Letters to the Editor
To the edtior,
What do Buckley, Illinois and Norris, Tennessee have in common? Other than both having small populations (Buckley had a population of 495 in the 2020 census), the two seem to have little in common. In Buckley, the village Administrators secured a $5 million grant for their sewer system. In Norris, it seems that the Water Commission (comprised of the 5 City Council members) would rather hit the Norris residents with a $240 annual increase in sewer fees rather than go to the trouble of digging out grants and governmental assistance for Norris in its sewer upgrades. Has the Mayor or City Manager or any of the City Council members contacted Chuck Fleischmann for assistance in this matter? He regularly contorts into a pretzel for any needs that arise in Oak Ridge - and you couldn’t count the monies he has secured for Oak Ridge with a supercomputer. Residents of Norris vote too. Why not let him earn his pay?
The bottom line is that there are myriad state and federal resources to assist small towns with sewer upgrades without trying to bankrupt the residents of Norris.
It seems like every time I read the Courier, Norris residents are being jabbed with another fee or tax increase. That is the lazy way out for leftist Mayors and City Council members (and City Managers) whose answer to everything is to raise taxes and fees at quadruple the rate of inflation. Clearly, Norris has a leadership problem which begs several questions. Why does a small town (with less than 2,000 residents) have two City Managers? I have always heard that when a football team has two quarterbacks that they have none. I think the same principle applies here. Norris residents do not have the luxury (or income) to fund a visionary and a mule. Also, why does a mayor get to appoint himself mayor when he languishes in votes for City Council? It sounds to me like a coup - or corruption. The bottom line is that the residents of Norris have a right to expect competent governance - and politicians that do not double as pick pockets. But all of that would require a little work and a mindset that didn’t always embrace the path of least resistance. As it relates to two of the most important issues of our time (illegal immigration and fiscal stewardship), the Norris braintrust is zero for two and batting .000. I would say to vote for changes, but evidently the voting in Norris is rigged since the mayor is a self-appointed position regardless of vote totals.
Sam Foust
Norris
