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March 17, 2006

“It Is An Organization That Is Broken.”

Chattanoogans woke up Wednesday, March 15th, to the sound of bombs going off at City Hall. The Littlefield administration, which lost the Kia auto manufacturing plant and destroyed Corker's Outdoor Chattanooga initiative all in a 48-hour span, was previously a do-nothing embarrassment. It’s now reeling out of control with charges of corruption and unethical behavior coming from a key insider. How did Ron Littlefield respond to charges of malfeasance? Name calling, of course. More on that in moment.

Back at the start of this travesty, and by that I mean the Littlefield administration, Worst Mayor Ever Ron Littlefield tried to lure Larry Zehnder back into city government, but Larry turned him down. It went back and forth for weeks, but Larry opted to stay with the big-bucks he was making in the private sector—and who could blame him. Big bucks: good. Working for Ron Littlefield and having to sell your soul to his political pandering and wimpy leadership: bad.

So Ron pulled Rob Healy over from Outdoor Chattanooga and ‘promoted’ him to head of Parks & Rec. Given Rob’s energy level and all-around good-guyness, we all were glad it happened. However, after a few months working in the moral quagmire that is the Littlefield Administration, Healy discovered something not quite right in his department and he exposed it. And that made some people upset. [Yes, the racial whisperings you've heard played a part, to what degree, I'm still trying to discover.] And being the gutless wonder that he is, Littlefield caved in to pressure and demoted Rob Healy back to Outdoor Chattanooga (calling it a ‘promotion,’ naturally).

Littlefield hired Zehnder on contract with his private-sector firm for nearly $100,000 for 30 weeks, because people are comfortable with Larry Zehnder. [BTW, what’s up with that time period? That contract works out to @ $173,000 a year. Just wanted the real figure out there. Ron is apparently trying to hide how much money he’s really blowing on this fiasco.]

Did you notice how quickly Ron started the attacks on Healy? The sun was just cresting Missionary Ridge the morning after Healy's bombshell of a speech at City Council and Littlefield was already on the radio trying to demonize Healy by calling him a “suicide bomber” and making it seem like he’s some whacko on the edge of a nervous breakdown. But that wasn’t enough, so he calls a press conference and attacks Rob’s character some more.

Nota bene: if you cross Ron Littlefield, he turns vicious—and quick.

Amazingly, as the story developed and went to day two and even day three, Rob came out ahead. Finally, the media and the public are realizing how bereft this administration is. Letters to the Editor, multiple blog entries, not to mention newspaper and TV coverage galore—all presenting Healy as the Mr. Smith going to Washington right here in River City. The good news is that Healy's honesty prevailed.

Things were bad, before, but as of last Wednesday morning, the Littlefield administration is officially dead in the water.

I even heard business people down at the Sports Barn speculating on who will run for Mayor now that Ron’s been exposed, discredited and humiliated. And then it hit me:

Healy For Mayor!

Comments to: worstmayorever@aol.com

Posted by Billy Blades at 02:48 PM | TrackBack