Redistricting
Recent
redistricting across the State of Tennessee has had a significant
impact on Jefferson County |
|
In the most recent election, Jefferson County elected two
Representatives to the State House. The redistricting process
divided Jefferson County into Districts 11 and 17, sharing
representation with Cocke and Greene Counties in District 11 and
Sevier County in District 17. Jeremy Faison will represent Jefferson
County in District 11. Faison is an incumbent and has previously
represented Cocke County in the State House. This will be his first
time to represent Jefferson County's interest in Nashville. Andrew
Farmer is the newly elected State House Representative from District
17. Farmer is a freshman representative in Nashville and will
represent both Jefferson and Sevier Counties. Faison is a native of
Cocke County and Farmer is a native of Sevier County. During the
redistricting process, the question arose concerning the impact of
splitting counties across the State.
Neighboring counties that share representation may have
conflicting needs in the State and the issue could be problematic
for those counties that do not have native representation. Jefferson
County Mayor Alan Palmieri addressed the issue of Jefferson County’s
split representation in an interview last week. He stated that the
issue is a double edged sword. The concept of regional government,
rather than isolationist, could have benefits to the County. New
redistricting lines require that County governments work together to
benefit all Counties in the represented area. Mayor Palmieri stated
that Jefferson County can benefit from the relationship with Sevier,
Cocke and Greene Counties. Though the demographics of the counties
are somewhat different, the cross representation could bolster
Jefferson County’s position in the State. The Mayor said that there
is already an excellent working relationship between the Mayors in
the counties. There are some issues that are unique to Jefferson
County, including the hot button issue of the Norfolk Southern
Intermodal. Palmieri stated that he has recently spoken to Norfolk
Southern and that there is still no definitive word on the
Intermodal proposal, however there has been movement to acquire and
prepare property in the footprint of the proposed project.
Mayor Palmieri stated that the Mayors in the local
municipalities, as well as those in the neighboring counties that
Jefferson County will share State representation, have signed
letters of support for the Intermodal project. Though the Intermodal
project is not the only issue on the horizon that will affect
Jefferson County, it is one whose impact is unique to Jefferson
County. The Mayor said that it is wise that all the counties
maintain a good working relationship, which requires the Elected and
Appointed County Government Officials to be sensitive of the
relationship. The downside of a shared representation, according to
Mayor Palmieri, is that conflicts, should they arise, could be
problematic for Jefferson County. Though there is not a native
Jefferson County resident in the House, Frank Nicely will represent
District 8, which includes Jefferson County, in the State Senate.
Nicely is the longtime representative in State House District 17,
which was comprised of a small portion of Knox and most of Jefferson
County. The districts were shifted in the redistricting process.
Though Nicely is new to the Senate, he is experienced in State
government and is a native of Jefferson County. Farmer and Faison
have committed to the interests in Jefferson County and have both
been visible figures in the County, both before and after the
election. Mayor Palmieri discussed the divide between East, Middle
and West Tennessee in the State political machine. He stated that
the new redistricting could bring some additional clout to the
region when it comes to representing East Tennessee. Mayor Palmieri
said that, overall, the positives in the new shared districts appear
to outweigh the negatives. He noted that the Jefferson County vote
is integral in any representative being elected and that he believes
that there is strong representation in both the State House and
Senate for Jefferson County. New representatives will be sworn in to
their elected positions in the beginning of the New Year and have
already received extensive orientation for their office. |
|
CDC Lists East
Tennessee as Regional Outbreak Area for Influenza |
|
The influenza season has arrived early in East
Tennessee and the State is listed by the Center for Disease Control
as one that has had regional outbreaks of influenza. Experts are
encouraging all residents that have not yet received the influenza
vaccination to get one as soon as possible. It is important to
remember that vaccinations cannot be given to those that are
currently ill and the vaccination does not take full effect until
two weeks from the vaccination date. Those exposed to the influenza
virus during that two week waiting period will be at risk for
getting the flu. It is also important to note vaccinations may not
completely remove the risk of obtaining the flu, though it should at
the minimum reduce the complications of the influenza virus. Good
hand washing is one of the best defenses from contracting the flu,
as well a limiting contact with infected individuals. The CDC
encourages all residents to wash hands well and properly while
shopping during the Holiday Season and to avoid putting hands around
eyes, nose and mouth. Those that have influenza symptoms should seek
medical advice and limit contact with others to avoid spreading the
virus. |
|
 |
Haslam Announces State
Will Not Run Health-Care Exchange
“Tennessee faces a decision this
week about health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care
Act... |
|
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday the state will not
operate a state-based healthcare exchange under the federal
Affordable Care Act. Haslam made the following statement on the
issue:
“Tennessee faces a decision this week about health insurance
exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.
“I'm not a fan of the law. The more I know, the more harmful I think
it will be for small businesses and costly for state governments and
the federal government. It does nothing to address the cost of
health care in our country. It only expands a broken system. That’s
why I’ve opposed it from the beginning and had hoped we would be
successful in court and at the ballot box this year.“Now we’re
faced with the fact that the law remains, and it requires every
state to participate in an insurance exchange. Our decision is
whether the state or federal government should run it, and the
deadline for that decision is Friday.
“I've said that I think Tennessee could run a state exchange cheaper
and better, and my natural inclination is to keep the federal
government out of our business as much as possible. What our
administration has been working to understand is whether we'd have
the flexibility for it to be a true state-based exchanged, how the
data exchange would work, and if it would work.
“Since the presidential election, we've received 800-plus pages of
draft rules from the federal government, some of which actually
limit state decisions about running an exchange more than we
expected.
“The Obama administration has set an aggressive timeline to
implement exchanges, while there is still a lot of uncertainty about
how the process will actually work. What has concerned me more and
more is that they seem to be making this up as they go.
“In weighing all of the information we currently have, I informed
the federal government today that Tennessee will not run a
state-based exchange. If conditions warrant in the future and it
makes sense at a later date for Tennessee to run the exchange, we
would consider that as an option at the appropriate time.
“This decision comes after months of consideration and analysis. It
is a business decision based on what is best for Tennesseans with
the information we have now that we’ve pressed hard to receive from
Washington. If this were a political decision, it would’ve been
easy, and I would’ve made it a long time ago.
“I believe my job is to get to the right answer. That’s what
Tennesseans expect of me and elected me to do.” |
|
U.S. Troops and
Patriot Missiles Deployed to Turkey
By: Jake Depew,
Jefferson County Post Staff Writer |
|
In response to
the threat of Syrian national forces moving into Turkey, the United
States is sending troops and patriot missiles to the Turkey-Syria
border. The movement will consist of two patriot missile batteries
and 400 U.S. troops to operate the batteries. The decision comes
amongst fears of Syrian shelling killing Turkish civilians, a
scenario that killed 5 civilians this past October. A military
advance team will be deployed in the following days, though no exact
time schedule has been revealed. The troops and batteries are
predicted to be in place by the second week of January. U.S. Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta has stated that the missile batteries will be
targeting “threats that come out of Syria.” Panetta has stressed
that these forces are to be used solely for defensive purposes, and
that there is no offensive nature to the decision. The United States
is not alone in its decision to defend the border, with the German
parliament approving the deployment of the country’s own patriot
missiles to Turkey this past Friday. The decision also comes amidst
speculations by NATO officials that ballistic missile fire has been
detected within Syria. Similarly, the United States claims that
Damascus fired Scud missiles at northern rebel forces, with many
missiles falling dangerously close to the Turkish border. The Syrian
national government completely denies any of these accusations.
|
|
 |
|