Access to drinking water a top priority for candidates
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A pair of Bradley County Commission candidates seeking election to a District 6 seat rank good drinking water as a top concern for their community.
Republicans Tim Mason and Dan Rawls want to fill Seat A. District 6 encompasses the county’s south side, including South Cleveland and Wildwood Lake. Its western edge runs along South Lee Highway, while Spring Place Road and Ladd Springs Road make up its eastern boundary.
Rawls won a District 6 commission seat in 2014. He has owned a custom automobile performance business for nearly 20 years and founded the Tea Party of Southeast Tennessee.
Mason, who owned a convenience store business for 20 years, is a lieutenant environmental officer and Tennessee Department of Transportation litter coordinator with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office.
Mason said residents in the South Lee Highway area have told him their wells are drying up. He touts a desire to work with county and city leaders to improve the situation.
Rawls said he has supported expansion of county cost-sharing initiatives to bring water lines to neighborhoods at a reduced installation price to residents.
“A lot of wells have gone bad on the south end of the county,” Rawls said. “In my opinion, we need to expand drinkable water to those residents.”
The candidates also want to see more money in the pockets of county taxpayers.
“I want jobs, jobs and more jobs for Bradley County,” Mason said.
The key is to push for more vocational learning opportunities through partnerships with schools and local colleges, because not all students will seek a four-year university degree, he said.
Giving them experience with robotics and computers to take on incoming technology-driven jobs is a win for everyone, he said.
“We want to tell big corporations to bring the jobs because we’ve got the kids to step into your facilities,” Mason said.
Low taxes are the best way to help taxpayers’ pocketbooks, Rawls said, expressing skepticism about the bottom line when it comes to the county’s low jobless rate.
“Many people are living at the edge of their income, but prosperity only comes from disposable income,” he said.
While commissioners can’t do much about pay scales, they can keep taxes low, Rawls said.
Republican voters will decide who takes District 6, Seat A in the May 1 election. No Democrat seeks the office.
Commissioner Robert Rominger faces challenges from Erica Davis and Tommy Ledford in the district’s other seat. Early voting begins April 11. Contact Paul Leach at paul. leach.press@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_3.