Progress in Oak Ridge
Martin McBride, leader of Citizens for Oak Ridge Accountability, reports that after this story ran in the Oak Ridge newspaper on Tuesday, "many have written in asking us how they might help."

This column by the same reporter who wrote the above story is pretty good. Reporter R. Cathey Daniels writes that, now that CORA has managed to defeat a bond issue (most of which would have gone to benefit a private developer) local politicians should stop trying to marginalize CORA and respect them, even if they don't agree with CORA's goals.

After all, few thought CORA could gather the necessary 1,800 signatures in 20 days to force a referendum on a city bond issue. "What did they get for their embarrassing expectations? Almost 5,500 signatures and a defeat of the city center project, as well as a whipping of an organization raising over 300 times more in funds than their small group," says Daniels.

Her description of how elected Oak Ridge elected officials tried to ignore public opinion sounds like a training ground for the next Jimmy Naifeh:

"Remember when citizens (likely many who eventually signed those petitions) showed up in March at the 'first' second reading of the budget to beg council to cut something - anything - to reduce the 11-percent tax increase? Remember what council did? Adjourn until the next night when a 'second' second reading was heard amid service-friendly folk. Council left the tax increase in place, which in more than one observer's opinion started the whole referendum ball rolling."

Says Daniels, "You don't have to press your ear to the ground to pick up the most-talked-about lesson from the Aug. 1 referendum: Local property taxes are too high."

You gotta wonder how three-time-property-tax-raiser Phil Bredesen is going to do in Oak Ridge come November. Not very well, I imagine.