More than two dozen citizens attended a meeting convened Thursday, March 2, to garner public input on the issue of whether the city should abolish the decades-old ward system in favor of an at-large system. Ten citizens took the floor to voice their opinions.
 

Speaking in favor of the ward system was James Stewart, pastor of Greater Enon Missionary Baptist Church and a member of the McKenzie Board of Water Commissioners; George Howton; Shaun Thompson; and Wade Allen, a member of the city council and the person who in 1994 spearheaded the drive to create a minority ward.

Speakers advocating an at-large system were Jim Twyman; Jan McCaleb; Dennis Coleman; and Debbie Broadbent, who serves as chairman of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Leaning toward an at-large system while also promoting compromise were Brad Davis, a member of the school board, and this reporter.

Mayor Walter Winchester, initially joking that the person who spoke the longest and shortest would receive a widescreen TV, outlined the rules for the meeting, with each speaker limited to four minutes and precluded from speaking again until the entire assembly had been given an opportunity to speak.

He said the council would accept written or electronic communication on the issue at the end of the meeting and for ten days thereafter.

Winchester explained the city's charter currently stipulates that McKenzie be divided into six voting wards with one alderman elected from each ward for a term of four years.

He equated the city's charter--which he noted had been amended many times over the years--to a "constitution" that governs the powers and duties of the mayor and council. Originally approved and adopted by the Tennessee General Assembly, the legislature must also approve any changes to the document in a process that includes a public hearing. If approved, the bill is presented to the governor for signature and returned to the city, where it must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Mayor and Council.

"The process of amending the charter is not terribly complicated, but it is not designed to be quickly accomplished," he said. Noting time constraints, he said the issue, if pursued, could be delayed until the legislature's next session in January 2007.

The first person to speak, Reverend Stewart, read from a letter to the editor addressed to The McKenzie Banner and signed by Carroll County NAACP President L.C. Coleman of Trezevant, which has an at-large voting system. Coleman took the newspaper to task for editorials endorsing an at-large system, saying a Banner editorial referred to a minority ward composed mostly of minority constituents "as if this were a bad thing."

It further alleged the newspaper had been joined in its stance by the newest member of the city council, Jill Holland, and says Holland "maintains our present system is outdated and discourages participation in city government."

However, Holland in previous meetings promoted--as part of her reasoning in suggesting the ward system be abolished--that the ward system itself discourages citizens from seeking office and noted that city boards derive new ideas from new members of the various city and school boards.

Coleman's letter further tasked the paper with noting "Holland is accustomed to being the single voice for change on the council."

Other council members have stridently opposed Holland's efforts at discontinuing council members' $150 monthly stipend and the provision of health insurance as well as the ward system issue.

"Change is sometimes good and sometimes destructive . . . ," Stewart read. "In fact the abolishment of the mostly black McKenzie minority ward would be a disaster of major proportions in race relations in McKenzie."

The letter pointed to advances made in black and white communities over the past decade, including representation on the McKenzie Special School District Board of Education, to which members are elected at large rather than by ward.

It further cited Lexington, Brownsville, Jackson, and Trenton as having moved from at-large to ward voting systems.

"The black community in Carroll County seeks harmony and not discord," the letter concluded in a portion not read to the assembly, as the four-minute time allotment had expired near the end of the epistle. "Let's all continue our path toward fairness, racial justice, and Christian brotherhood."

Cherry Avenue resident George Howton said an at-large system "doesn't give everyone an equal chance for equal representation . . . Why would we want to do something that will be detrimental to the city of McKenzie?"

Having already been enjoined in the discussion by reference, this reporter, a resident of Stonewall Street, noted there were other communities in McKenzie other than black and white, including a growing Hispanic community, and that if wards were needed for one then perhaps they were needed across the board. The example was put forth to show the absence of need for wards in a community in which black citizens--in addition to Allen, who represents the minority ward--were represented by choice of voters and appointing officials in the persons of Mildred Sneed, a long-time member of the school board; Willie Huffman, who was elected at large before the inception of the minority ward; and Police Chief Harry Cooper, in addition to Stewart's representation on the water board.

Most speakers asserted race did not play in their preference of an at-large system. The ward system in itself was in existence long before the minority ward was established.

Noting, "I think everyone knows this is not a black and white issue," Davis said the issue was one of encouraging more participation in city government, citing apathy among citizens. "Not a lot of people want to get involved," he said.

Davis did express a concern in common with Vice-Mayor Gene Hale, who in a previous meeting said one segment could assume control of representation in an at-large system. Davis advocated instead re-instituting McKenzie's former system whereby one representative was elected at large while the other five were representative of individual wards.

He further mentioned that some citizens about town had voiced the need for a city manager rather than the current mayoral system, citing the low pay of the part-time position.

"Maybe that's part of the problem," he said, acknowledging the current mayor's nevertheless full-time commitment to his role, offset by the fact that future mayors may not be able to devote like time to the job.

"It's not about race," said Thompson, who lives on McDonald Street. "It's about making sure everyone has a voice . . . Who would that be in an at-large system? People in my district count on that . . . at least people have an idea who they can go to."

Twyman, a resident of Highland Drive who said he moved to the area from West Virginia several years ago, said he was surprised by the low turnout for the meeting and said citizens needed to decide whether the future of the city would be one of progress, stagnation, or regression. He said he was in favor of the at-large system because, using an analogy of football, it afforded the best opportunity to assemble the best team possible. "You have to be able to trust the people who are elected to do the best for the community no matter what ward they come from," he said.

Cherry Street resident Jan McCaleb said the city was on the verge of a mini-boom because of the growth of Bethel College and that the at-large system would encourage more people to vote and become interested in the city. She further advocated the benefit of every two year board elections, citywide, under at an-large system, rather than every four years by ward only. "It makes more sense in a lot of ways," she said of the at-large system.

Dennis Coleman, a resident of Stonewall Street, said he served on the city council for ten years under mayors Swat Scarbrough, Joe Morris, and Bob Putman and was city judge under former Mayor Gene Anderson.

"We had a system where you had to live in the wards but the whole city voted on you . . . ," he said. "I don't care if you have an at-large system or you must live within the wards, but you have got to let the citizens of McKenzie vote in all of the elections.

"Industry is not locating in small communities," he continued. "We need to embrace Bethel College--that's the strongest thing we've got going. We need to get business in here where we can spend money in McKenzie."

He said the population of the 38201 zip code is 9,773, not including Bethel students.

"That's the number everybody is looking for," he said, referring to Industrial Board Chairman Billy Barksdale's recent statement that McKenzie needs to grow its population to 8,000 in order to become more competitive for industrial recruitment.

He continued, "One of the most progressive cities around is Huntingdon and they've got an at-large system: the whole community votes for the mayor and council. That's what we need in McKenzie to progress and move forward. I've heard if it's not broke don't fix it--it's broke."

Broadbent, a Como Street resident, said that in serving on several city boards she had discovered "the same people do everything in McKenzie" and that more people are needed. She said interested individuals were hesitant to run for elected office because they would be running against incumbents who were friends or respected as the representative of their district.

"In an at-large system you are represented by all the people on the council, not one," she said. "If I have an issue that's important to me I call every one on the council."

Allen's voice quaked with emotion as he stridently recounted the history of the minority ward. The Walnut Street resident said, "Let me make this perfectly clear: this is not about racial discrimination, it is about fairness."

He referred to the 1992 election in which Willie Huffman, another black council member, was elected. Allen said he, himself, was also initially contacted with news that he had won the election but was notified later the same evening that he had lost by 21 votes to Micah Beasely and that L.C. Bledsoe had similarly lost an election by a small margin.

He said the ward system as it stands is a positive and progressive step for the city.

He cited similarities between Banner editorials and language used by Holland in regard to the ward system, in which both entities termed the move "progressive" and "an opportunity to obtain the best qualified candidates." He further noted that he was "perplexed" by Holland's language that he believed could be construed as discriminatory.

"I find your request to have no validity," he told Holland. "Everything you are promoting has been implemented and carried out through the ward system; every citizen has a voice though their representative . . . We all know it is the Carroll County voter registration board who determines who is qualified."

When Allen's time ran out before he could complete his prepared remarks, he asked the mayor for additional time. Amid the chorus of several members in the gallery voicing a subdued but firm "no", Winchester declined his request, although he was later allowed to finish reading his prepared remarks when it was clear no one else wanted to address the assembly.

This reporter, speaking once more, added a second possibility for compromise, noting gerrymandered lines were wrong prior to redistricting in 1994 and that they were wrong now. Rather than the current six-ward system, a three-ward system was proposed in which two representatives from each would be chosen. Such a move would allow for a smaller geographic representation than an at-large system and would preclude fears that any one component of the city could dominate the council. With representatives in each ward serving staggered terms, the opportunity for election would take place in each ward every two years.

Allen further alleged that comparisons between the city council and school board was like comparing apples to oranges, with both having room for progress.

"An all-black ward ensures at least one voice of diversity on the McKenzie City Council," he said, recalling once more the state of affairs prior to 1992 when, he said, it seemed minorities would be forever standing before a glass house, able to see in but unable to enter and take part in city government.
 

  

Carroll County Electric Company customers in April will see an 8.95 to 10 percent increase in their bills effective April 1, the same date the company takes on a 9.95 percent increase in the cost of power it purchases from TVA.

Electric company General Manager Lynn Compton explains the net rate increase to customers is twofold: in addition to the necessity of passing on the increased costs of electricity provided by TVA, the local company is authorized to collect an additional percentage--up to a maximum set by the TVA--to offset increased costs of the local company. The rate is subject to final TVA approval, which Compton said he expects to receive at any time.

Compton said costs for transformers has increased, gasoline has doubled, and the cost of steel has increased 35 percent. He cited as an example the cost of a "digger derrick", which increased $24,000 in 15 months owing to its mostly-steel construction.

"Everything I touch has gone up sky high," he said.

A breakdown of customer costs reveals 82 cents of every dollar paid in to the electric company will go to pay for TVA power with the remainder covering local operating costs.

"About all you can do is try and cut back, if you can," Compton said, by way of remedy for the increased financial burden.

He said the local agency chose to forego an increase in local rates after TVA increased costs in October last year, passing on only their own increased energy costs. Over the past nine years, TVA energy costs have increased 28.27 percent whereas local office costs have increased only 3.22 percent.

In October 1997, TVA rates increased 4.7 percent and local office costs increased 1.06 percent; In October 2003 TVA went up 6.10 percent and the local office 1.19 percent; in October 2005, TVA rates increased 7.52 percent while the local office opted out of an increase; and in April TVA's 9.95 percent increase will be accompanied by a 0.97 percent increase in local office rates.

The 0.97 percent rise is about half of the two percent TVA set as a maximum increase.

Compton has been general manager of the facility for 18 of his 38 years with the company.
 

  

Bruceton may soon be the home of Allgood Industrial Door Manufacturing following a vote of the Carroll County Commission on Monday, March 13. The Camden industry has agreed to purchase the 100,000 square-foot building, formerly known as the Henry I. Siegel (HIS) main plant on Lexington Street in Bruceton.

County Mayor Kenny McBride said Allgood would expand its manufacturing operations to Bruceton and hire approximately 10 employees initially. Subject to the County Commission's vote, the county of Carroll has agreed to sell the building in an "as is" condition to Allgood for $75,000, payable within 30 days.

The county of Carroll purchased the building at a delinquent tax sale in 2005, said McBride. A sum of approximately $316,000 in taxes were owed against the building at that time. The successor company to HIS had a right of redemption for one year following that tax sale. McBride said the right of redemption has expired.

Last year, Purity Foods of Ohio purchased the former HIS cutting plant on Rowland Mill Road for $375,000 and later a warehouse building in downtown for $31,000. Purity operates a food packaging facility in the Rowland Mill Road location.

McBride said the county still owns the former HIS distribution center on Rowland Mill Road in Bruceton.

HIS, maker of CHIC brand jeans, closed its domestic garment production in the year 2000, moving production to Mexico. The company abandoned manufacturing facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee, including Bruceton, Trezevant, and Gleason locally.

In other business Monday, the commission will:

• vote to expand the written Carroll County Growth Plan to control development around the proposed Carroll County Lake in the Leach Community;
• transfer $40,000 into the aviation fuel account for the Carroll County Airport. Fuel sales have increased along with the price of fuel requiring the budget amendment;
• amend the budget to accept $13,839 from five police departments in the county to share in the cost of a new cross match fingerprint machine at the Sheriff's Department;
• amend the budget to accept $1,153 from the state of Tennessee to supplement the certified veterans service officer's salary.