Letter to Editor

I have been a Bradley County resident for only two years, but I have come to love this community more than any previous one that I have ever lived in. I hesitate as a newcomer to voice an opinion, but I am a property owner and tax payer, so I would like to say something.

I have observed the business and residential growth of Bradley County and I applaud our County Commission on their excellent work. Their stand against raising taxes is admirable but sadly it is unrealistic and it is inevitable that it must be done.

The citizens of Bradley County already realize that this county is growing rapidly. It is no longer a sleepy little community situated between two larger cities. It is on the map and it is attracting more and more residents and businesses.

It is attracting many fine citizens, but it also is open to the same urbanization problems that come with growth. Those problems are currently small, and perhaps unnoticeable by the general public, but the roots of those problems are here and growing.

That is why I propose giving the Sheriff's Department and Fire Department the budgets that they need in order to build the foundation for the solid growth of those agencies, don't make them play catch-up with the criminals.

We are talking a tax increase on property that amounts to pennies a day for the homeowners. It is a small price to pay for an insurance policy on the life of themselves and loved ones as well as their property.

There are many ways to calculate as to how this may be done and to support what I purpose, but I am trying to keep this letter short. The public servants of this community have for too long gone without or made to make do, while risking their lives for this community.

It would also take too long to give the reasons as to why I feel I am qualified to make these statements. May it suffice to say that I have been in the Public Safety field for over 37 years and now I am a citizen on the sidelines?

This truly is the "Volunteer State" as the dedication of your Public Safety people show, because they sure are not getting the pay or the equipment they need from the community. Two hundred thousand miles on a police car or any emergency vehicle is ridiculous, and this is just one example of the need for funds.

I recall a political cartoon published many years ago, where an Ostrich has its head in the ground while a pair of lions creeps up on it. The caption denoted the Ostrich as the citizens and the lions as crime, and the inference was that the citizens did not see or want to see the danger, but they were going to be eaten anyway.

Support your Sheriff and Fire personnel; give them the tools they need to do their jobs more safely. Don't condemn or ridicule them for being passionate about their cause or jobs.

Respectfully Submitted, 
Jarrett Crawford,
Bradley County, TN.



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