Love-Hate Mail
Taking daylight seriously
Much appreciation to Jack Silverman for bringing to our attention yet another reason that Middle Tennessee should be in the Eastern Time Zone—mental health (“Dark Days,” Nov. 17). This, in addition to geography, economics, school schedules, outdoor recreational activities, energy usage, safety and just plain common sense. I mean, for God’s sake, look at a map!
But, once again, this winter our citizens will slog through the season, bitching and moaning about how early it gets dark and how miserable and depressing this city is, and nobody will do a damn thing about it. Meanwhile, folks in Atlanta and Dallas will live the good life, basking in the evening daylight while we watch the sun disappear at 4 p.m. It’s so simple to fix, yet no elected official has the guts to tackle the project. Oh well, good thing Nissan made their exploratory visit back in the spring.
Lee Van Dyke
lvandyke@charon.nfp.com (Nashville)
Even fake blondes have more fun
In last week’s editorial (“ISO the Wild-Card Candidate”), you stated that “...you’d sooner see Adam Dread dating a brunette than hear those words uttered.” I must offer a point of clarification. Most of the blondes I date are, in fact, brunettes.
Adam Dread
adam@adamdread.com (Nashville)
Podcast love
Love that Collin Wade Monk guy. Keep up the good work.
Robby Ego
RobbyEgo@Yahoo.com (Nashville)
Editor’s Note: Monk is our weekly SceneCast host. Find him and our podcast online every Wednesday at www.nashvillescene.com.
In Summers’ defense
In the Scene’s latest jab at Metro Council member John Summers (“ ‘We All Hate That Son of a Bitch,’ ” Nov. 17), William Dean Hinton landed a low blow with a lopsided story lacking adequate context, one laced with quotes from known foes with unknown agendas and a smattering of unsubstantiated allegations. Bonus points for the cheap shot headline. A tip for the next round: the quotes from the anti-Summers crowd came off as hateful and hypocritical. Next time, for greater impact, massage those to make Summers appear to be the lone bad guy.
Kip Campbell
211 Lauderdale Road, Nashville
Awww
William Dean Hinton’s account of the Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association’s vote on the conservation overlay was lively, entertaining and well written. It did make me feel a bit like the road-kill possum being pecked at by a carrion feeder, but I suppose that is part of the cycle of life.
I don’t want to be in the position of defending John Summers, but I would like to comment on the issue of the SPNA steering committee. Hinton’s statement that “According to the association bylaws, at least eight members must be present to conduct association business. Whenever opponents wanted to vote on the overlay, Summers and other steering committee members simply walked out, effectively defeating any attempt at a meaningful vote,” may be interpreted to mean that all the members of the steering committee walked out. We did not. The statement may also be interpreted to mean that all those who left did so to avoid a vote. Such was not the case. Like volunteers for many organizations, steering committee members have lives outside the organization, and when the hour allotted for the meeting was exhausted, they simply left to get to other commitments and obligations. In some cases, steering committee members departed once their tolerance for abuse and contentiousness had been depleted.
I don’t want to be in a position of defending John Summers, but it is my duty, and it is very much my privilege, to offer clarification regarding Ken Nelson. At the time of his resignation last May, Ken had served as recording secretary for 40 continuous months. Until the approval of the April minutes came up in May, there had never been any question of “his minutes [not] accurately reflect[ing] the proceedings.” Ken did not “quit in the middle of a meeting,” but rather, left shortly after 8 p.m., by which time meetings are supposed to end. Ken also served as coordinator of our quarterly newsletter delivery for more years than any of us can remember. When he resigned, he made sure that all his records were turned over to the steering committee. It took five months to fill his position as recording secretary, and it took two people to replace him as coordinator of newsletter distribution. I will refrain from enumerating the other tasks he undertook for SPNA, but will say that they were legion.
I don’t want to be in a position of defending John Summers, but I would like to offer an observation regarding his record as it pertains to Sylvan Park. When developers have come to him with potential projects requiring a zone change from single-family housing to multi-family housing (i.e., apartment complexes), he has steadfastly insisted that they secure the support of the neighborhood before he would introduce a bill. He has devoted time, energy and the resources at his disposal toward furthering the progress of the Richland Creek Greenway. He has been instrumental in the implementation of traffic calming measures that were very much desired by Sylvan Park residents and supported by SPNA. Ditto for bike lanes. Ditto for the protected left turn from Charlotte onto 46th Avenue.
Therefore, I must respectfully disagree with John Dean’s colorful assessment that “we all hate that son of a bitch.” Some of us actually appreciate him and recognize that, like the rest of us, he is an imperfect human being, but a human being nonetheless, and at least in his case, one who cares about Nashville’s neighborhoods.
F. Clark Williams
Vice President, Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association
pokerdan@comcast.net (Nashville)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: The Nashville Scene appreciates your letters. Please type and sign. Limit to under 200 words. Include phone number for verification. E-mail us at editor@nashvillescene.com, and label subject box Love/Hate Mail. Mail to "Love/Hate Mail," Nashville Scene, 2120 Eighth Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37204-2204. By submission of a letter, you agree that we can edit the letter, publish and/or license the publication of it in print, electronically and for archival purposes.
Comments (0)