Smoky Mountain Herald Link
Now, we are at a crossroads. We can take the path of other tourist towns, get overdeveloped, and fail. Or, we can stay a prosperous community, preserving what makes this area special and distinctive.
Tourists stay longer and return to areas that are scenic and unique. Today, the fastest growing parts of the multi-billion-dollar tourist industry are “heritage” and “eco-tourism.” Last year, however, National Geographic named the Smokies as “Getting Ugly,” with “ugly, insensitive development.” It is time for a change.
We need development that is SMART, which maintains the natural heritage we love, increases our property values and enhances our quality of life. We must avoid changes that destroy our beautiful mountainsides with scars, tarnishing our backyards and filling our streams with deadly silt.
As a Sevier County Commissioner, I will dedicate myself to protecting our mountain heritage and help our community grow wisely, so everyone—not just a few—can prosper. I will give all citizens in the 11th District a say on decisions about their future. I will be “the people’s voice”--for those who feel they have “no say” about their neighborhoods, for those who feel powerless, and for those who are disgusted with politics as usual.
I serve on the board of directors of the Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation whose goal is to create an environmentally sensitive, culturally enriched, and economically prosperous community. I have also worked for years on a Community Based Resource Team, a cross-section of local citizens, along with TDOT, to make sure the blight of the “Concrete Canyon” of Hwy 321 up to Buckhorn Road is not repeated as the road expands east. Our success proves that people with apparently opposing views-like elected officials, local planners, business owners, and conservationists-can work together and build a workable consensus where everyone benefits from the outcome.
As County Commissioner, I will work to heal and improve our community. I will fight for a better quality of life in every decision the commission makes, providing our children the opportunity and desire to stay, live and work here. As a united community we can make this area shine, a respected showcase for other communities and a place where all can prosper.