by the Hamilton County Election Commission. In this case, the lawsuit stopped the recall election in November 2010, which is certain to unify and make the recall groups, not break them, and possibly reduce civic apathy. I will try to find good in the governmental shaft of 9,500 registered voters.

April Eidson
aprile@comcast.net

* * *

I have been amazed as I have watched the events of the past several months regarding the recall of our mayor.

People disagree as to whether the recall effort was warranted, but no matter what their opinion on that score, I haven't spoken to a single person who is not deeply disappointed and disturbed by the mayor's reaction to this effort. So for the purposes of this particular discussion, let's assume that the recall accusations were totally unfounded and that an innocent public figure has been unfairly attacked and maligned for the past four months.

Even in this worst-case scenario, I must ask: What kind of leader responds to feedback of this nature with the kind of anger, bitterness, resentment and hostility that our mayor expressed in his open letter to our city? A leader of real integrity and maturity would look past allegations and personal attacks in a sincere and fervent desire to get at the core issues that instigated this effort. A leader worthy of Chattanooga would want to understand the concerns of the people living in the city he professes to love. Unfortunately, it is now crystal clear to people on both sides of this issue that our mayor feels nothing but disdain for Chattanooga's citizens.

Our mayor would have been much better served in this situation to show a little humility instead of petulantly returning fire. He is a politician, after all, so he should know and be willing to deal with the fact that his job positively ensures he will come to cross-purposes with some people along the way. But over 9,000 registered voters? What reasonable person could deny this type of message deserves a second look, even if the results of that look are to openly and honestly refute the allegations? However, our mayor has shown no evidence that he is capable of self-reflection. He is obviously quite certain that he is right on all counts, and that we, the lowly citizens of this beautiful city, are just too stupid to know what is best for us. So repaying venom for venom, this man adamantly and with great contempt turned a deaf ear to the voice of over 9,000 voters, not by filing suit legally to overturn the recall, but by failing to even acknowledge his responsibility to address any of the grievances which caused it in the first place. Unfathomable and extremely sad.

A quick word to those of you who stand with him today and have any future political aspirations in this fair city: The effort today may have failed, but what both the mayor and the recallers have ensured through this rapid-fire exchange is that people voting in future elections will remember Ron Littlefield long after his term has expired. They will also remember who was with him. If you stand with him today and think that the name "Littlefield" will engender warm, fond memories of good times we would like to recreate in the future for this community, then your future is bright indeed.

Kim Worley
Chattanooga

* * *

This morning’s press conference is right on target, kind of. Unity is uniting, and most of the residents of Hamilton County are united in their plight. We have high unemployment, and united in our struggles with the slow economy increasing expenses for each household. None of this call for uniting has changed. The mayor has the same opportunity that he has had. We want him to serve as a leader not a pusher. Ever tried to push a limp rope? However, one can pull a rope anywhere.

We are keeping our eye on the ball. Sometimes it’s best to make every pitch be a strike or let it go by. Many games have been lost with an eye on the ball. One can watch the ball fly over their head or slam into the mitt as strike three. I personally appreciate the pro, positive upbeat cheerleading speech this morning but nothing has really changed in hearts and minds of this community. We want real leadership who understands where we are. Open your eyes Ron, Claude, Manny, take this opportunity and serve this community as you were elected to do. Take a lesson from Rhonda, my common sense leader who never tries to dress up a pig. Black is black, and white is white. She has demonstrated more leadership than most of the others combined. So my concluding thought is don’t challenge us to unite, instead, we challenge the elected to rise up and lead.

Dennis Allison
Ooltewah

* * *

At least it got his attention.

Chattanooga’s recent recall brouhaha may have given us a quick glimpse at the corrupting effects of political power.

I could be wrong, but to me Mayor Littlefield appears to be a fine Christian man with a true servant’s heart. I may not agree with his politics, but I can certainly understand how easy it would be for anybody to make the same mistake.

His biggest mistake was not listening to his boss. He seems to have gotten a little lost in the illusion of self-importance created by all the pomp and circumstance of political power and momentarily forgotten who he really was, where he came from and who he really worked for. It would be so easy for any elected official to feel that way.

When it’s all said and done, the recall effort may have inadvertently performed a genuine service to Mayor Littlefield. By forcing him to deal with the issue in such an up close and personal way it may have kept him from falling deeper into a trap of political elitism and isolation. Time will tell if he’s truly learned his lesson.

Floyd Bledsoe