Supreme Court Associate Justice Louis Brandeis famously quoted “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” over 100 years ago. The reason we have open government meeting “Sunshine Laws” and require campaign financial disclosure statements is to avoid shenanigans by our politicians. Well, perhaps the Lee Davis campaign for Walden mayor did not expect anyone to shed light on his public record third quarter Campaign Financial Disclosure Statement signed by candidate Lee Davis.
The total raised for the third quarter was $22,341 for the little town of Walden mayoral campaign. This is in comparison to the $3,550 grass roots campaign that current Walden mayor Bill Trohanis is running.
The financial disclosure is as interesting as it is shocking. It is like passing a car wreck. You just can’t look away. Yoda might say, “The outside influence is strong in this one.” We have to appreciate our friends in Chattanooga taking such a keen interest in the politics of our humble little town on the backside of the mountain. The legal community, including Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, has gotten behind Lee in a big way. Over 15 out-of-town lawyers, one from as far away as Indianapolis, have donated to the Davis campaign.
Folks from five different states such as Massachusetts and Kansas have contributed to the Davis campaign. Of the Davis campaign contributions, 51 percent have come from outside the 37377 ZIP Code.
No one individual gave more to the Lee Davis campaign for Walden mayor than Charles “Chuck” Pruett, who is a resident of Signal Mountain. We can’t blame the owner of Pruett’s Grocery, located in the town of Signal Mountain, from investing in the Lee Davis campaign, so he can do everything he can to prevent a grocery store from coming into Walden and to have an important sales tax revenue source of its own. The blanket coverage of Lee Davis signage along the perimeter of the “strip center” that contains Pruett’s is unbeaten anywhere else.
One might reasonably ask: Is Lee running for mayor of Walden or Signal Mountain? Does he have the best interest of Walden in mind or the best interest of the Town of Signal Mountain as a greater priority?
So, how was the Davis campaign money spent? The #1 expenditure of the Lee Davis campaign was $6,666.66 to Kelley Elliott for “campaign management”. Okay, we tip our hat to Lee Davis being one of the very best defense attorneys in the area. He is a very busy professional. We can’t fault him for outsourcing the work of campaign planning. However, it does make us consider just how much time Lee has to devote to being mayor of Walden? We know current Mayor Trohanis devotes much more time on behalf of our community than just popping into a Zoom meeting once a month.
In the interest of being fair and balanced, the campaign to re-elect Bill Trohanis Mayor raised $3,550 in the quarter from nine donors…all from the 37377 mountaintop ZIP Code. Does this lower fundraising indicate less support for Mayor Trohanis? We think not. Bill and his wife, Jean, have the time to manage their own campaign, plus the time to go door-to-door campaigning…which really costs very little. The largest expenditure for the Trohanis campaign was $629.19 to a local print shop.
So let’s sum it up.
- Does Walden want a mayor that is supported by outsiders and influenced by the best interest of other communities or does Walden want a mayor who is not beholden to anyone but the citizens of Walden?
- Does Walden want a mayor who has to outsource his campaign due to his busy schedule or a mayor who has the time to spend with each citizen to better understand his or her needs?
- Does Walden want a big spender mayor or one who demonstrates prudent frugality?
The answer is as simple as 1 – 2 – 3. Re-elect Bill Trohanis mayor of Walden.
Respectfully submitted for your thoughtful consideration.
George J. Paturalski
Walden