Former County Commissioner and longtime East Ridge resident Curtis Adams on Friday said the upcoming city election "is all about high-priced attorney John Anderson."
He said he is supporting Marc Gravitt and incumbent Denny Manning for the East Ridge City Council "because if they both get in they will join with Councilman Jim Bethune to act quickly and get rid of this expensive attorney who doesn't even live in East Ridge."
Former Commissioner Adams also said, "Ann Pruett is a fine lady and my friend, but it's obvious that she is being used in this election so that John Anderson can keep his job. I was in office 22 years, and I can smell the rats. Her husband, Fred Pruett, was a great citizen and city official and I had the greatest respect for him. But what they are doing is like if I died and they got Dot to run to help them out. I don't think it's fair and I don't think Mrs. Pruett deserves it."
He said, "Mrs. Pruett is getting a lot of campaign money, but it is coming from people outside of East Ridge."
The ex-commissioner and one-time East Ridge city manager said, "Surveys show that East Ridge is paying four times for legal bills what other cities their size pay. Soddy Daisy has a fine city attorney who's not robbing that city."
He says in the mailer that East Ridge is at a crossroads and that the election of Gravitt and Manning "can put us on the road to prosperity."
He said their election is necessary "to stop runaway spending."
Former Commissioner Adams said he was told that several individuals went together to pay for the mailer.