1. Amy has an established record of service to the community. She has participated in community events and neighborhood meetings in every part of the Second District. She volunteers with the public library, with Mobile Meals, with the Read With Me program, and is a Girl Scout troop leader. Amy has been involved in Neighborhood Watch and Traffic Calming Initiatives, and has helped organize groups to tackle prostitution problems the second district, as well as beautification initiatives. As a member of the North Knoxville Business and Professional Association, she promotes small business development in our community. She is the most qualified candidate on the ballot.

2. Amy has spent the last two years actively working to create better government in Knox County. She recognized the problems with our County’s government early on, and has been galvanizing her community to create needed changes. She has been fighting for better representation longer than any other candidate on the ballot.

3. Amy has spent the past two years researching our local government, and doing all she can to be as prepared as possible to be an effective County Commissioner. She has spent time with the directors of the Health Department, Veteran’s Services, the Library, and other county agencies. She has been on ride-alongs with local law enforcement. She has been to PTA meetings at every school in the Second District. She is the most prepared candidate on the ballot.

Amy's Thoughts On...

Knox County Schools:

My greatest concern is with our county's dropout rate; 7 of Knox County's 12 high schools failed to achieve the state's 90% graduation rate for the second year in a row. Fulton High School remains a High Priority School due to its dropout rate, and Belle Morris and Spring Hill (all Second District schools) failed to make Yearly Adequate Progress last year, according to benchmarks set by No Child Left Behind. Many of our students who do graduate are unprepared for college, even those who graduate with a good GPA.

The single best thing we could do to improve the educational climate in Knox County is to improve how we compensate our teachers. We have one of the largest school systems in the state, yet we rank 29th in pay for classroom teachers. In Knox County a teachers also pay high insurance premiums. A direct result of low pay and expensive benefits is the exodus of qualified, highly trained teachers from Knox County.

As a Commissioner, I will push to make certain that our schools get the funding they need to provide an excellent education to every child in our county. I will do all I can to improve the

relationship between the Commission and the School Board, so that we have a collaborative, supportive relationship that serves the students, parents and educators of Knox County.

Property Taxes:

People who live in the Second District face a double-whammy, city and county property taxes. Those taxes are high enough. We must look for ways to adjust our budget, eliminate waste, and increase our tax base. Consolidation of city and county departments will save taxpayers money and improve the delivery of services. Tax collection, parks and recreation, and senior services could all be made more productive and cost effective through consolidation. We must also look at eliminating unnecessary offices, streamlining and simplifying the chain of command. Oversight of county spending, with the elimination of special or hidden accounts for our elected or appointed officials, is a must. Regular, frequent auditing of all departments will prevent fraud and waste. Encouraging the development of small businesses will do more to increase our tax base than any other means. We need to be encouraging small, innovative businesses that use cutting-edge and emerging technology. I am also concerned about how much debt we are accruing in Knox County; we must learn to live within our means. As commissioner, I will work to eliminate waste, increase our revenue, and spend our tax dollars wisely and responsibly.

Development:

Strong, safe, and pleasant neighborhoods don't just happen. Neighborhood associations and other community groups play an integral role. They use Neighborhood Watch and Traffic Calming Plans to discourage crime and speeding vehicles on neighborhood streets. They use historic or infill overlays to protect the character of older neighborhoods. They keep an eye out for building code violations, especially by absentee owners or landlords. Where developers see infill housing, I see a mix of infill, parks, playgrounds, and community gardens. While we need to increase our tax base and contain sprawl, we also should understand the need for open green areas and safe places for our children to run and play. As Commissioner, I will encourage neighborhoods to explore the use of historic and infill overlays, and the development of community areas that contribute to a good quality of life.

I would encourage the renovation and restoration of neglected and abandoned properties. As someone who has worked on these types of projects, I can tell you it is not a quick or easy process but it is well worth the effort. The return is a more attractive, safer community, higher property values for homeowners, and additional tax revenue for the city and county.

We must do something to stop the slow decay of our old historic school buildings. Brownlow School has been a problem for Fourth & Gill and Old North Knoxville for years. Oakwood School is moldering away in Oakwood-Lincoln Park. It is irresponsible for our County Commission to sit by and let this happen. These are beautiful historic structures, and if we don't act quickly they will be lost to us.

I have been excited and encouraged by the redevelopment I have seen in the Second District, and I am proud of the role my business has had in restoring many of our historic structures. I am also pleased to be part of a committee that is working towards the implementation of the I-275 Corridor Redevelopment Project. This project will give us a big push towards realizing the potential that we have glimpsed for North Knoxville. As commissioner, I will also push for implementation of the Broadway-Central-Emory Place Small Area Plan, and expansion of the Facade Improvement Program for Early Commercial Districts, both of which will have a positive impact on the Second District. Often the spending and zoning choices of our County Commissioners actually encourage the urban sprawl that drains resources from Knoxville's urban core, extends commutes, and adds to motor vehicle pollution of our air. As commissioner, I will work hard to ensure that your tax dollars are spent in a responsible and equitable manner on projects that enhance all of Knox County.

Environment:

One of the most sacred duties of government is to protect the health and well being of the people it serves, and the logical place to start is with clean air and water. Poor air quality in our region is one reason we are seeing rising rates of asthma in our children. Our air quality ordinance needs to be rewritten, with stronger standards for local industry and larger penalties for noncompliance. We should seriously consider mandatory emissions testing for all vehicles. Our children are worth it! Another problem is that the quality of the air in Knox County is affected by factors beyond our control - and beyond our county line. It is time for our county government to work in conjunction with the governments of surrounding counties to improve air quality for all of us. More can be accomplished by working in partnership than by going it alone. A large percentage of our streams and creeks are already unsafe and unusable for anything other than collecting trash and debris. I participate regularly in cleanups of First Creek, and it is

distressing to see how quickly trash accumulates after a cleanup. And it is not simply fast-food litter we are talking about - we haul out shopping carts, bicycles, construction debris, signage, clothing and other large, sometimes toxic, items from the creek bed. At the last cleanup we even pulled out a pay phone. I have been distressed to see our current County Commission gut an already-weak storm water ordinance. In the Second District, we are downstream of county development, and a weak ordinance will have serious repercussions for us. Flooding along First Creek continues to be a problem, damaging homes and businesses and creating hazardous conditions. In order for solutions to be effective, residents and business owners affected by the flooding must be included in any discussion and decision-making process. We cannot stop development in the county, nor should we. But we can demand quality growth, as outlined at the Quality Growth Conference hosted in Knoxville last year at which it was my pleasure to serve as a facilitator. As commissioner I will strive to improve and protect our waterways and our property values. We must demand that developers use high quality construction materials and techniques, in order to protect our environment and the taxpayers' pocketbook. We should also explore "Green Building" tax credits and energy costs savings programs, where homeowners and businesses get tax credits for installing energy saving appliances and incorporating energy saving practices. Encouraging county buildings to "go green" will have a positive impact on our environment and save our future tax dollars.