An Open Letter To The Citizens Of Jellico
The recent observance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam reminded me that our small town and surrounding areas suffered the loss of at least eighteen of our fine young men during that terrible ten-years conflict. Our veterans monument bears the names of Ronnie Daugherty, William Daugherty, Earnest Gibson, Lonnie Gibson, George Heatherly, Robert Huddleston, Marvin Lambdin, John Lay, Roger Lay, Roger Long, Earnest Lowe, Reece Marples, Jerry Perkins, Claude Reid, Lonnie Robbins, Carl Russell, Arlie Spencer and Daniel Walden. We had countless others to suffer serious wounds and health problems that I will not attempt to name because I would invariably and unintentionally omit some.
The Vietnam Veterans have not received their well deserved recognition and appreciation (nor have the Korean Veterans). The Vietnam Veterans were even the target of scorn during the war years although they were only doing their best to accomplish what our nation's leaders at that time felt to be in the best interest of our country. They did their duty as they saw it and they are no less worthy of our total gratitude than any other American serviceman or woman who has ever gone into "harms way" on behalf of our country. (I cannot criticize our officials at that time because I too felt that we were going into Vietnam for all the right reasons. However our entering the conflict turned out to be a tragic mistake).
I missed the almost surety of assignment to Vietnam only by the accident of my term of service. My short time remaining in the U.S. Army precluded my assignment to the Vietnam Theatre of Operations while it was still considered "advisory" and before it was declared a full pledged war. However at least three of those with whom I served at Fort Benning, Georgia later died in Vietnam as probably did others that I knew in subsequent units to which I was assigned.
A few years after the close of the war, I was at the counter of a hotel in Washington, D.C. checking into the hotel. A man standing next to me at the counter turned to face me just as I turned toward him. He instantly recognized me but it took me a few seconds to realize who he was. He had been my squad leader in an outfit in which I had served briefly. He had received a number of wounds in Vietnam including the loss of a leg and serious internal injuries after stepping on a land mine. He was still undergoing regular and painful rehabilitation therapy designed to help him live a "normal" life. I have never forgotten that meeting and the impression that it made upon me since I had continued to remember him as a very athletic and "gung ho" soldier that had been a three letter winner in high school sports. Yet there he was struggling just to survive at still a young age. I fully realized that day just how much so many have given on behalf of our country. And many of our local veterans have suffered even greater injury and loss of health as well as the horrors of prisoner-of-war camps.
With Memorial Day fast approaching, I hope that everyone will take time to reflect upon that fact. And I hope that everyone will continue to remember all of our Veterans, not only on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but every day of the year. They are extremely deserving of all our gratitude and honor.
I met last Thursday with a representative of SEMACO and we toured the factory building at the Oswego Industrial Park presently being gradually occupied by that firm. I expected to find five or six employees but I received a real surprise when I found thirty-six people at work. That number is expected to reach approximately forty-five within the next few days. Additional employees will then be added as required until a full work force is eventually attained sometime in the future. Several of the new hires are from Jellico and the Jellico area and more are to be included in the next nine hires.
An "official" opening is planned for a later date that will include Executive Tom Stiner, Whitley County Executive Mike Patrick, Administrative Assistant Jay Willoughby, and I along with everyone who has been involved in obtaining this new employer.
The building is presently under lease but the organization hopes to receive Community Development Grants with which to purchase the structure. (The firm has federal government contracts which should greatly enhance the chances for such grants and also provide the stability that previous occupants have not enjoyed.)
I have not received official confirmation but I have also been told that the proposed interchange at the 155 mile marker on Interstate-75 has received preliminary approval. I do anticipate some type of official announcement in the very near future. The potential for development in that area appears to be unlimited.
The exterior of our city building housing "Jamie's Curtains and Decor" has just been completely painted and provides a tremendous improvement in the appearance of that building. Jamie has informed me that she is currently adding a new line to produce artificial trees and shrubs and also is very confident that she will soon be awarded an additional new contract with a firm in Mississippi. Those developments should require additional employees.
Some of our councilmen recently stated in this paper that their reason for favoring a (CA) was to "bring jobs in here". Rest assured that objective is being pursued with "all deliberate speed" and without a CA.
I do not know if the question of hiring a CA will come up at our regular May meeting but I expect that it will (Next Thursday, May 18th, 7:30 PM). (I have heard rumors that the council is presently attempting to find a potential individual to hire but I do not know if they have called for new applications). I hope that ALL of our citizens who possibly can will be there to express their opinions. The decision is far too important to be made in the absence of citizens interested in the future of our town.
(I am not discussing the proposed city recall election in this article because I assume that it will receive other media attention).
I am in receipt of a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. complimenting our public housing authority. The letter states, "Congratulations! Based upon the most recent round of PHAS (Public Housing Assessment System) evaluation, your agency has been judged a Standard Performer. I am writing to tell you how important this accomplishment is to you and your agency."
The letter then goes on to list several benefits that will be available to us as a result of the favorable rating received during the evaluation.
And residents of public housing continue to express appreciation for the increased presence of police officers. Another lady living alone in an apartment told me recently that the added police protection has made her feel much more secure.
Three weeks ago I mentioned how much I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with Mary Costa when she came to Jellico for the dedication of the "Grace Moore Memorial". With the exception of Moore and Homer Rodeheaver who both grew up here, Costa is the most internationally known celebrity to ever visit our town to the best of my knowledge.
Shortly after I wrote about her in this article, I saw a quote from a London, England newspaper proclaiming Costa as "the most glamorous opera singer in the world". I have not seen that many opera singers but that statement is certainly true of all that I have seen. And her personality makes her even more so. It was truly an honor to have her here for the dedication.
I want to remind everyone that we have scheduled our second "Clean-up, Paint-up, Fix-up Week" for May 22-27. We had great participation last year and we were able to accomplish at least some work on four downtown buildings and the caboose in Veterans Park. I also received a commitment from Mr. W.H. Bowlin to construct the stage in Veterans Park Annex which was completed after the weather became suitable to allow for the construction. A lot of our citizens and organizations got involved with plantings of trees, shrubs, and flowers; renovations; "eliminate litter days"; and in various other ways.
I hope that everyone will begin organizing now for projects to be accomplished during that week which immediately preceeds the Memorial Day weekend. The work already completed on the First Baptist Church has made a beautiful improvement in the appearance of that building. That work coupled with the painting of our city owned building, has improved the appearance of that entire area.
I recently received a letter from Nicky Vanderpool, an eleventh grade student at Jellico High School. In the letter, Nicky listed some of the things that she feels that we badly need to accomplish in our town and I was amazed at how many fall within the four (4) objectives that I have established for my four years in office. And one of the things she cited was the badly needed renovation of some of the eyesore buildings still remaining in the downtown.
I wrote her back pertaining to that concern and several others that she had stated, including the need for a recreation center. I pointed out that I agree completely with her and that I have been working to get the downtown looking better since my first day in office. But I also emphasized that the cooperation and help of building owners is necessary in order to totally accomplish that objective. Preliminary talks have also been held concerning the possibility of a future grant to be applied toward a recreation center. However some priority grants must be cleared prior to that action - especially those utilized to fund our water purification and waste water treatment facilities.
For some time I have been wanting to remember to thank Mrs. June Moses for her faithfulness in listening to my radio program each week and also for reading this column each week. June says that she enjoys both although they contain a lot of the same material.
I told her that she is a "glutton for punishment" but I do sincerely appreciate the compliment. It is people like June that motivates me to spend the time and effort in preparing for the radio program and writing this column.
FINAL NOTE:
I have recently heard that comments have been made by some that I "brag" too much in this column. It has always been my intention to put Jellico and its potential into the very best possible light and I do not apologize for taking that approach. We need positive statements because we have had far too many statements of the negative type for far too long and from far too many people. We must change attitudes and placing emphasis upon the positive is one way to bring that about. And as one lady recently pointed out, there are certainly folks looking for anything negative to publicize.
I do take great pride in some of the things that I and others have been able to accomplish in the past two years. I promised our citizens when I was running for the office of mayor that I would work hard to effect change, to regularly report on what I am doing to bring about that change and to keep them informed of the progress being made. I intend to keep my promise in all three respects. In the words of baseball immortal, Dizzy Dean, "It ain't bragging if you back it up". More modern vernacular holds that it is okay to "talk the talk" if you are willing to "walk the walk". I work as hard as I possibly can to walk the walk and to back up any claims that I make.
On the other hand, I have not failed to cite the frustrations and disappointments that I have suffered since taking office two years ago. But I believe that the plusses have far outnumbered the minuses and I have reported them as such.
I have stated many times in the past that I do a radio program, write this column and grant permission for it to be placed on the Internet to first inform our citizens, and then to hopefully provide interesting listening and reading and to attract visitors and those wanting to relocate to our area. From the comments of listeners to the program, the requests that I received from so many people and groups to resume this column after an absence of several weeks, and the comments on the "guestbooks", I must be succeeding at least to some extent with all three objectives.
Some one also reportedly said that if things are going good, that others will do the "bragging". I could not agree more!!! The Internet has provided a convenient vehicle where peple can easily express their opinions and anyone accessing the www.jellico.com/jellico/jellico.htm "guestbook" is well aware that users are giving their favorable opinions and at an ever increasing rate.
I have been reporting on many of those logging on to this column site from this area and from all over this country and even one from Canada. The above guestbook is only one of three Jellico site guestbooks that have mainly positive comments. A conservative estimate of those giving an opinion would be that at least seventy-five percent (probably much higher) are favorable concerning the progress that was being made. I hope that all of our citizens with a computer on line will call up the guestbook(s) and read the comments for themselves.
Just since April 24th, Derek Brown in Knoxville (dbrown@covhlth.com) logged on to say, "I think Jellico is very fortunate to have a mayor who has set a new definition of what the word "mayor" means to Jellico. I am twenty-seven and I have never seen such productivity..." David Halcomb, Williamsburg (dhalcomb@sun-spot.com) registers in with, "Just up the road in Williamsburg. My wife and I like the Jellico area and are looking for land to build on someday. Also keep up the good work Mr. Clifton". A message from Mr. Jerry Miller, Harrison, Ohio (btmiller@one.net) is pretty much typical in his opinion of what other out-of-towners think about the progress. Mr. Miller writes, "I come to Jellico to visit a friend who once lived here in Ohio. I can see a big difference in the city in the past couple of years. The community is beginning to look like most other small cities on the rise. What has been wrong with the politics for the past 18 years that nothing has been done? I just want to let the city know that what they have done has surely made the community a more beautiful place." Many, many other similarly favorable comments can be found going all the way back to the fall of 1999.
Councilman Jim Dobson and I certainly appreciate Mr. Miller's complete statement that can be read on the guestbook and all of the other comments that are found on all three guestbooks. But I am sad to say that much of the politics Mr. Miller mentions are still alive and well in our town. Those same politics have slowed and in some instances, stopped the progress. However there are some things that we can still do and we plan to do them in spite of the opposition and obstructions. The recent council actions have only made us more determined than ever to succeed.
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