Portland, Tennessee Blog

say it aint so mg. i know exactly where you're coming from, though. hope you change your mind and continue to express your thoughts even though they may not be what others want to hear thats what a blog is all about.

mg If you have the time fire a email off to me. I have a question or two for you thanks. fparker86@bellsouth.net.

Sorry to hear that MG. Even when I did not agree with your post I always enjoyed your point of view. Different points of view is what a blog is all about. If everyone agreed on everything the world would be a very boring place.

This is my final post.

I will not write again on this blog. Councilmen, you have plenty of ideas on this blog.

Mr. Callis, you need to read what is posted, and stop dodging answers in every response waiting for supporters to defend you. Simple, straightforward answers are needed. We do not get them from you, no matter if you are a nice guy or intend good things.

I believe too many people are jumping to conclusions without reading the posts they are responding to. It gets old. I don't know if it is ADHD or the inability to interpret language, but certainly it is here in abundance.

I truly wish Portland well. As for me, I will resign myself to move on.

Councilman Callis - Very well said

"If you only respect those who do excatly as you want, then your idea of respect is different from mine."

MG - Perhaps you need to take into consideration that councilman Callis is just "1" of what 7 or 8 elected officials, atleast he comes here to the blog and attempts to address these issues, where are the others?? Please respect him for that.

Biting the hand that puts forth an effort to keep us informed is not productive.

As Councilman Callis notes;

"People can sit on the sidelines and complain and continue to a be "victim" or they can get active in a positive way. Anger and negative views of society only holds them back. Our city needs men and women to serve, maybe you will step up and take that challenge".

With that being said... Elections are just a few months away, you have some good thoughts and what appears to be a desire for positive changes, maybe you should give it some serious consideration.

MG,
It is obvious that nothing I do will satisfy you.
If you do not feel the steps that have been taken are due to leadership I can not help that.
We can make no one invest in this town, we can only make it easier to do so.
As far as gaining your respect, that is a very strange comment.
I will continue to work on, and to promote those issues which I feel are right and best; rather or not you respect me has no bearing on that.
If you only respect those who do excatly as you want, then your idea of respect is different from mine.
I am serving this town to the best of my ability, that may not be good enough, but it is all I got.
People can sit on the sidelines and complain and continue to a be "victim" or they can get active in a positive way. Anger and negative views of society only holds them back.
Our city needs men and women to serve, maybe you will step up and take that challenge.

A non-answer answer... I wish we could get past those.

Okay... let me spell it out....

You are right, no one can be forced to serve. But, will YOU? I was clear, I thought, about this. IF THE CHAMBER WILL NOT TAKE THE LEADERSHIP IN THIS, WILL YOU? OR ANY COUNCILMAN? OR THE MAYOR? THE CITY LEADERSHIP?

You are elected. We put you there. If you think ANY of these ideas are worth doing, will you STAY ON TASK AND FOCUS so that we can see them get done? That is, at least in my way of understanding it, leadership. Who cares if you have gone to a conference if nothing comes of it, or if you have a committee of non-affected businesspersons making decisions about retail if none of them have a stake in the success of the whole thing?

And why is it that every time someone asks a direct question of you on this blog you dance around it? I have tried to be constructive, here, and give ideas that I have seen work in other towns. If we have NO ONE who can follow through, then Portland deserves to have nothing come of it. We, after all, are victims of our elected officials.

Change all that with some action, and you will earn my respect and that of others....

hey ray dowell's running again. what nerve!

MG,
You cannot force anyone to serve. Those that said yes, are interested in their city.
Please explain what you mean by being "prepared".
Neither I, nor the council, control the chamber.
I think starting this retail committe was great. This is something the Mayor and I had discussed right after being elected. We realize the need for more focus to be on retail and this is a start.
The TVA training and the Atlanta conference were educational and only a beginning to what we need to do as a city.
Annexation, utilities on 52 west, upgrading of water and sewer, and planning for future growth go hand in hand for future retail growth.
p.s.
Perseverence is the only way effective change takes place. Just because your ideas have fallen on deaf ears does not mean you should stop. Keep going, it will pay off sometime.

I think this forum is a great idea fo rmany reasons....It let's those of us "out here"..know that city leaders etc...are reading this blog and taking in to account what we say here. I think that is great.

Keep the input coming...and great idea for a thread to Judy...we need more like this.

Councilman Callis,

I do appreciate your response to these issues. I stand by my assertion that no retail owners are members. An insurance agent is not a retailer, nor would a funeral home director be. The former furniture store owner may sound good, but that is 'former' and years ago, and much is changing in retail these days, and especially locally. Retirees do not have the day-to-day outlooks and concerns that current business owners have. Now, as to the glass installer, that is a service-based business and although they do sell products, most are probably included in the service installation of windows. There is a difference. Let's get some other faces on this board, please.

Also, related to the Chamber... I personally have told all of this to two different directors in the past, and they each didn't give a darn. The Chamber has become and is historically a sort of retiree/insurance/banking organization. It has offended many business owners in the past because of its practices locally. If the Chamber fails to take these iniatives with a new director, are YOU prepared as a city elected official to move forward to better this town in spite of that?

a: There is a local insurance agent/owner, a local glass installer, a local funeral director, a former furniture store owner, and other concerned citizens.
I am glad that focus on retail has begun.

b: The chamber should have a new director soon and that would be a good idea to bring up to them.