I am super frustrated by what I believe is a complete lack of consideration in changing the name of our local road without even consulting the local residents. While I am a huge fan of Ronald Reagan, I do not support:
1) changing the name of St. Elmo Avenue - this is our self-identified neighborhood,
2) requiring the TDOT to spend tax payer dollars (which could be otherwise much better spent) to make new signs etc., or
3) this level of absurd micromanaging.
Please consider withdrawing your resolution.
One angry taxpayer, TDOT employee, and St. Elmo resident.
Christina Holmes Thoreson
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Any idiot with the slightest familiarity with St. Elmo’s history, identity, and tradition of community involvement in the public decisions that affect it knows the clandestine maneuver of Representatives McCormick and Dean to rename St. Elmo Avenue without discussion was wrong, wrong, wrong.
Unfortunately, this is only one of so many heavy-handed, small-minded, meddling, trifling, and downright silly actions of our current state legislature and the big government conservatives who control it. Most of the government overreach, if not abuse of power, perpetrated by this legislature has gone unnoticed by the general public because there is a limit to how many nuts in a basket the press can cover at the same time.
The St. Elmo street name change might have gone relatively unnoticed as well if it was not so utterly absurd and such an obvious political debacle. Who knows what McCormick and Dean’s intentions were in using their power in way that was so completely indifferent to the people their actions most affected, but clearly it was not the public interest that motivated them.
Frank Wrinn
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I think they should name it the J.B. Stoner Jr. Memorial Highway.
After all, Stoner, the notorious bomber of Birmingham's Bethel Baptist Church and Klansman, is buried in Forest Hills Cemetery and is much more of a kindred spirit to today's Tea Party Republican dominated Tennessee General Assembly.
Lonnie Hatmaker
Chattanooga
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I don't often agree with Lonnie Hatmaker but I do agree that since there appear to be many Democrats in St Elmo the road should be named the J.B. Stoner Parkway. After all Mr. Stoner ran for office four times( 70 Governor, 72 Senate, 74 Lt Governor and 78 Senate) as a Democrat so it is only fitting for a street in a Democrat area be named for the illustrious Mr. Stoner.
To honor other Democrats, St Elmo could have George Wallace Avenue, Robert Byrd (former KKK Grand Kleagle) Drive and Albert Gore (who voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act) Lane. And to top it all off we could name a park after Georgia Senator Richard Russell, Democrat, who during the 1964 Civil Rights Act Debate proposed an amendment that would require, "negroes be exported from the south to the north."
Great idea Lonnie.
Douglas Jones
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I think Mr. McCormick should spend his time trying to solve problems instead of creating them. What a giant load of hooey he has foisted upon the folks in St. Elmo. I can't help but believe there's more to this story than meets the eye.
C'mon Gerald, let us in on why you insist on partially renaming the main artery through a wonderfully historic area you don't even represent. Do you want to steal the signs when they go up, like you did in the last election, or is it some warped form of payback or punishment? Regardless, this whole fiasco seems to demonstrate a lack of empathy or a lack of intelligence, take your pick.
Maybe now you could designate Ochs Highway as Jimmy Carter Drive.
Herb Montgomery
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So, let me get this straight, two Republican representatives, just decide on their own, to rename a highway in honor of their patron saint...one of the worst presidents in my lifetime, in a district that they don't even represent, without discussion or input from the residents of that area?
What is to keep them from re-naming other streets in honor of Richard Nixon, maybe Dick Cheney, Ayn Rand Boulevard.
This is obviously a waste of taxpayer's money and unwanted by the residents of St Elmo. Surely, there is more important things they could be doing as elected representatives.
Can we rename streets in their neighborhoods using taxpayer dollars? How about Bill Clinton Avenue, Barack Obama Boulevard, Al Gore Highway?
John Fricke