The recent 6–5 vote in favor of Plan Hamilton is not just disappointing—it is a breach of public trust. Hundreds of residents called, emailed and showed up to voice opposition. Commissioner Shipley warned that Sale Creek schools are already at capacity, with Soddy-Daisy schools not far behind. Commissioner Highlander returned from just two days away to find 700 messages from constituents, every single one opposed to more density. Yet the majority of the commission pressed forward anyway.
The bigger issue is trust. Commissioner Helton admits he stopped building homes in the unincorporated county after joining the commission—yet refused to recuse himself on this vote. Stopping only until your own plan passes is not a sacrifice; it’s strategy. Commissioner Chauncey makes money from real estate. Commissioner Sharpe is now seeking his real estate license. These are not just appearances of conflict; they are conflicts in plain sight.
Developer Jason Farmer stood up and said he was proud to be an advocate for private property rights, claiming he and his industry are “not the enemy.” But let’s be clear: when your paycheck depends on cramming subdivisions into communities that lack the infrastructure to support them, you are not a neutral party—you are the problem. When residents are begging for schools, roads, and fire protection before more growth, and your answer is to push density anyway, that is greed in action.
I’m proud of the five commissioners who voted against this plan. If three others had recused themselves, as they should have, we could have moved forward in a way that reflected the will of the people.
Commissioners are supposed to represent the people who elected them, not the industries that stand to profit from looser rules. The residents of Hamilton County deserve better than a plan pushed through by those with financial stakes in the outcome.
It’s time for leadership that prioritizes infrastructure, schools and public safety over special interests. Anything less is a disservice to the people you were elected to serve.
Jason Kirk
Unincorporated Bakewell, Tn.