Last week I heard the mayor’s announcement that the city would donate one million dollars to the Children’s Hospital in memory of the students killed in the Woodmore bus crash. One million dollars.
What a very generous donation from our kindhearted mayor. I guess we all could be equally kind if we were pledging other people’s money. I, too, find the Children’s Hospital to be an excellent charitable contribution. I also mourn the loss of the innocent children killed in the bus crash. What I don’t agree with is the mayor’s heavily media-covered, timely pre-election donation, absent Council approval (see below), totally paid for by taxpayers and not from anything having to do with the mayor personally. I see his glory, but where is his sacrifice?
And, speaking of glory and no sacrifice, did you see how many of our City Council members running for re-election swarmed Berke at his donation news conference? They were like flies to honey. I cannot remember that the mayor ever had this much Council support for anything. Notably absent was Larry Grohn who states that the first he heard of it was when he saw it on the news. Funny, all the other Council members were invited to the news conference. The one member of the Council not invited to share in the “glory” was the one member running against the mayor. (Councilman Chip Henderson was absent. Kudos to him.)
I am not a Trump supporter, but I do understand the people’s frustration with politics “as usual”. Apparently our city leaders did not get the message. People are tired of politics as usual. We are tired of the last minute pre-election “feel good” stunts designed to try to motivate voters. We are tired of our government leaders assuming that we are not smart enough to see through their ridiculously veiled efforts to “throw us a bone” to get a vote. Obviously, your political challengers are not able to do the same. In this case, your declaration of a million dollar donation (on the backs of the taxpayers) also looks like you are using a tragedy for your own personal political gain. That is despicable.
I have looked up the balance in your political “war chest”. It is something in the neighborhood of $275,000, paling in comparison to any of your political challengers. If, as you say, your current term as mayor is as successful as you think it is, you do not need such a war chest. I challenge you to donate $250,000 from your donated campaign “war chest” to Children’s Hospital or from your personal bank account. It is not against the rules for political contributions to be donated. This would show all of us that you, Andy Berke, are personally committed to a meaningful voluntary donation while you forcefully require taxpayers to donate four times that amount. Show us that this million dollar taxpayer donation is more than the usual well-timed political stunt aimed at attempting to "buy votes". If, as you say, you have now seen how very important the Children's Hospital is in helping children in tragic situations, you will step up to the plate with your own money.
Lynn Ashton
Chattanooga
P.S. Why did you not pledge a million dollars to Erlanger for treating the five service members who tragically lost their lives defending Chattanooga (our country) in July 2015? Not close enough to the election?
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Thank you, Lynn Ashton. I am impressed with the way you tackled the mayor’s $1,000,000 taxpayers' contribution. If I were holding a political office, I would be proud to have you serving on my staff. It’s evident that you research your information before disseminating it to the public, unlike one contributing writer we must be offered to read in the opinion section of the website, and you are well spoken.
I would add that if the mayor pledges $250,000 of his own money for his attempt to buy votes, he could buy a lot more of them if he would make a quick call to the Northshore and ask his Uncle Ronnie and the rest of the family to make up the additional $750,000. I will give the mayor one positive/negative. The first week in office he cleaned house of all the “good ole boys” that had been there for years. The problem is that he created his own “good ole boy” network meanwhile.
As for the City Council, I have been talking to lots of people from varied backgrounds in Chattanooga. Everyone I have spoken to has suggested that Mayor Berke has the “council in his pocket”. The only two exceptions mentioned were Larry Grohn and Chip Henderson. It’s time for a mayor, City Council, and might I add, a chief of police that are truly concerned with the challenges the citizenry of Chattanooga face. These political positions are not meant to “line your pockets with money” or to “serve as a stepping stone for a further political career”.
Rusty Munger
Chattanooga
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I personally don't see what the problem is. The city used to fund Erlanger every year for at least $1 million. No one seemed upset about that. But this you have a problem with?
It was all pretty clear to me when I read the article. The city is funding it through the budget. They did that last year for Chambliss Center if I recall. No one freaked out about that. I think this is just a bunch of friends of Berke's opponents who are stomping their feet and crying because all they can do is send out negative releases and act like crybabies. Seriously, all of the stuff I've seen come out from the Crockett or Grohn campaign has been negative.
Why aren't they having a press conference about what they are going to do? Stop talking about what you don't like about someone else and tell me your plan to make it better. That's what a real leader does. They do things, they make plans, they help people. They don't just sit around and sling mud.
Steve Myers