Which Incumbent Councilmen Deserve Reelection?

Tony Aikens, Bobby Johnson, Sr., and Eddie Simpson do not deserve to serve in Lenoir City as councilmen. They go along with everything that crooked mayor has to say. Not one councilman has stood up to the mayor but Buddy Hines. We need to elect people who want to sit on council as true public servants and not self-serving, selfish dummies who go along with everything that Brookshire and his twin, Shannon Littleton have to say. It's about time we give Vice-Mayor Hines the help he needs in order to get the city back on the right path. Throw all of them out and let's start all over again to correct what we have done to ourselves.

Tony Aikens desrves's re-election he is the only Councilman that will stand up to the Mayor and his puppet's He has changed the city so much for the better since he has taken office just ask the Police Dept. Seeing how they have so much more room now thank's to Councilman Aikens
RE-ELECT TONY AIKENS
LENOIR CITY COUNCIL !!!!!!!!!!

I would agree with the above comment I will Vote to Keep Tony On the Council

A Lenoir City Resident wrote:

Tony Aikens desrves's re-election he is the only Councilman that will stand up to the Mayor and his puppet's He has changed the city so much for the better since he has taken office just ask the Police Dept. Seeing how they have so much more room now thank's to Councilman Aikens
RE-ELECT TONY AIKENS
LENOIR CITY COUNCIL !!!!!!!!!!

Try telling that to the city employees who got HARASSED two years ago. Apparently having a "Steve Cook for Sheriff" bumper sticker or yard sign was a serious offense if you worked for the city.
When department heads and the sheister-attorney are directed to harass employees for expressing their opinion (in what wasn't even a city election) something clearly needs to change.

Yes, and Tony Aikens isn't hardly on the up and up. If you are scratching his back, then he goes all out to pay you back. I have seen him do all kinds of things to pay back. Whether it is legal or not, he don't care. He has protection and he knows it.

I have had the pleasure to have known Eddie Simpson for several years,he is an asset to the community for his hard work to hold down taxes and to promote growth for our city. He is one of the few in office that will stand by you and his word and would continue to work for the betterment
of Lenoir City.

Roy Lenoir City Resident wrote:

I have had the pleasure to have known Eddie Simpson for several years,he is an asset to the community for his hard work to hold down taxes and to promote growth for our city. He is one of the few in office that will stand by you and his word and would continue to work for the betterment
of Lenoir City.

Thanks for posting, Roy.
Since you know Mr Simpson, I'd like to inquire on your opinion as to why it has taken so long for the people in the Hotchkiss Valley area to get water service.

Several years ago a member of the Loudon County Commission wrote a letter, printed in the News-Herald, which alleged it was because of a city council member's "business interests" at I-75, exit #81. That person was easily identifiable as Eddie Simpson, as he owns Bimbo's Travel Center, and I understand he owns at least part of Krystal and the Interstate Shell station.

While I never saw this allegation proven, I never saw or heard of Simpson denying it either.

Please tell me what you think on this: Does Eddie Simpson use his position on the Lenoir City Utilities Board to block water service to the Hotchkiss Valley area, so that his businesses at exit #81 won't have any competition down the road at exit #76 (Sugar Limb Rd)?

I am deeply skeptical of re-electing anyone serving on almost any elected body in Loudon County, Tennessee with the possible exception of the City of Loudon.

"Why?" you ask? Good question. Because of Logical deduction. Let me explain:

First, I happily admit that not all elected officials in the county are crooks. Many wouldn't steal a dollar from anyone. Second, I happily admit that most are nice, personable people with whom you would enjoy sharing a cup of coffee. With that out of the way, lets look at the facts.

Consider if you will all the devious shenanigans that routinely go on in Lenoir City government (and their incestuous relationship to LCUB), Loudon County Commission - and I don't even need to mention Loudon County Board of Education. You know about them and don't need me to recite them here.

Now, how many times in the last decade have you heard or read of a local elected official going to the local media with reports of his colleagues shenanigans, or offering to resign in protest over those shenanigans? Exactly ... none! No one has popped a flare to protect the people from these weasels with the exception of Van Shaver.

See, here's the thing:

1) Being unaware that your colleagues on an elected body are engaging in crooked behavior is inexcusable. It might be understandable, but that lack of attentiveness or diligence doesn't recommend an elected servant. Its the job of an elected official to question everything, be smart enough to spot crooked behavior when he sees it, and take nothing for granted. Serving the people in elected office is hard work. Its not for the lazy or distracted. Not willing to do that work for the modest pay? Fine. Don't serve.

2) Being aware that your colleagues are engaged in crooked behavior but lacking the courage and conviction to stop it makes you an accomplice. You're as guilty as them of betraying the people's trust. Don't want to take responsibility for rocking the boat? Fine ... don't serve in elected office.

3) Engaging in crooked, self-serving behavior at the people's expense obviously makes you a bad elected official. You should be in jail - not being referred to the "The Honorable ..." anything.

So, no matter how you slice and dice it, and no matter who you like or dislike personally, virtually all of the elected incumbents serving in Loudon County today fit one of those three categories: 1) Blissfully unaware of the crooks; 2) Aware of the crooks but too gutless to take them on; or 3) One of the crooks.

Take your pick. Any of the three should disqualify a person for further office if logic prevailed. Fortunately for the crooks, logic doesn't often prevail in politics.

This doesn't get any better until you insist that it does. Do something!

Everyone knows how Eddie Simpson uses his position on city council to write ordinances to prevent other business from building around him expecailly the ones that want to sell fireworks. Yep, I think that is the same Eddie Simpson. He would be the one to pull a plug in the Hotchkiss Valley road area to keep them from getting any water. He doesn't care who it hurts as long as he gets richer and richer. He has really pulled some dishonest jesters to make things easier for himself. One is his little community where he built the streets too narrow for the city fire trucks and garbage trucks to get around in. The city refused to accept those streets until he fixed them correctly. Up pops an ordinance to be passed to accept the streets in Executive Meadows. I wonder how that happened? You scratch mine and I'll scratch yours! Oh well!

Rockefeller wrote:

Everyone knows how Eddie Simpson uses his position on city council to write ordinances to prevent other business from building around him expecailly the ones that want to sell fireworks. Yep, I think that is the same Eddie Simpson.

I do remember that. A man named Foshee was selling fireworks at exit #81, competing with Bimbos. Foshee had a big metal building set up to do business in.
The next thing, city council was voting on an ordinance prohibiting fireworks from being sold out of metal buildings.

What struck me was that it was too wretched for even Tony Aikens. The newspaper reported that Tony sat there at the council meeting, and insisted Simpson should recuse himself and not vote on the ordinance. Simpson refused to do so.

Well, Tony is a developer and so is Eddie. Tony and Eddie don't like each other much. They go at each other all the time. Jealousy is the reaon for that, I am sure. It makes them mad when the other makes a nickel more than the other one does. These economic times might bring them to their knees because the housing industry is about to holler "uncle". Too bad for them. They should have been saving their money instead of hurting somebody in order to get rich. What goes around comes around and kicks you right back in the teeth!

It seems that the polls don't agree with any of you! Second on the list with 133 votes is Eddie Simpson and next after him with 121 is Tony.

I guess will see come election time.

These gentlemen have done a good job. It's easy for everyone not sitting in the hot seat to point fingers and judge, but until you've walked in their shoes and sat in their elected seat...you might not want to be so quick to judge. I'm sure all of you would do much worse!

Everyone is quick to point out mistakes, but I personally know that no one is perfect and as for Eddie Simpson the good by FAR out weighs the bad. By FAR!