As a long time resident of East Ridge I feel it is a necessity of civic duty as citizens to ask pointed questions and expect factual answers of our elected officials. I did just that and was blocked, with no further response or discussion on the Mayor’s social media page just hours later. Can anyone explain what is so wrong with these three questions posed below that I should be blocked by Mayor Williams on his social media accounts merely for asking them?

Question 1:  I understand the City of East Ridge was allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars in Cares Act monies in 2020.   Can you please explain what the City used these monies for in 2020? In 2021?

Question 2:  Can you explain why in your almost four years as Mayor, why the very problematic hotels such as the Budgetel were only inspected once during those four years by Codes Enforcement?

Question 3:  Please explain, with detail, all of the measures you spearheaded in 2020 and 2021 to assist small East Ridge businesses that were struggling because of the pandemic?

What citizen who pays taxes in East Ridge would not want to know the answers to these questions? What small business owner would not want to know? Better yet, what citizen is not entitled to know the answer, especially when they are posed to elected officials?

I am not presupposing what the answers are, but genuinely want Mayor Williams’ feedback and transparency. If we are to re-elect this politician based upon his self represented good will and morals wouldn’t any citizen feel the right to know the details of how he is “enhancing the quality of lives for our community and providing quality services to our citizens while encouraging existing and new business opportunities” as Mayor Williams represented in his bid for reelection?

Spiting and silencing those that simply want further elaboration shuns the political process of the citizenry and discourages good governance.  Rather than getting the answers to these questions I got the figurative door slammed in my face. Is this the Mayor that we all want to elect? 

I’m perplexed at the perceived offense about what would be wrong with asking these questions and, as citizens, shouldn’t we rightfully deserve the truth? Shouldn’t our government be doing more to ensure how we are “moving East Ridge forward” as Mayor Williams has said?  I’m very confused. I thought our administration should be readily forthcoming as this is a position of public service that requires transparency, not private interests entitled to secrecy.  Is silencing enquiring minds the path to “moving us forward?” 

I look forward to an appropriate response, Mayor Williams. 

_ George Mattar, Concerned Citizen and Business Owner