BLOG UPDATE – 7/6/2009

Hello!  Been a couple of months since I have used this forum to communicate with you.  The campaign will be gearing up to full steam here in a few months, and I will begin using the blog more regularly at that time.  In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook. 

Hope to see you out and about in Wilson County!

Wilson County Commission Meeting – April 20, 2009

At last night’s meeting of the County Commission, a resolution was passed requesting that the Election Commission retain the current Administrator of Elections, Lynn Harris.  Ms. Harris has been the administrator for a number of years, always while the Commission was under control of the Democratic majority.  Now, the Commission has a Republican majority for the first time, and they have the right to appoint a Republican as Administrator.  This is part of the world of politics, and there is no reason for the County Commission or anyone else to expect Ms. Harris to be retained.  I am deeply troubled that the County Commission would feel a need to get involved, as this seems like a continuation of the “business as usual” attitude, where “change is bad”.  The people of Tennessee have spoken, and therefore, we should have a new Administrator.

Congratulations to Jim Emberton and Frank Bush for having the conviction to vote no on this resolution.  Fred Weston abstained, Carolyn Thompson was absent, and Bernie Ash also abstained, apparently because he wants to be considered for Administrator.  The remaining 20 Commissioners all voted to pass the resolution.

In other news, my opponent in the 2010 election, Commissioner Larry West, was the only No vote on a resolution that passed 23-1, to authorize a budget transfer to allow WEMA to purchase new heart monitor devices.  Note that I said budget transfer, not budget increase.  Not sure why anyone would object to upgrading the life saving capabilities within our county.

As a closing thought, I’d like to show an image from the Wilson County Election Commission website.  The website still does not have the results of the 2008 November election.  Nor do they have the results of the county election in August, or for that matter any election since 2006.  I’ve called for improvements to this site in the past, and hope that the new Administrator can work to improve the use of technology.

Weekly Update 3/15/09

Greetings!

Hope that all has been well for you and yours in the past week.  As usual, I’ve been able to stay busy juggling the assorted balls I have in the air.  I attended the Tennessee Republican Assembly State Convention yesterday, where we had some excellent speakers, and elected new state officers for the next two years.

On Monday of this week, the Wilson County Commission will finish their February meeting at 18:45, followed by the start of their March meeting at 19:00.  At this point, I’m not sure anyone knows how the February will or should end.  With the announcement that work is halted on the Bible Park due to a conflict with the city of Lebanon, no one seems sure if any county action regarding park business is appropriate, or needed.  Stay tuned.

I’ve also started a new Facebook group, for residents of County Commission District One in Wilson County.  The name of the group is Wilson County Commission District 1 – Tennessee.  The group is “open”, so even if you don’t live in District One, you can join, but most of the news and communication on the posts will be geared towards District One.  I also have a map posted on the group so that you can confirm your district if you are unsure.  Pass this on to your friends and neighbors, I think it will be a great tool to bring our community closer together.  If you want to join, you can also send me an e-mail at vote4cole@hotmail.com, and I will send you an invite so you don’t have to search for the group.

Bible Park NOT Coming To Wilson County

Well, it sounds as if the developers have tired of dealing with the Lebanon Council, and have released a statement indicating that they are moving on.

Bible Park Statement 3-10-09

Bible Park Website and Explanation of Tax Increment Financing

For those of you have that have heard about the Bible Park, but don’t know much about the plans or the developers, I thought I would share the following links with you.

First, the link to the main website for the park:     http://www.bibleparkusa.com/

And secondly, a copy of their explanation of Tax Increment Financing:      http://www.bibleparkusa.com/news.html 

I will try to find some local articles from South Carolina describing that regions experiences with the development group, and how their Hard Rock park went into bankruptcy a few months after opening.

Wilson County – Bible Park Poll

I’ve decided it’s time to open another series of poll questions to see how the citizens of Wilson County feel about current issues.  Topics this time will center on the Bible Park. 

Weekly Update 3/8/09

Lots of activity this week on the Bible Park, mostly on the city level in Lebanon.  I saw an article where Chris Sorey claims that an offer was made to drop one of two ethics charges against him, if he would support the park.  More to come on this topic I’m sure, it will be very interesting to see what happens at the next meeting of County Commissioners.

Yesterday I attended the monthly Wilson County Republican Party meeting, where the Honorable State Senator Mae Beavers gave a legislative update that was very informative.  Due to a scheduling conflict, I had to leave just as A.J. McCall was beginning his speech.  A.J. ran against Stratton Bone in 2008 for a State House seat, and made a great race out of it.  Hopefully that great showing will prove to people Bone can be beat.  If A.J. just gets a few more supporters in the next cycle, I think he can take that seat.  I believe at the next meeting in April, I will have the opportunity to make some remarks to those in attendance. 

On a personal note, over the last week, I have updated the website design of our business website, and set a goal of April 15th for a full launch.  Check it out if you’re interested at www.resumesbycole.com.

If you have any questions for me, or if you have a topic that you would like me to address about local issues in a future weekly update, please e-mail me at vote4cole@hotmail.com.

Weekly Update 2/28/09

I’m going to try and make a better effort to make regular posts to this blog. In the past, I have posted when there was either a news story or a personal event that I felt the need to discuss. Moving forward, I am going to attempt to make a general weekly update, just to let everyone know what I have been up to. I’ll try to give a brief update of weekly events, both politically, and personally.

This past week saw a lot of activity at the County Commission meeting, mostly related to the voting for the Bible Park. I wasn’t able to attend the meeting, but from reading newspaper accounts, it sounds as if it was interesting. The meeting was called to recess, and will conclude at 6:45pm on March 16th. The March meeting will then start at 7:00pm. I believe this could wind up being the most interesting commission meeting of the year, possible even the last several years, so I will be sure to attend.

On a personal level,  I am preparing to start up a new business venture.  We will specialize in resume writing and other services to assist those searching for a career. I believe that my wife’s knowledge as a professional writer and English major, along with my experience reviewing thousands of resumes through the years from the hiring side, will allow us to produce high quality products for our clients.  I am currently in the development stages, with hopes to be up and running by April 1.

Vote4Cole Items For Sale

Click on the link below for your one-stop shopping source for Vote4Cole.com items.  Currently, we have T-Shirts, Trucker Hats, Bumper Stickers, Buttons, Canvas Bags, and Mousepads.

http://www.vote4cole.com/Donations.php

Wilson County and Surrounding Schools Closed Today….Because it’s TOO COLD?

Are you kidding me?

The decision was made to close local schools last night because of the “dangerous” cold conditions that kids would have to face this morning while waiting to get on the bus……

This is another example of our schools taking the “easy way out” when it comes to dealing with issues.  I’m sure there is money to be saved by not running school today, and that’s what this really boils down to.  No concern for the many parents who had to scramble to find caretakers for their children today.  Where’s the line drawn?  Is 0 degress too cold?  5?  maybe 15?  Most kids wait either in the house or in a warm car for the bus.  Those that don’t on a normal basis could certainly improvise on a day like this……..or the parents could drop them off…….or maybe they could wear coats, gloves, and hats.  Growing up in Ohio, I remember SEVERAL mornings waiting in subzero temps for a bus. 

This is a real shame.  Because our school systems try to cut a corner any time 10 cents can be shaved off the budget, we’re teaching our kids that when the going gets tough……stay at home and don’t try to overcome it.

And worse than that, any money saved today, will surely be wasted at the next opportunity.