"Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly says he sees promise in what this project can do for schools in our area. "This project is projected to generate 10s of millions of dollars in support for our schools. That is not trivial. It's possibly the most important feature of this entire project," Kelly says." (Buyer beware: let everyone remember Tim Kelly sold cars before becoming mayor.)
Dear Mayor Kelly, I am not certain which spiritual medium or crystal ball you obtain your financial projections from, but I have one question for you. What are the winning numbers for the Power Ball drawing on March 2, 2024 and the Mega Millions drawing on March 5, 2024?
Of course you can keep this information to yourself, purchase the winning tickets and finance the entire project with your lottery winnings, build new schools for Hamilton County, fix all of the infrastructure problems, eliminate poverty and house the homeless, you know, make Chattanooga and Hamilton County the envy of the entire nation. Imagine how wonderful it will be having a gigantic bronze stature of yourself smiling and fist raised above your head holding a sign that reads, "I came, I saw, I fixed it all!"
With all of the problems solved, instead of raising taxes for local residents and businesses to cover the cost of a new stadium and all of the inevitable cost overruns, you and County Mayor Wamp and the governing bodies of Chattanooga and Hamilton County can give all Hamilton County residents a tax holiday.
Yes, I live in Cleveland, but occasionally I consider moving back to Hamilton County because of superior medical care (I am 70 and excellent medical care is crucial for seniors who want to maintain active-independent lives.), better selection of restaurants, shopping, more activities to enjoy, etc. However, the lack of steadfast leadership in addressing problems, not kick-the-can-down-the-road-for-later government, rising crime rates and youth violence, schools and infrastructure needing immediate attention, Chattanooga Police cutting back services due to lack of manpower because of a police chief who wants meaningful dialogue with criminals instead of law enforcement, Black-Lives-Matter protests, except for black-on-black violence where black lives and innocent people caught in crossfire do not matter. I can continue listing valid reasons for several more pages, but I am certain you know the facts better than I do.
Pushing for a new baseball stadium for a team that has never produced a major league player and plays in front of rows and rows of empty seats is a Hollywood-promise of "If we build it the tax revenue will come." Did Nero actually fiddle while Rome burned? Hang on, citizens of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, because you are about to find out.
Richard Moore
Cleveland, Tn.