Drinkin' the Franklin Kool Aid

Environmental meeting tonight will discuss Superior Essex concerns.

2009-11-09T11:23:00.000-06:00

FYI: Environmental meeting tonight will discuss Superior Essex concerns.

Wil-Co: The old Albatross around the neck.

2009-11-09T06:27:00.004-06:00

Competition to lure World Cup is strong.

No doubt, Williamson County Parks & Recreation Director Doug Hood and his merry band of carnival workers, are quickly drafting a letter to the World Cup selection comittee explaining how in the Bizarro World of Wil-Co, adults aren't allowed to play Futbol, and that Germany, Spain, et. al., would have to warm up and practice in Murfreesboro or Smyrna.

Seriously, as much as I would love to see the World Cup happen in Nashville, the leftover 1970s turf shoe and coaching short mentality, as above, will be a big hindrance -- you simply can't have a bunch of outdated hayseeds in the mix, then add in the fact that Nashville's Mayor and the Commission are busy getting their palms greased in reviving the wonder years of the miserably-failed-Fountain Square Mall, just under the name of the Downtown Convention Center this time, and it would be like a scene from Hee Haw.

What it would probably take is another Nissan back-room wrangling since Nashville is not even on the list of "Top Tier" cities such as Washington D.C., the murder capital of the nation.

Insert.

2009-11-05T06:13:00.003-06:00

It continues to amaze me as I read over the Heritage A.M. insert, this panty-wetting glom affair with a walking horse park that as it continues to funnel valuable tax dollars, should have been an active park that people could actually use.

Hey Mark, do you know how ... trainers ... get those horses to walk like that?

It sometimes involves electricity, and it ain't pretty.

Represent.

2009-11-04T06:07:00.004-06:00

Franklin election numbers lag.

Ann Beard: "As far as saving money for taxpayers, having those municipal elections with the general election only makes sense in saving money," said Ann Beard, county election administrator.

Skinner: Candidate-elect Ward 3 Alderman Mike Skinner wants to explore whether the city's charter should be changed to add more races to a given ballot.

"I would love to see if we could change the charter to reflect that the mayor's election would also be the ward aldermen (election)," Skinner said. "You'd have two reasons to vote."

First, the at-Large positions need to be removed completely - I mean really - aside from Ann Petersen having to battle the Mayor's handpicked For Sale Planning Commission, when was the last time you saw one of those clowns do something for the benefit of the City?

If my ward alderman's vote is trumped by some jackass that lives across town - voting for little more than a favor to a friend - how is that adequate representation?

Somebody cares.

2009-10-30T10:25:00.004-05:00

To the Editor:

I was going to write a letter being very critical of the 38,343 eligible voters who didn't bother to cast a ballot during last Tuesday's Franklin Board of Aldermen election.

I was going to be very critical of those truly lazy voters because the four candidates elected by a mere 2,474 people are going to greatly influence how more than $240 million in taxpayer monies will be allocated over the next four years. I was even going to mention that people who live under foreign dictatorships will do anything for the privilege to vote.

That's what I was going to write in my letter to the editor. But like going to vote in the election, it's just too damn much trouble to fool with.

Jim East
1201 Hourglass Court
37067

The answer to your conundrum Jim, is that the people with the most to gain personally and who keep stealing millions for downtown special interests care enough to vote ... I mean here's a city with essentially a defunct water supply that jsut won an award for a grand total of 16 blocks worth of planning out of nearly 26 square miles.

Just shy of $1,000,000.

2009-10-30T06:32:00.001-05:00

Burress v. City of Franklin.

More of the same.

2009-10-29T05:06:00.006-05:00

What it means: Unfortunately more of the same.

A total of 2,462 votes were cast out of roughly 40,000 registered voters, for a whopping 6% of the registered population even caring about the election.

The election was a bigger statement about the people of Franklin than the candidates – time for a big property tax increase.

And how about those 108 votes for D-Mac in an uncontested election? Interesting – sounds like an exploratory committee should be formed for the next election cycle.

Downtown:

Nothing new, will be more of the same – keeping downtowners in their little cocoon insulated with hundreds of millions of tax dollars co-opted from honest citizens for little more than a perpetual private property improvement project, while the rest of the city goes to shit.

It’s been decades in the ... planning ... and no doubt required a inordinate amount of co-opted City resources – resources that perhaps only a person in a city position could re-direct.

Ward 1:

Like I said, Captain Pike could show up for the job in Cool Springs and hit the autopilot button. Keep in mind that items such as the McEwen Shenanigan (still no published report), the razing of Roper’s Knob, and those God-awful power towers in the Mill – inherited or slipped in under her nose - happened on Burger’s watch. A sinking ship is only as good as its last captain.

What is unfortunate about Burger’s re-election is the Heritage Church track record that disregarded the wishes of residents of the 3rd Ward, and its representative Alderman, all while demonstrating just how phony and baseless Franklin’s planning and zoning regulations are (they’re essentially for sale).

When your tie to a ward other than your own is merely voting on your fellow alderman's church (who also votes on their own church), it's a dereliction of public service to vote against the citizens ... that mentality is about as good as an alderman saying he's leaving the arena because it's too political - after leading the red hat charge - certainly the most politicallly-driven issue in his tenure.

You simply can’t have someone in that position, that in a nonchalant and dismissive manner, subjectively determines that acres and acres of commercial lighting can’t possibly have any impact on a neighborhood, while completely ignoring the compunded ramifications of a traffic report where the City's own consultant details failed levels of service.

Skinner

Speaking of failed levels of service, and Skinner’s new role as elected Alderman rather than appointed lapdog, time for Skinner to turn off the cruise control and get busy.

Nearly another two years of your life just went by along with the B.S. by the at-Largers who proclaimed they would fix traffic and get the water supply fixed, and really the only thing that's happened is Skinner voted for $treet$ham, as well as limited 2nd Amendment rights even further - by the way, where are all of those drinken gun fights spilling out into the streets and city parks? Can you name just one?

Skinner by a nose?

2009-10-27T20:14:00.001-05:00

Just heard Skinner won.

I'll let K-Walt give you the honors for the rest of the results for: Burger, Martin.

Robocall.

2009-10-26T19:12:00.004-05:00

The good thing is that after tomorrow, the robocalls should be overwith.

I haven't decided yet, but my vote will come down to either Destein or Skinner.

Destein: the 3rd Ward needs an outspoken Maverick, not an appointee.

Skinner: If you win, you are no longer an appointee with leeway for playing patty-cake with those downtown shmucks, but elected by the people of the 3rd Ward. You had better get real busy, real quick.

Mr. Ware: don't take this decision the wrong way - I agree with all of your points ENTIRELY, but I think you're too nice a guy to put up with a bunch of heritage assholes that will take your legs out from under you given any opportunity - you know, the types of people I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire in a desert (Mr. Destein, take note of this forewarning).

That time of year.

2009-10-26T08:33:00.003-05:00

Pheeeeewwww ..... Mitchell Kline's two-page spread on his personal workout regimen was so riveting (what no three-part expose on Rebecca's Furniture?), I almost forgot to post about tomorrow:

GO VOTE.

Thank You City of Franklin

2009-10-22T12:50:00.000-05:00

Thank You City of Franklin.

Narrowed.

2009-10-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

Just narrowed my vote: Franklin's aldermanic candidates detail late spending.

Ms. Doughty, you don't know the half of it.

2009-10-21T07:15:00.002-05:00

TDOT asks city to remedy speed issue:

Now the Tennessee Department of Transportation has asked for some changes. B.J. Doughty, spokeswoman for TDOT, said it's not a "normal engineering practice" to have two different speed limits for opposite sides of the same stretch of road. Doughty said although Lewisburg Pike (U.S. 431) is a state road, the city of Franklin can set the speed limit.

What about the 45 and 55 m.p.h. speed limits in different directions on T.D.O.T.'s northeast quadrant of Mack Hatcher between Cool Springs Blvd. and Franklin Road?

Anyway Ms. Doughty, if you're looking for a good laugh, I would invite you to drive around Franklin sometime to look at some of the more common "practices."

More bubbles, sunshine, and oh yeah ... the report is still missing.

2009-10-20T19:59:00.003-05:00

♣ New sign ordinance on the horizon : A must-read -- Bubble Machine Round 2.

♣ Following more money, videos: Let me add something to this post from K-Walt's taken from Franklin voting machine pulled off-line after complaint in early voting:

Lance Maliszewski, who is a supporter of incumbent Beverly Burger, notified Neal as well as the media and other officials [who are "other officials?"] that Neal violated state campaign laws by not disclosing on his signs that his campaign paid for them.

Which incumbent Burger? The one at the famed McAllister's meeting, or at the unresolved Updated: Did Franklin violate the state open meetings laws?

♣ The Missing McEwen Closing Report

You would think David Parker would have a copy on his bookshelf, right?

Here's the simple truth: They CAN'T let that report get out to the public. It would show who is running this one-folly-trolley town.

Process.

2009-10-20T17:13:00.001-05:00

Thus begins the process of deciding who to vote for here in the 3rd Ward.

Short answer.

2009-10-19T18:27:00.002-05:00

Under the previous post:

Just received an email stating the following. "Smith, Seckman, & Reid is the company that is doing the sewer relining project along our trail. Bo Butler (Margaret Martin's son) is the man in charge of it. There's not one company that receives more work and money from the city then SSR. Imagine having Margaret on the board funneling even more to her son's company." That being said, I also would like to know how much of an influence Bob Martin, retired city planner had to do with getting contracts for a company his son works for? If this is true, would'nt this be a conflict of interest? Would Kevin Walters or Mindy Tate like to investigate a real story? Call the company ask questions, or have you two been told to keep hush hush?

Did you see the headline on the Heritage Panty-Wetting A.M. today ... ghosthunters? Really? That's what they got? That's their best game? Ghosts?

Ever read a parochial and wistful wednesday column by the editor?

The short answer is NO. The local media have no intention of reporting on anything like this.

It's been mentioned here before that this has been going on for a while, and in order to make things look on the up-and-up, certain other entities are actually set up to fail.

Waste, fraud, and abuse.

2009-10-19T18:22:00.003-05:00

Franklin Transit Authority seeks new members.

Actually today, it looked like - as always - these three folley trolleys needed riders (third trolley hidden).

Apparently the Titans really really need a convention center, or at least a bunker.

2009-10-18T18:26:00.001-05:00

Thank goodness for the real futbol.

Beverly Burger: where's the McEwen closing report?

2009-10-18T07:24:00.003-05:00

Like I said, it should take little more than a phone call. After all, it's not every day a private entity shows up with some report and gets to close a public road.

While your at it, ask for a copy of the invoice so we can ... follow the money.

News to me.

2009-10-18T07:12:00.002-05:00

From Tight races, worn-out shoes and few voters:

Clearly. As for predictions, he [Caesar] sees it as a two-horse race — though he did not name which candidates. (K-Walt: I’ll be bold and say it’s going to be between him and incumbent Mike Skinner.)

“I think that it will come down to a very narrow margin victory,” Caesar said. “It’s going to be pretty close between two of the candidates. I don’t see a landside victory.”

Interesting ... that's certainly news to me.

Boyd Mill residents: little more than 'grumblers.'

2009-10-18T06:40:00.002-05:00

So, the local watchdog (ha!) media continues on this bizarre walking horse panty-wetting fascination with yet another story in an ... arena, if you will ... that perhaps requires a person to use a variety of electrical and mechanical devices - maybe even chemicals - to make a horse walk in a completely unnatural manner ...

... and in the meantime, paints taxpaying residents as little more than grumblers: Boyd Mill residents grumble about cost of sewer project.

That's right, no story about how the City of Franklin is choosing to use stimulus money (taxpayer money) to defray its own costs rather than those faced by the very residents the stimulus was supposed to help. Good job Cook, et. al. I think everyone now knows what you think of the very people that pay your freight.

And of course, you have downtown aldermen who have no conscience in voting to blow millions on beautification projects that help their property values, while gladly saddling residents with an exorbitant cost of 10s of thousands of dollars in this economy - what do you expect though - nothing from these people but developer partronage, land sham density deals, and plaque-gathering for their I Love Me Wall.

Ward 3 Town Hall.

2009-10-17T07:34:00.002-05:00

Sunday, Oct. 18, from 4-6 PM at the Dallas Downs pavilion.

Thomas Smithson says ,,,

2009-10-16T17:42:00.002-05:00

Just so everyone will know where all my money came from.

John Skemp $250.00 Best Friend for years.

Victor Andrews $100.00 My Cousin

Carolyn Andrews $50.00 My Aunt

Roy Harris $100.00 My Father In-law

Dwight Wagner $30.00 I knocked on his door and he likes what I stand for

So thats a grand total of $530.00 which you are not required to give a detailed financial disclosure because it is below $1000.00

Small amount compared to the $12000.00 Mrs. Martin has raised. On another note please don't feel as though Mrs. Martin has won the election. Many of her signs are Downtown, and I have confirmed with a certain former candidate that these signs have been placed to be nice to Mrs. Martin. They have no intention of voting for her. Also once you get into 4th ward neighborhoods, her signs are very rare. Don't let the Downtown signs allow you to think she has won.

Just wanted to let everyone know and if you would like more information please contact me at home 498-4331.

Thank you, Thomas Smithson

And there they go Mr. Skinner.

2009-10-16T16:26:00.001-05:00

Mark the time, about 4:20 ... the rush of emergency vehicles and policemen toward Goose Creek.

The Big Difference.

2009-10-16T10:45:00.003-05:00

Downtown:
NOT Downtown: