Anyone up for another set of recalls? Apparently we've got five county commissioners and one sheriff that need to given a reality check. Thank you, Jim Hammond, for the inane idea you presented the Commission regarding citing speeders without ever having to be pulled over. As for the Commission, I'm curious why you "snuck" this by the residents of Hamilton County? As your agenda meeting was cancelled last week due to snow, you doubled up today and did not provide the citizenry of Hamilton County to provide feedback to their respective elected officials.
I've never led a recall, but I'm anxious to help. I'll stand in snow, sleet, rain, etc. to help get rid of these allegedly "ineffective" representatives. The City Council stirred the hornet's nest and look at the backlash they have received. I hope the same type of backlash happens to the County Commissioners as well.
Remember, election primaries are coming up. Get rid of all of the incumbents and let's start over.
Rusty Munger
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I agree that this issue will not sit well with their constituents. I also find it odd that there was no mention of this in the news prior to the vote, that it would be voted on so quickly and what appears to be underhandedly.
I live in Marty Haynes District, voted for him, and I am disappointed in his decision. This is strictly a money generator and to even think its for safety is an insult to our intelligence.
Chris Sanders
Hixson
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From what I understand, Sheriff Hammond and at least five Hamilton County Commissioners in particular are running for re-election in the upcoming election season. As most of us have heard by now, they passed a deeply unconstitutional “measure” (aka scam) to allow police to use LIDAR (laser radar) to give us tickets without even pulling us over. This measure was passed 5-4.
District 5’s Gregory Beck moved to pass the measure, and District 3’s Marty Haynes seconded the motion. The other three commissioners who are responsible for this scam are District 2’s James A. (Jim) Fields, District 7’s Larry L. Henry, and District 9’s Chester Bankston. I also need to mention Sheriff Hammond. We all need to remember this when they begin running for re-election, claiming to be working for the good of the public, and toward getting drunk drivers off the road (Hammond’s “Drive sober or get pulled over” campaign commercial actually came on the radio as I was writing this, causing me to chuckle and gag, simultaneously).
Among the plethora of other issues it raises, this measure will ensure that more drunk drivers stay on the roads and out of jail, and less illegal drugs will be discovered and seized as a result of speeding, since officers can't do that while sitting on their butts, pointing what amounts to a Nintendo gun at cars (I'm sure they'll make that "pew pew pew" sound with their mouths when pulling the trigger.) Someone should see to it that Sheriff Hammond changes his campaign to “Drive Sober, or get pulled over…maybe...or maybe not, or maybe get a $50 ticket in the mail that doesn’t affect your driver’s license.”
I should also note that John McConnell, the president of the Brentwood-based company who will be partnering with Hamilton County in this scam, is attributed by Times Free Press with saying that any unpaid debt from these tickets will be turned over to a collection agency, but the debt cannot be placed on a person’s credit history. And remember, these are civil tickets, meaning there are no repercussions on your driver’s license in any way.
Before I end this, I want to repeat the names of the five commissioners who passed this scam in secret, without the normal week’s waiting time after initial reading of the measure. They are James A. (Jim) Fields, District 2, Marty Haynes, District 3, Gregory Beck, District 5, Larry L. Henry, District 7, Chester Bankston, District 9 and Sheriff Jim Hammond.
Let’s see to it that these people pay for their egregious perversion of their positions. They are a disgrace to public service and have no business holding the positions they do. I will actively support any person running against those six.
Sam Horn
Chattanooga