Remember everyone, this next election is a Republican *primary*; therefore,
we should discern the best pick among all the Republican candidates,
particularly among those who call themselves Republicans but actually just
wear "republicrat" disguises. In addition, let me draw an analogy to a
sports scenario in both the 7th and 8th district races. We have all
seen athletes who hang on past their prime, struggling to strike a few more
sparks of greatness which used to come so easily in the past.

Why is it that some who served in elected or appointed positions decades
earlier seem to feel a need to be replated in their golden years?
Chattanooga has a wealth of new, vigorous, positive talent with fresh
perspectives who are ready to step up to serve and lead our city and county
forward. Instead the voters of districts 7 and 8 are being asked to turn
back the hands of time to yesteryear's golden oldies - when Archie Bunker's
Ethel sang "those were the days." You remember - women were expected to
stay out of the work force, especially politics, fix dinner, bring
slippers, turn down the bed, etc. for the man of the house. These are not
the good old days!

Today is a new day in Chattanooga. Voters want transparency, accountability
and fiscal responsibility; moreover, they especially want to elect forward
thinking candidates. Today's voters expect free-wheeling, open forums and
discussions of the issues without backroom deals, personal agendas and/or
vendettas interjected into the situation. I believe the citizens of
Hamilton County have grown weary of the establishment politics of the good
old days and here is where Sabrena Turner and Tim Boyd enter the mix.

Commissioner Boyd has shown himself to be an independent thinker and
problem solver who asks questions that need to be answered before
voting.  That's what I want when my tax dollars are up for grabs. The
voters need have no doubt about his physical fortitude and his engineer's
training and acuity to see the details of the issues. He will properly
dedicate the next four years to public service. Because of his refreshingly
independent style, Commissioner Boyd raised some eyebrows during his first
term; he worked through things with his fellow commissioners and
represented his constituents well. Commissioner Boyd and most of his peers
have worked hard, asked questions and challenged the attitude of how the
county has always done things in order to take us to a new level, in a new
age, with unique challenges requiring innovative solutions. Commissioner
Boyd deserves to be re-elected.

With Sabrena Turner the voters can expect a principled, thoughtful,
trustworthy, and consistently true conservative whose principles and
decisions will serve Chattanoogans and Hamilton County well. With her we
won't see any rule-bending, nor violation of law -- there are no doubt about
her ethics. Then, we come to Perry Perkins who has publicly admitted that
he promoted, and actively campaigned to get a liberal candidate elected to
office - and she is still in office. I would expect my conservative
representatives to respect and work with members of the other party, but
not promote or work for them to be elected. Mr. Perkins has stated he is
very proud that his long-time friend was elected. Please don't
misunderstand, Mr. Perkins may be a good person; however, he was
essentially an unknown in Republican circles, having joined the local
Pachyderm Club shortly *after* he announced his candidacy. Mr. Perkins and
most everyone else in the 7th district know that a candidate who leans
liberal or Democrat is unlikely to win a partisan election in district
seven. Could it be that he is simply running in the wrong primary? Sabrena
is the true Republican conservative in the race with her thinking focused
forward to serve the community she so deeply cares about.

The voters of the 7th and 8th districts deserve strong conservative leaders
sitting on the commission. I urge the voters to elect Sabrena Turner and
re-elect Commission Tim Boyd to the Hamilton County Commission on May 6th.

Larry Grohn