Vice Mayor statement on CFO Greene resigination

Today city officials have accepted the resignation of City CFO Esther Greene.
Mrs. Greene expressed her desire to resign from her post on Monday citing her lack of confidence that she "would be able to live up to this boards expectations." The city did seek legal council on protocol before accepting the resignation.

Vice Mayor French released the following statement on the matter:


"The city is at a critical juncture in terms of instituting new best business practices in our finance/accounting division and we need a focus and dedication from our staff that will see us through these transitions of policy , as well as our current audit. Mrs. Greene was not confident that she was able to perform these duties to the expectation level of this board."

"At the end of the day our board has requested the highest level of transparency. It is critical to this administration that we continue to strive for honesty and transparency in our local government and I am confident that we are on the correct path in that regard."

"Moving forward the search for a new CFO will be comprehensive and detailed. This particular hire is something that should be completed only when the highest level of confidence is entrusted into a candidate and when we feel we have the right person to work in a completely open and honest atmosphere."

Manchester Chiefs Honored

The Manchester Chiefs 10U Football team and Cheerleaders were honored by the Manchester Board of Mayor and Alderman on Tuesday night (11-6-2012). Vice Mayor Ryan French presented the team certificates of apparition from the board sign by Mayor Lonnie Norman and Vice Mayor French, for the team showing such great sportsmanship and representing the community well. 

"This is a great group of kids that have accomplished a lot, and their talent has been recognized across the state. It is an honor to bring these young men and women up and show them just how proud their community is of them. This goes to show what a collected dedication from the kids, coaches, and parents can lead to.", said French after the meeting.

The Vice Mayor recognized a list of accomplishments the team has achieved during the meeting that include:

- 42-4 win loss record over the past 3 season

- 2 straight undefeated seasons

- giving up only one score (6 points) all season long

- being selected to participate in a tournament at LP Field on 11-4-2012 after the Tennessee Titans game, which they went on to finish 2-0 as winners of the Tournament. 

Roster:

2 Jake Hollandsworth

3 Jacob Floyd

7 Hunter Mann

8 Hayden Skipper

10 Ryan Wells

11 Ja'Quez Johnson

13 Cailen McLean

15 Ben Fulton

28 Samari Layne

30 Colton Tucker

34 Jaylon Wooten

40 Shawn Anderson

44 Dylan Koon

50 Bailey Chance

73 Cameron Bates

74 Blake Wexler

75 Collin Ward

78 Andrew Holt

79 Slade Samuels

82 Niklas White

88 Blanton Brown

CL Alise Clark

CL Alexis Clark

CL Taylie Beth Goines

CL Addie White

CL Brianna Baker

CL Sydney Belt

CL Brooke Gwinn

Coaches:

Jimmy Hollandsworths

Chris Koon

Sherman White

Donnie Wooten

Richard Skipper

Cheer Coach: Tara Goines

Head Start now opened

"This is a big deal", said Manchester Vice Mayor Ryan French when he was asked about the opening of the new Head Start located on Oakdale Street.

The new Head Start location was described as a "premiere Head Start location" by program officials. The facility located next to Manchester Public Works can take upwards of 75 children currently with classroom expansion abilities that would move that number over 120 students.

Vice Mayor French commented on the opening today at the ribbon cutting:

"Early childhood education is a vital tool in a local economy, work force, and culture. The fact that we are able to offer some type of pre-k education (be it our elementary pre-k program or Head Start) for nearly every future Manchester student is phenomenal."

"When I first ran for office, early childhood education was a top priority of mine. This past summer while running for re-election it remained a top priority. The fact that we can sit here and admire this facility and the opportunities it will present children in our community is amazing... And something I wasn't so sure was even possible 5 years ago."

Safe Routes to Schools update

Many of you have asked for a update on the Westwood Safe Routes to school project, and as promised when I receive information I pass it on. This is email I received today from the state.

Dear Ryan,

The Safe Routes project is in the right-of-way phase. We are waiting on right-of-way certification, utility certification, environmental permit approval, and a construction authorization checklist before the project can go to construction.

Thanks,
Monique Hazlewood


Office of Local Programs
505 Deaderick Street
Suite 600, James K. Polk Building
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 532-3176

Manchester Economic Development

This past August Manchester witnessed something that has never happen in our area, a complete political revolt against the "same ole, same ole". Over the first few months of the new administration several changes have taken place both in the form of personnel and policy reforms. But the most noticeable change may be the approach to Manchester's economic development strategies.

"Mayor Norman and I spoke early an often on changes that we felt we not only necessary in our development strategies, but were absolutely critical" said Vice Mayor Ryan French.

Early this month newly elected Alderman Cheryl Swan accompanied by Vice Mayor French traveled to Atlanta with the Chamber of Commerce to visit with retail developers from across the country. The team made up of veteran chamber members and staff included John Roberts of Roberts Automotive Group, Amber Dotson of Fantasy Radio, and Director of the Chamber Susie Mcerin.

"The mission was simple", said French. "These folks are the professionals, and for the city to build an affective economic development strategy it only makes sense to learn from the best".

French said he felt good about the trip "I think we had a great trip, there is a lot of buzz about our city and it was great to materialize the needs of this group that will only enhance this experience further. These guys told me this was the best trip they have had in sometime, and they are the pros... That only excites me that much more."

The Vice Mayor followed his trip to Atlanta with a two day stop in Nashville at the Governors Economic Development Conference.

"The Governor's ECD Conference was a fantastic experience", said French. "I was able to speak one on one with the Governor about our community needs, our focus, and our strategies moving forward and took away invaluable advice from the Governor and other industry professionals that will help shape our approach to economic development."

Last week French announce two major potential partnerships that came away from the two day conference in Nashville. "Susie Mcerin and I spoke with officials from Chattanooga and Murfreesboro about their development strategies and how we could fit a mold somewhere between the two great cities. They were fantastic to work with and both have extended their hand to help Manchester build partnerships with each city and assist in the development strategies we put in place moving forward."

French said he will have a presentation to present to the full board in a "few weeks" to outline the development strategies process.

Joint Government Session

On Wednesday October 24th leaders from the Manchester, Tullahoma, and Coffee County governments met in Tullahoma to discuss the direction of our community and what can be achieved by working together.

"It was great to see leaders from each government in our county in the same room. This was very much a new concept and something I know Mayor Norman and I spoke about just hours after this past August election. Mayor Norman has a vision of what we can accomplish as a community and his outreach with Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee has started the movement in the right direction. These meetings will become a quarterly tradition and are sure to involve some fantastic discussion about the direction of our community as a whole."

French visits New Union Elementary School

First it was a honor to speak to the children of the New Union Community. The quality of questions and the attention to detail was very impressive and something that I'm excited about as this generation grows older. I think it is important for our children to not only learn about government and the impact it has on our every day life, but also to be heard... to have their questions and concerns answered. This visit has inspired me to get more involved in our school systems and become more familiar with the concerns of the students and our teachers in our community. We are launching a new initiative at RyansReasons.com where we are focusing on our outreach to students and teachers both in our city school and in our fringe community schools as well. I will be sending out a letter to all of our educators next week that will outline the program, provide a mission statement, and list of goals that we hope to accomplish together.

Vice Mayor's Advisory Panel announced

Manchester Vice Mayor Ryan French has announced intentions to form a Community Advisory Panel. The panel will meet monthly with the Vice Mayor to report on various issues that affect the city.

 

"I'm excited to form this panel as an outlet for passionate citizens to further get involved in our community. The creation of this panel and the Mayor's Advisory Panel are fantastic examples of how we are working to open the doors of the city government to the citizens it is meant to serve", said French. "I look forward to participation from various sectors of the population. I feel strongly about the diversity of the panel, the more diverse the panel the more objective the dialog will be."

If you are interested in signing up for the Vice Mayor's Advisory Panel simply visit RyansReasons.com or pick up an application at the Mayor's office at City Hall. The deadline for applications will be October 15^th at 4:00pm

 

Ryan P. French

Vice Mayor

City of Manchester, TN

 

Contact Info:

(931) 273-6639

RyansReasons.com

CityofManchesterTN.com

  

Jones appointed Chairman of the Coffee County Commission ManchesterCaucus

Monday September 10th Steven Jones District 2 Commissioner (of the Coffee County Commission) was named Chairman of the Manchester Caucus.

The Caucus is made up of District 1 Commissioner Warren Walker, Jones in District 2, District 3 Commissioner Wilma Thomas, and District 4 Commissioner Sam Mai.

The full County Commission will meet tomorrow at 6:30pm.

Photo: Ryan French and Steve Jones

Reception, Swearing in Tuesday Night!

The new Board of Mayor and Alderman will swear in Tuesday night at 6:30pm at City Hall in downtown Manchester. Just after the ceremonies at City Hall the public is invited to join everyone at the Coffee Cafe in downtown Manchester for a reception dinner.

This dinner will be the first of the newly launched program "Meet Your Neighbors" a quarterly scheduled meeting that allows Manchester residents to come out and enjoy great food while chatting with local leaders and officials in a comfortable atmosphere.

"The idea of Meet Your Neighbors is pretty simple, but the purpose couldn't be more important. What better way to become involved in your community than to come out and tell the elected officials and other decision makers what you think? I think we will have great dialog and ideas come from these dinners and maybe meet a few new friends."  -Ryan French (Manchester Alderman)

While Tuesday night will kick off the dinner series, a schedule will be posted in September with times and dates for the events. You can see the schedule on www.RyansReasons.com or at www.Cityof ManchesterTN.com (Schedules will be posted on September 7th, 2012).

Norman trumps Superstein; Morse a strong second place

Norman trumps Superstein; Morse a strong second place

2012 Election Results From:TSINews.com

From TSINews.com

Manchester voters battered incumbent office holders Thursday, electing a new Mayor and turning out two veteran aldermen.
Lonnie Norman easily won election as Mayor, gathering 745 votes compared to 506 for incumbent Betty Superstein. Claude Morse picked up 582 votes followed by Stella McWhorter with 193 votes.
Unofficial vote totals show political newcomer Tim Pauley elected as alderman with 972 votes. Incumbent Ryan French won another City Hall term with 919 votes. Russell Bryan was elected with 915 Votes along with Cheryl Swan with 913 votes. Incumbent alderman Roxanne Patton won another term with 705 votes.
Mike Lewis gets a term on the Manchester City School Board, picking up 986 ballots. Incumbent Susan Parsley was re-elected with 941 votes. Incumbent Bob Bellamy lost a re-election bid, running in third place with 805 votes.
“I feel very fortunate to have the citizens support me and have the confidence in me to help our city become an efficient governing body.,” Swan told The Saturday Independent. “I am extremely excited about getting started and making Manchester the city we all deserve.”
Swan said that the final results “have proven” that the city is ready for what she called the “right” changes.
French echoed that the race is a “mandate from voters” to move the city forward.
“We have to lower our property tax rate, grow our retail economy and transient dollars, and re-direct common sense and decorum back into our daily business as a city,” French said.
The incumbent 27-year-old said also that the city’s infrastructure needs work. He said plans are being made to discuss several city issues and the direction the new board wants to go with them during a “State of the City Address”.

TIM PAULEY – 972 RYAN P. FRENCH – 919 RUSSELL BRYAN – 915 CHERYL SWAN – 913 ROXANNE PATTON – 705 MARK MESSICK – 592 GENE HOLMES – 479 GARY TRAIL – 442 JOSHUA MOORE – 429 BRENT BATES – 420 MICHELLE SIMMONS – 401 DONNIE THOMAS – 396 SAM MILLER – 349 DANNY DAVIS – 241

GE Stories: Healthcare

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJCiZ7J4Al4&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Ryan P. French
Alderman; City of Manchester,TN
RyansReasons.com
(931) 368-VOTE

Sent from my iPhone

I've been had! Kinda, lol!

So today many of you will get a flyer in your mail box that tells you "Reasons to Vote for French". The problem with the ad is that it doesn't have support from any element of truth or MY VOTING RECORD. 

I'm not going to waste my time defending many of the claims but I will share my voting record with everyone.

(By the way the the photo in the flyer is pretty funny, I must give kudos for the creativity).
- As Alderman I VOTED AGAINST the $550,000 peace of property that appraises for less than $150,000.

- As Alderman I VOTED AGAINST building a city police department for $2,500,000 and laid out a fiscal plan that explained why we could not afford it! Later the state agreed and we were not able to build the station.

- I HAVE A PROVED FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE VOTING RECORD.

- I have never cast a vote for Obamacare

- I have NEVER VOTED to RAISE TAXES, in fact the reason the school plan was never brought for a vote to the board of Mayor and Alderman was the fact it included a substantial tax increase.

- I have not received any endorsement from a Coffee-CountyChronic Socialist Party, nor does one exist. However I was given a A rating by the conservative values 9-12 Organization here in Coffee County.

This election is far to important to get caught up in lies and misinformation. The facts are out there, and I choose to stick by them. Thanks to everyone for their continued support and let's make sure August 2nd is the first day of a better Manchester!

-Ryan French

www.RyansReasons.com

Misinformed, Misunderstood, or Simply Wrong? (Alderman French responds to John Constantine's ad in today's Manchester Times)

As the election nears the end I wanted to say thank you both to those who have supported me over the years, and to the candidates that chose to step out on a limb and run for public office this summer. It is encouraging to see folks get involved in local government and take a stand for what is right. This summer has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for my team and I'm sure most other candidates will say the same.  

Recently I have been targeted by a negative campaign tactic, not by an opponent of mine, but by incumbent Mayor Betty Superstein's campaign. I have expressed my curiosity to Mrs. Superstein as to why I have become a target of her campaign while she is in a very highly contested race of her own, to which I have received no answer.

As I have said before my goal from day one was to run a campaign based on integrity, thoughtfulness, and the truth. While knocking door to door I have spread a message of what Manchester will be, and how we will get there. I have laid out detailed plans on projects that we need to take on, as well as how we can pay for them without raising taxes. My campaign has reached out, responded, and been as thorough as possible. 

I can not say the same for Mayor Superstien's campaign however. On Thursday July 12th Mayor Superstein first attacked me with a letter to voters. I briskly responded to the Mayor's attack by presenting the actual facts of the issues on www.RyansReasons.com and it can still be read at http://ryansreasons.blogspot.com/2012/07/letter-from-our-mayor-and-then-truth.html 

This week John Constantine, whom I've never met, took shot at discrediting my record by painting a picture of what he deemed the truth. However when one takes a closer look at Mr. Constantine's claims in support of Mayor Superstein it is easy to see it is nothing more than meaningless nonsense and a complete distortion of the truth. Mr. Constantine is known however for leading charges against others all the while clearly stepping across the ethical bounds he demands others to stay within. Take Mr. Constantine's vivid attack of the Bonnaroo Music Festival for example. In 2011 Mr. Constantine spent hundreds of dollars on advertisements bashing Bonnaroo "for all the bad they bring to our community", all the while Mr. Constantine continued to request and receive thousands of dollars worth of FREE Bonnaroo tickets. 

Credibility is earned through constantly displaying a moral standard that one not only sets the bar for but achieves themselves. Unfortunately for Mr. Constantine the only thing consistent about his attack on myself and others, is the lies he tells through out his ad. 

As I have said before I will not get involved in mudslinging contest, but I will however present the FACTS of the claims a candidate chooses to make. In doing so here is a breakdown of the actual FACTS Mr. Constantine regrettably left out of his attack.

Constantine's Claim: 2% raise for all employees this year with NO tax increase

FACT: The city did indeed give a 2% raise for all of it's employees this year with out a tax increase, one can argue however that the raise was not properly budgeted. Rather than actually generating a line item for the employee raise and meeting a criteria in order to present it, the mayor's budget simply CUT FUNDS from the city paving budget. This was a one time campaign season raise plain and simple.

Constantine's Claim: Mr. Constantine gives Mayor Superstein credit for "Lynchburg Road sidewalk project complete for safer streets near Westwood."

FACT: In 2010 I presented a 4-phase improvement plan for the Westwood area sidewalks and walking paths. Mayor Superstein was not in support of the project stating "we do not have the funds", just a hand full of days later the Mayor supported a $550,000 land purchase for a peace of property that appraises for less than $150,000. The sidewalk project was tabled and later brought back to the Street Committee where Alderman Parsley, Alderman Norman, and myself voted to fund the project. 

Constantine's Claim: Both Lynchburg Road and the green way were funded by grants and not tax money

FACT: The Lynchburg Road sidewalk project was funded 100% by city funds within the budget of the street department. In fact after the project was analyzed by Alderman Parsley, Alderman Norman, and myself before it was voted through and it was our determination at the advise of Street Department Head Bret Carter that the project could be done internally to save a great deal of tax payer dollars. This decision saved some $82,000 as the project came under budget at $44,000 rather than the projected $126,000 had the project been contracted out. 

The green way projects were in fact in most part funded by a grant, but a MATCHING grant that did require city funds. Nevertheless Constantine claims neither project was funded by "tax money", 100% of grant funds ARE TAX MONEY.

Constantine's Claim: Candidate Lonnie Norman RAISED TAXES when he was mayor in the 90's reaching 2.85. The current rate is 2.2999.

FACTS: While taxes were raised in the 90's it was due to projects such as the idea of the Recreation Center, and improvements to city hall and the police department. What Constantine does not mention is that as Mayor Lonnie Norman did not have a vote on the tax increase, and as Alderman Lonnie Norman in fact voted multiple times to lower the tax rate, including the final vote setting the rate at 2.2999.

Constantine's Claim: "Alderman Ryan French says it doesn't matter how many meeting he has missed", "Missing 26% of work days would get most people fired."

FACT: Mr. Constantine not only left out a large part of what I said, he changed my actual quote. I was asked by Josh Peterson of the Manchester Times, why I had missed 26% of the meetings during my first term. The answer is simple: I do not miss regularly called meetings. Out of the 26% the Manchester Times claims I have missed more than 90% of those meetings are special called meetings held at NOON during the week. The irony of Mr. Constantine's statement of "missing would get most people fired" is the fact I work during the day and can not attend most special called meetings. It is my belief that government should work within the publicly called and scheduled meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month. That is what it reads in our charter, and it is how I believe our government should work. Being an elected official should be open to all citizens, including those who have to work a 40 hour a week job to support their family like myself.

Constantine's Claim: When Alderman French "stated that the new ladder truck could not be used to save live- that is a lie." It passed the same test as a $1M truck.

FACT: In my response to Mayor Superstein's letter I stated that the ladder truck could not be used for rescue. The gold standard for purchasing a new ladder truck has always been the ability to rescue from the top of our highest buildings. Kingwood Arms is constantly used as the example for why we needed a ladder truck in the first place. While some claim the new truck can rescue from the top of the Kingwood Arms complex, the math simply does not work out. While the ladder DOES reach the top of the complex it does so ONLY while parked directly beside the physicality. The problem is that when there is an actual fire, the trucks are required to leave 75 feet of space between the truck and the structure fire, when this criteria is met the truck is no longer able to rescue from the top of the building. While I may have needed a bit more explanation for my comment it was in no way a lie, the math supports my statement 100%. 

As of this past Thursday our "gently used" truck has been shelved due to a tie rod and now a possible issue with the stabilizer. The problem is the truck sits on a 1974 chassis and parts are not longer available. At this point parts needed to fix the truck must be custom fabrication parts. 

Constantine's Claim: Mayoral candidate Lonnie Norman admitted he would like to "go back to how things used to be" when it comes to conducting city business.

FACT: Again, Mr. Constantine chooses to leave out what candidate Lonnie Norman was referencing in his statement. During the candidate forum Josh Peterson asked Mr. Norman what he would like to see change in how city business is conducted. Mr. Norman said that he would like to see us go back to how things used to be when referencing how the committees use to reconcile their budgets. Our city budgeting process is suppose to allow the committees that govern each department to speak one on one with the finance director in putting together the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. However under Mayor Superstein's administration this process is skipped, and the budget is simply given to the departments in a take it or leave it fashion. There is no pure budgeting process where elected officials are allowed to have discussions about the direction of the city. 

Constantine's Claim: "Does this mean reckless spending on unnecessary items like a $310,000 wood chipper he  (Lonnie Norman) voted to purchase that was later sold for half price?"

FACT: At the time Alderman Betty Superstein voted to purchase BOTH the wood chipper, and the road grader Mr. Constantine references. Here are the meeting minutes where as Finance Chairman Mrs. Superstein voted for each peace of equipment.

Constantine's Claim: Mayor Superstein has true business experience managing a medical office. What real business experience do the other candidates have?

FACT: Mr. Constantine, glad you asked. Both Mayoral candidates Lonnie Norman and Claude Morse have EXTENSIVE management experience, managing budgets for the base well into the millions and millions of dollars. Myself, I have managed yearly budgets well into the millions of dollars for TWO Fortune 50 companies, and have been doing so since the age of 19. Not only do "the other candidates" have great business minds and experience, each of them are leaders that have ran exceptional campaigns and hold themselves to exceptional high moral standards. I wish we could say the same for you Mr. Constantine. 

Listen to Candidate Forum NOW!

Listen to the Thunder Radio - Manchester Times Alderman Candidate Forum by clicking the link below!

http://www.thunder1320.com/?page_id=19

A Letter from our Mayor, and then the Truth

On Thursday many of you across Manchester received a letter in the mail from our current Mayor and candidate in this years Mayors race Betty Superstein.

First I would like to express my deepest regrets that a candidate with a 11 year voting record on the board of Mayor and Alderman would stoop to the levels this letter clearly plunges to. Serving you as a Alderman the past 3 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have fought hard to ensure each vote is cast with integrity and only after being properly evaluated.

This summer I have campaigned on various issues that I feel are extremely important to the future of our community and I have been very open to the fact we need new leadership. We need leadership with fresh ideas, an open mind, and someone willing to lead with the many rather than be led by a few.

Mayor Superstein's letter clearly shows that her record is not strong enough on its own to bolster a proper re-election campaign. Instead she has chosen a path of misconception and at best a disingenuous twist of the truth.

I am running for Alderman, not Mayor and to this point I have interjected my opinion only on the issues, concerns, and thoughts that will move our city forward. With that being said, I can not in good faith allow the Mayor to spread so many untruths without offering the public the real facts of each matter.

Mayor's Claim: We LOWERED taxes in city from 2.42 to 2.29 in 2010.
The FACTS: While it is true that we did lower the tax RATE in 2010, we did this ONLY after your property values had increased thus the savings for each resident was a staggering $0. While the Mayor's statement is not exactly false, it is designed to mislead voters into thinking we actually experienced a tax cut.

Mayor's Claim: Lonnie Norman, Sam Miller, and Ryan French wanted the city to buy a fire truck for $1,000,000 with no plan to pay for it.

The FACTS: This is simply untrue, and is not supported through the minutes of the Board of Mayor and Alderman. While attempting to smear my fiscally responsible voting record the Mayor fails to mention that the ONLY discussion of a city fire truck on my behalf was during a vote to build a new city police department costing around $2.5 MILLION (that Mayor Superstien VOTED FOR). As the minutes will support I laid out a detailed financial report that outlined why the city DID NOT HAVE THE FUNDS to support a $2.5 MILLION dollar project without a tax increase, and my concerns that a new police department was not at the top of our priorities as a city stating that we had needs to address like "sidewalks for children to walk to school on, and a firetruck to secure our safety rating would not be dropped". While I am pleased that we do have a stop gap firetruck right now the fact of the matter is that the truck our Mayor is touting as slightly used is 30 years old, and can not be used for rescue.

Mayor's Claim:We have created 482 new jobs in Manchester/Coffee County

The FACTS: 482 new jobs have been created in the past 5 years in the entire County, however not all 482 jobs have went exclusively to Coffee County Residents let alone Manchester Residents. The reality is that we have seen less than 100 jobs created IN MANCHESTER the past 5 years.

Mayor's Claim: We are saving $18,000 by moving the elections to only even years.

The FACTS: We are saving with moving the elections, there are no doubts about that. However our city has NEVER spent more than $13,000 on any election and this is supported by receipts and line item budgeting obtained from our city Finance offices. Also the Mayor neglects to mention that the legislation she pointed out and supported EXTENDED HER TERM 1 FULL YEAR WITHOUT A VOTE FROM THE PUBLIC.

In 2009 I presented a plan to the Finance Committee (supported by the minuets of the finance committee) that would have allowed the city to move it's elections to even years without the extension of terms our officials were currently elected to. My proposal was rejected and the legislation was presented to extend the terms of the Mayor, Alderman Thomas, and Alderman Patton.

Mayor Superstein touts this legislation as cost savings however refused to answer my question as to how the city can save money by requiring a Alderman to step down before running for Mayor in the city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHDnzN1VBM&feature=g-upl


Moving forward I refuse to get caught in the cross hairs of negative, divisive, and untrue claims. Instead I will continue to knock on doors and spread the word of what I feel can be a better Manchester. This election is far to important to get caught up in disingenuous mudslinging, but I feel the public has a right to hear the TRUTH on these claims.


Ryan P. French

(931) 273-6639
www.facebook.com/ryanpatrickfrench
www.RyansReasons.com

Alderman Candidate Forum 7.12.12

I would like to thank everyone who came out, listened to, and that are talking about the Thunder Radio - Manchester Times Candidate forum last night. Manchester is at a crossroads in our great city's history and we have a opportunity that some could only dream of, we have the opportunity take our government back and return it to people of our community.

This election must be about what we can do, what our city can be. We can no longer settle for failed policies, we can not longer accept NO. Our government is designed to be for the people, and ran by the people... not just a select few folks. It is time that we elect strong minded individuals that will cast a vote ONLY after it is right in their heart, and their homework on the issue is complete.

I warn everyone that has followed this election in any capacity that the fight is not over, it has just begun. Do not become complacent, do not allow negative attacks on an individual sway your determination. Cast your vote and select the folks you feel most comfortable will lead our city to the prosperity our community deserves.

I encourage each of you to listen to the Candidate Forum online by visiting http://www.thunder1320.com/?page_id=19 and be sure to let your let your friends and family know where to go as well!

Thank you so much to everyone for the great conversations, relationships, and comments that I have had, developed, and heard throughout this election process.

Thanks,

Ryan P. French

(931) 273-6639
www.RyansReasons.com
http://www.facebook.com/ryanpatrickfrench

Manchester and Bonnaroo... the buck$ dont lie, do they?

There are a number of reasons salestrends are down during the actual festival itself, some of them are obvious andsimple, some not so much. A lot of locals are in the festival be it workingwith a organization or just going to go, and some of them are at home avoidingtraffic. That’s why we have to focus on all factors involved, including asimple campaign to educated residences on heavy traffic times. Why not publishexpectations of traffic: when it will be heavy and for how long. It’s difficultto expect folks to come out in town when your stopped by the Highway Patrol atevery red light, but if local patrons knew a more detailed schedule provided bythe city of when to expect traffic and when not to I think that would go a longway.

MusicTree was a perfect example ofhow local and non-local traffic affects our city in various ways.Thursday-Monday in large part was supported by local and semi-regional crowdsand those days were super successful. Tuesday and Wednesday on the other handwas a unique mix of local and non-local folks. It is important that we recognizeour days of retail opportunity on Bonnaroo traffic is primarily the Tuesday andWednesday before Bonnaroo and the Sunday and Monday at the tail end ofBonnaroo. Obviously pre-Bonnaroo sales will be stronger, so the questionbecomes how do we market the Tuesday and Wednesday before? One example isMusicTree.

MusicTree focused on the lead up toBonnaroo Traffic (Thursday-Monday) just as much as the two days of primarysales opportunity (Tuesday and Wednesday). This goes back to my general feelingthat we need to evaluate our approach to Music Industry as a city. We embraceBonnaroo and that's great, but we can do more. Rather than just embracing Musicone weekend a year we should focus on the total musical experience our cityoffers year round.

As a local government we are alwaystalking about Manufacturing Industry and Retail Industry and while both areequally important more often than not we overlook what I feel could beManchester's long term strong point and that is in the Tourism Industry.Tourism is the second largest Industry in the United States, and only ONE cityhas the opportunity that we have and it’s us! We are not only home to thelargest Music Festival in North America, but we are sandwiched in between majormusic powers in Nashville and Atlanta and growing music powers in Murfreesboroand Chattanooga. Combine that with that fact we are on the Tennessee Jack Trailleading to Jack Daniels as well as having our very own Coffee County Whiskey inGeorge Dickel and a fantastic nature and history experiences with Old StoneFort and Civil War Trails, it positions us well to make an aggressive campaignfor market share in the Tourism Industry.

 As a government I think we need to be past thepoint of embarrassing all that music brings and to move to the point ofpromoting all of what music can do for Manchester. As a city we need to takethe next step and become that next Austin, TX type city on a smaller scale. Ourcommunity is ready to take that step; MusicTree was just a small example ofthat. Our local folks supported the days leading up to Bonnaroo traffic just aswell as the Bonnaroo traffic supported it once they got here. Our citizens areready to become part of the music scene, now it’s time for our local governmentto support that transition.

 As for the short term affect of Bonnaroo weneed to start with comprehensive traffic details to locals as well as focus on drivingtransient traffic to our local folks the days leading up to Bonnaroo,maximizing the opportunity to drive sales on those primary sales days. For example:why does the city of Manchester not have bill boards on all major entrancesinto town. We could even do a co-op campaign with local businesses that said “ExperienceManchester The home of Bonnaroo” or "Show your wrist band for exclusivediscounts in these great local shops" We need a marketing strategy as acity rather than depending on folks to just wonder around and stumble on asmall local business. We always hear of shop local campaigns, and that's allfine. But we need to understand that we are a transient city and we shouldfocus on driving transient dollars into our local businesses rather than justdepending on our local folks to support small businesses alone.

Eight-Year-Old Honored For Crime Fighting

MANCHESTER, Tenn.- A pint-sized detective who helped catch a crook in one mid-state town has gotten some high praises.

Manchester 8-year old Landon Crabtree received the key to the City all for using his tech-savvy skills to recover a bunch of stolen goods and break up a crime ring. Last month Landon was heartbroken when he learned his iPad, Playstation, and about $10,000 worth of his family's belongings were stolen.

After his family's insurance money allowed the family to replace the iPad, the young investigator got to work on his favorite app. The app showed him exactly where his stolen iPad was located and his tip led police to a nearby hotel where they arrested the suspect.

BOMA meeting 4/3/2012

CITY OF MANCHESTER

PROPOSED BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN AGENDA

April 3, 2012

6:30 p.m.

No Work Session at 5:30 p.m.

1.

INVOCATION

2.

PLEDGE TO THE FLAG

3.

ROLL CALL

4.

MINUTES - March 15, 2012, March 20, 2012, March 26, 2012, and March 27, 2012​

5.

CORRESPONDENCE

6.

COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS

7.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE MAYOR

COMMITTEES:  Safety; Finance; Street; Street Lighting;Water & Sewer Commission;

Recreation; Tourism; Planning Commission

8.

RESOLUTIONS & ORDINANCES

Ordinances

1.

3rd reading of an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, Sections 1 and 2 of the Manchester Municipal Code, the same being the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Manchester, Tennessee, to amend that ordinance and zoning map to provide that real estate owned by Doyle E. Lewis Jr. be rezoned as C-3 Commercial from I-1 Industrial.  Sponsored by Alderman Holmes.

2.

2nd reading of an ordinance to permit the Recreation Department to accept payment by credit or debit cards for fees due the City of Manchester for the use of recreation facilities.  Sponsored by Alderman Patton.

3.

1st reading of an ordinance to authorize the purchase of four (4) Ford automobiles from Ford of Murfreesboro.  Sponsored by Alderman Holmes.  

9.

OLD BUSINESS

10.

NEW BUSINESS

11.

ITEMS FROM THE BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN

12.

ADJOURNMENT      

Ryan P. French

Alderman; City of Manchester,TN

RyansReasons.com

(931) 368-VOTE

Sent from my iPhone

Full Story: TSI "Misconduct"

A Saturday Independent probe over several weeks has uncovered sources who allege that city officials regularly use inmate trustees from the Coffee County Jail to do personal work on their vehicles, homes, and own equipment. Interviews with legal experts, former trustees and city officials corroborate a pattern of misconduct involving the improper use of city-owned earth-moving equipment, using inmates to do mechanical repairs and odd jobs at the personal residences of some city officials, and the use of inmates as a personal car detail service. A former trustee who worked at CIty Hall from December, 2010, to June, 2011, told TSI that he has washed well in excess of 100 personal vehicles for elected officials and “multiple officers”. “I’ve washed [Manchester] Mayor [Betty] Superstein’s P.O.V. [personal-owned vehicle] at least 50 times”. Trustees allegedly ran errands for elected officials, according to our sources. “I was driven by Scotty Peterson to unload groceries at Mayor Superstein’s home, and cleaned her garage of furniture and other personal items. We were instructed to do whatever the mayor wanted “no questions asked”. The trustee said this took place place spring. “We were told not to say anything, and if we didn’t, we would be allowed to stay out of jail longer and eat a second meal at Jiffy Burger rather than eating jail food.” TSI has confirmed from multiple sources that calls often go out over the Manchester police primary radio – which is at City Hall – for officers to pick up these food orders from the local restaurant. All work release inmates normally eat a packed lunch. However, those under the ward of Manchester City eat up to two meals a day, “except for Sundays,” at Jiffy Burger. “I’ve been taken to several officer’s houses to work on their personal property. One instance that comes to mind is working on an officer’s tractor. “City equipment is also used for personal use. Scotty Peterson dug a pond on his property with city equipment. “Get an estimate on what something like that costs and it’s pretty darn steep. They were telling people it was for fill dirt for the city, but that dirt is pretty worthless as far as quality goes.” That instance occurred roughly one year ago. The dirt reportedly was to be used to fill-in a site on Interstate Drive in Manchester that the City had targeted for a new police station. That project has been stalled because of funding issues. Another trustee told TSI that not only did he have friends and relatives visit him at City Hall, but even engaged in sex with his girlfriend while under the charge of the City. “There’s a bed under the staircase for the inmates to sleep. I had my girlfriend come up there and used the bed for sexual relations three or four times I’d say”. This not the first time in the City’s history that misuse of inmates by city officials was bought to inter-departmental and public attention. In the late 1990s, then City Administrator Tom Head reprimanded current Manchester Police Capt. Wilma Thomas for using inmates for personal chores. Thomas was suspended from her duties on the police force for two weeks. “Tennessee’s official misconduct statute only applies to public officials who have an affirmative duty to act and refuse to do so or who misuse their official authority for private gain.” Op. Tenn. Atty. Gen. 09-72 (May 6, 2009). Pursuant to T.C.A. § 39-16-402(a), a public servant commits an offense who, with intent to obtain a benefit, or to harm another, intentionally or knowingly: 1. Commits an act relating to the servant’s office or employment that constitutes an unauthorized exercise of official power; 2. Commits an act under color of office or employment (acting or purporting to act in an official capacity or take advantage of such actual or purported capacity) that exceeds the servant’s power; 3. Refrains from performing a duty that is imposed by law or that is clearly inherent in the nature of the office or employment; 4. Violates a law relating to the servant’s office or employment, or 5. Receives any benefit not otherwise provided by law. It is a defense to prosecution for this offense that the benefit involved was a trivial benefit incidental to personal, professional or business contact, and involved no substantial risk of undermining official impartiality. T.C.A. § 39-16-402(c). The offense of official misconduct is a Class E felony. T.C.A. § 39-16-402(d). See State v. Szczepanowski, 2002 WL 1358681 (Tenn.Crim.App. 2002) (upholding the constitutionality of the statute); State v. Chumbley, 2007 WL 1774250 (Tenn.Crim.App. 2007) (jail administrator convicted of official misconduct and theft). See also Op. Tenn. Atty. Gen. 94-073 (June 16, 1994) (the acceptance of a gift by a county official or employee from a company that does business with the county may, depending upon the circumstances, constitute the criminal offense of official misconduct); Op. Tenn. Atty. Gen. U93-48 (April 6, 1993) (a school superintendent requiring vocational students to provide repair work to his personal residence may constitute official misconduct); Op. Tenn. Atty. Gen. 91-76 (August 20, 1991) (a deputy sheriff is not entitled to a reward given for a service performed within the duties of his office; the acceptance of such a reward might be considered official misconduct). Under T.C.A. § 8-47-103, county attorneys are directed to investigate any complaint alleging that a county officer within their jurisdiction is guilty of any of the acts constituting official misconduct as set forth in T.C.A. § 8-47-101, and upon determination of reasonable cause, to institute a proceeding in the appropriate court to oust such official. Inquiries to the Manchester Mayor’s office were not returned as of late Friday night. This is an ongoing investigation. More will be posted at www.tsinews.com.

Alderman Denouces Misconduct

To say I am shocked about today’s story in TSI News would not justify my feelings. I feel cheated, lied to, and outraged. I ran for office to move this city forward with progressive thought, intuitive conversation, and open dialog that would insure the futures of our children, protect the rights of our seniors, and respect the path cut by our past civil servants and military men and women. Behavior like this is a slap in the face to all mentioned. I denounce this behavior and call for a prompt response to the allegations, followed proper actions to correct the wrong doing.

www.tsinews.com

www.RyansReasons.com

BOMA Agenda 3-6-2012

CITY OF MANCHESTER

BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN AGENDA

March 6, 2012

6:30 p.m.

No Work Session at 5:30 p.m.

1.

INVOCATION

2.

PLEDGE TO THE FLAG

3.

ROLL CALL

4.

MINUTES –February 21, 2012

5.

CORRESPONDENCE

6.

COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS

7.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE MAYOR

COMMITTEES:  Safety; Finance; Street; Street Lighting;Water & Sewer Commission;

Recreation; Tourism; Planning Commission

8.

RESOLUTIONS & ORDINANCES

Resolution

1.

A resolution approving a tuition policy for students who reside outside the City of Manchester to attend City Schools.  Sponsored by Alderman Thomas

Ordinances

1.

1st reading of an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, Sections 1 and 2 of the Manchester Municipal Code, the same being the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Manchester, Tennessee, to amend that ordinance and zoning map to provide that real estate owned by Doyle E. Lewis Jr. be rezoned as C-3 Commercial from I-1 Industrial.  Sponsored by Alderman Holmes.

2.

1st reading of an ordinance to approve leasing of approximately 32.35 acres of land from New Era Farms, LLC for use by the Recreation Department.  Sponsored by Alderman Patton.

9.

OLD BUSINESS

10.

NEW BUSINESS

11.

ITEMS FROM THE BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN

12.

ADJOURNMENT      

Ryan P. French

Alderman; City of Manchester,TN

RyansReasons.com

(931) 368-VOTE

Sent from my iPhone