We are approximately two weeks away from election day and this is a very critical election for our City. People ask me why l am supporting Dick Cook for this election and l decided to share my reasons why.
I have known Dick for over 10 years and he has been a dear friend and a valuable, creditable resource as l became involved in multiple boards, committees, and activities in East Ridge. He mentored me as l navigated some challenging times as l waded waist deep in our political swamp and advised me wisely to avoid making decisions based on emotions. He challenged me to use facts and knowledge and to not react in a spontaneous emotional manner. I feel these things along with many other factors are beneficial as he runs as a write in candidate for Mayor of our city.
I do know that Dick truly cares about East Ridge and its citizens. His mother in law, Frances Pope, was a tremendous mentor to him in dealing with and understanding the importance of keeping a watchful eye on how our city is managed and run on a daily basis. She was not afraid to challenge anyone that was elected and had so much knowledge that made her a valuable resource to Dick, and myself. She spoke openly, and honestly and was not afraid to challenge the status quo in our city.
Dick is a life-long resident of East Ridge. He went to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his fraternity has been very involved in fundraising events for worthwhile causes for our citizens.
Does he offend some with his truthful articles? yes he does. Sometimes the truth is painful, sometimes it is cathartic, and from my perspective, l prefer the truth every time. I feel he will bring truth-telling to City Hall when he is elected.
He does a superb job at watching our city budget. He asks questions about why money is moved from one area to another, especially when it hasn’t been discussed at a council meeting. He believes transparency is an absolute necessity when it comes to running our city. He believes that compliance with the “Sunshine Law” sometimes get sidestepped or not properly followed.
He has concerns that at City Hall we don’t do “exit” interviews when employees leave, which they have done at an alarming rate over the last two years. It is critical that we know why people are leaving especially after we went through a “Salary Stabilization” circus that ended up with citizens getting a 27 percent property tax increase.
People ask why he did not get on the ballot like others; that was my fault, not his. I had planned to run, had my signatures to qualify, and the day of the deadline l had to step aside due to challenges with my health and guidance from my doctors. I discussed these issues with Dick minutes before the deadline and the only option was for him to pursue a “write in” campaign so that there was more than one option for our citizens.
Our citizens want, and NEED change in these challenging times. Your best option right now is to color in the little bubble on that ballot, then write in Dick Cook, or Richard E. Cook, or any other variation of his name that you may know him by. Please exercise one of your most important Constitutional rights and VOTE for Dick Cook.
Early voting ends November 3, regular voting will be Tuesday, November 8, 2022. See you at the polls! Make change a 4 letter word _ VOTE!!
Thank you, and God Bless Our City. We are the BIGGEST little city in Tennessee.
_ Earl Wilson
