Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council You may know by now that Lizetta Paturalski has decided to resign from the Town Council. I regret this and will miss her experience and wisdom as we navigate through these difficult times, but I must respect her desire to devote more time to her family. Of course, this means we have another vacancy to fill. Her resignation is effective December 31, so we will have until January 30 to fill this vacancy without going to a special election. As I have previously stated, I feel this is our responsibility and that a special election would be unnecessarily expensive. I urge any citizens who have a desire to serve to send a letter to Diana Campbell at the Town Hall. We will be deciding on the exact procedure and timeline tomorrow, Friday, December 15. Mrs. Paturalski had 2 years left on her term so any appointee would serve until the next election. Of the 4 candidates for the previous open seat, Bill Lusk, of course was appointed and Joe Dumas has asked to be considered. Greg Goodgame has decided not to re-apply and Courtney Hoss is considering whether or not to re-apply. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to give back to their community.

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council Ok, it's been 2 weeks since the election and I'm just now getting caught up. As you know, I did win and was elected Mayor by the council. If you are following the results of the election, you know that we are working on selecting a 5th council member. The process is on www.signalmtntown.org. We have been questioned about why we selected this process. I proposed this process and it was accepted unanimously by the council. While some have thought we should have just selected the next person on the ballot, this was not obvious. She had obvious support, but didn't receive over 50%, so the argument could be made that more voted against her than for her. Of course, that was true of all of us. I felt that the charter called for us, the council to make that decision. Of course, we could have gone to a special election, but the charter states that that process comes into play only if we can't make a decision. I felt this would be an expensive proposition for the town (estimates I've heard from $15,000 to $20,000) and I felt the town wasn't anxious to go through that process again. I felt that the people who had run for the council should clearly be allowed to be considered, but also allowed the chance to re-assess their interest in light of the results of the election and any change in personal situations. As it turns out, Ms. Durant decided to remove herself from consideration for personal reasons, a decision I certainly respect. We have talked at length and had an excellent conversation. I am sure she will continue to be an active part of the community in whatever way she can. We will receive letters of interest until tomorrow, Wed. Nov. 27 and will hopefully make a decision at a meeting on Dec. 4 so that person can actively participate at the regular Dec. 11 meeting. Clearly this reflects my own reasons for the process I proposed, but I appreciate that it was accepted by the Council. Hopefully, after this selection is made, we can move forward for the betterment of our town.

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council OK, early voting is over, so if you haven't voted yet, mark November 7th on your calendar in RED! This last weekend should be busy. Tonight (Friday) I am working the concession stand at the Notre Dame football game. Congratulations to ND girl's soccer for making it to the state semi-finals before finally losing in a heartbreaker. Tomorrow morning is another soccer game for MaryEliza! After that, I plan to walk some neighborhoods, probably in Old Towne. Be looking for me. Sunday, I'll be singing in church with our church band Zammarin. Sunday afternoon I plan to get back out for some neighborhood visits then from 5-9 we'll be calling voters to remind them to vote Tuesday. I'll be getting the list of early voters, so your reward for voting early should be no phone call Sunday night! Monday, it's back to my day job then Tuesday is the big day! I'll be out by the Town Hall all day. Latest weather prediction is 40% chance of rain, so keep your fingers crossed.

If anyone wants to help, contact me (886-6548) about coming Sunday night to make phone calls or Tuesday to wave to voters at the polls and hold signs. Remember to tell your neighbors about me and I still have a few yard signs left that are getting kinda lonely.

More substantially, I have had a few calls and emails on the issues from folks, including the Pro-Recall Party, even though they have apparently already made up their minds. I certainly appreciate those who allow me to speak for myself and ignore some of the distortions being published about me and the issues in general. I attended the Planning Commission meeting last night. They made a considered decision about the proposed Dogwood Acres subdivision across from Nolan School. This is a plan for 25 houses on approx. 15-16 acres. It demonstrates my principle that lot size is less important than numbers. This works out to a gross density of less than 2 houses per acre though most of the lot sizes are between 1/3 and 1/2 acre. There are sidewalks, buried utilities and a very nice open space park and lake in the middle for recreation and common use, including a playground. While there are apparently some minor technical issues and the plat can't be approved until the sewer access is confirmed, this is the kind of thinking that I hope will be standard in future development on Signal Mountain, not just on Shackleford Ridge. My only concern is that this is strictly an upscale development with homes over $600,000. While there is some room for that level of housing, I hope that future developments will include a larger range of housing prices allowing our middle class folks like police and fire professionals, teachers, nurses and small business owners to live here.

See you at the polls!

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council Just a reminder that early voting starts tomorrow, October 18. Here are the details:

LOCATION OF OFFICE AND OFFICE HOURS
The Election Commission office is located at 700 River Terminal Road. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. until 4:00
p.m., Monday through Friday. The telephone number is 423-493-5100. The TTY number is 423-493-5100,
ext. 254.
REGISTRATION
The last day to register to vote will be Saturday October, 7, 2006, 9:00 am to12:00 NOON
EARLY VOTING TIMES & LOCATIONS
Northgate Mall located at 5000 Hixson Pike, corner of Hwy 153
Monday thru Saturday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm Oct. 18th thru Nov. 2nd
Brainerd Recreation Center located at 1010 North Moore Road
Monday thru Saturday 10:00 am ? 7:00 pm Oct. 18th thru Nov. 2nd
Hamilton County Election Commission located at 700 River Terminal Road
Monday thru Saturday 8:00 am ? 7:00 pm Oct. 18th thru Oct. 30th
Hamilton County Election Commission located at 700 River Terminal Road
Tuesday, October 31st thru Thursday, Nov. 2nd 8:00 a.m. - 8:00p.m.

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council Wanted to remind everyone that this Thursday, October 19 is the Candidate Forum at the MACC at 7pm. I hope lots of folks can turn out with great questions for we, the candidates. I certainly hope that all my supporters are there, but if you are still not sure and have a question for me, this is the time to ask. Hope to see y'all there!

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council Well, the first candidate forum went well. The questions were pointed, but polite. I appreciate the excellent turn-out which was standing room only, not counting all those who were apparently watching on closed circuit TV. I should let you know that I've heard that Annette Allen is fine. She was not feeling well that night, but bravely participated anyway. The question asked by Glenn Baird that didn't get answered had to do with budget priorities. Obviously, this is a difficult question for those of us not invovled in the details of the town's finances. I understand they are tight. I certainly am supporting expanding our sidewalk network and would like to see what is available in that area. We are pursuing grants as I understand. Many sidewalks in old town are in poor condition and these should take priority. Our recreation resources are very well used and we should be sure that maintenance is a high priority. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I do think that we need to prioritize protecting and maintaining our current properties and resources before adding more, but I do hope that we can pursue the possibility of obtaining the gym and track/field from SMMS when that school closes. Finally, our employees are a major resource and I want to make sure they are taken care of and have an incentive to stay with the town. Experience can't be bought. We especially need to focus on our Fire Department which I understand needs some attention. Efforts are already begun in the area, but this will need to be a priority for the new council.

I hope to attend several of the fun events scheduled the next few weekends including the 80th anniversary of SME this weekend (October 14) at the MACC (my son is an alumnus and was in the final class at SME) and the Fall Carnival that the newcomer's are holding at Bachman Center next weekend, October 21 where I will have a table. Come talk to me and let me know your concerns.

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council Well, I fell behind on my blog, but the good news is the campaign is keeping me quite busy. The big news is my Sierra Club endorsement! As you probably know, I am a Life Member of the Club and am committed to environmental protection. I am proud of this endorsement and will do all I can to honor it by my future activities if I am on the Council. See http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_93883.asp for details!

I have been getting yard signs out lately and if anyone wants one, please email or call and I'll get one out to you. I hope you've read my latest editorial on sigmtn.com and chattanoogan.com. I have been refining my positions as I have learned more. I really think that the best approach to Shackleford Ridge is the Open Space Option provided in the list of ordinances approved by the Council. I am hoping we can move forward in doing all we can to encourage the landowners to use this option in development. I would love to see Signal Mountain become a model for best land use practices. I have been presented with two questionnaires in the last few days. One has been responded to and returned and the other one will be done soon. The first one was sent to me by the SaveSignalMountain people. It had three yes/no questions, but I feel the issues are more complex than that, so I sent a bit more than a page of answers. I certainly hope that my full answers are respected and posted in any publicizing they do of candidate positions. The second questionnaire is for the TimesFreePress, so I expect you will see that one soon, too.

I am looking forward to the upcoming candidate forums. The first one will be October 10 at 7pm at Alexian Village and the second one will be October 19th at the MACC, also at 7pm. I would appreciate anyone who wants to suggest questions I might confront to send them to me so I can consider them. While I'm sure the major issues will be covered, I have learned there is much more to this town than Shackleford Ridge.

In addition, I plan to come to the HodgePodge this Friday. Saturday and Sunday I have a medical conference to attend. I am beginning to walk some neighborhoods and meet with folks. I have posted a banner at the Monster Barn (y'all come, it's great fun!) and will have a table at the Signal Mountain Newcomers and Bachman's 1st Fall Carnival at Bachman on Saturday, October 21 from 10-3. There will be games, activities and food! Also, the Girl Scouts will be working on their scarecrows. Hope everyone can make it out.

I'm still looking for volunteers for election day to help me greet voters coming to the Town Hall. If you ever wanted to stand out on the side of the road and wave a campaign sign, now's your chance! Give me a call!