I was talking on the phone with a buddy the other day about last Thursday’s council meeting and the city awarding a multi-million dollar contract to pave and beautify a portion of Ringgold Road. I told him that the city is going to spend more than $6 million to add a 10-foot wide sidewalk on […]

To the city workers at the Sanitation Department … I am about to embark on a constant tirade about the city stopping the bagged leaf pickup. I just wanted to let the workers know that I appreciate all the work that they do. I especially want to thank the guys that picked up my bagged […]

Last week’s East Ridge City Council meeting was puzzling.  First, it lasted less than 20 minutes, which must be some kind of record for brevity in the modern era. What was really puzzling was that nobody _  not the city manager, not the mayor, not any of the four council members _  mentioned one word […]

I’d like to thank Councilman Mike Chauncey for his work to bring a dog park to the City Hall complex. Four years after a parks study showed that “dog park” was a top request in East Ridge, the project can finally start. Mr. Chauncey was the driving force the whole way. When the city was willing […]

Well, they did it, just as predicted. Just in time for the city’s extravagant, over-the-top Centennial birthday party, the East Ridge City Council done gone and raised property taxes by 25 percent. We’ve really got something to celebrate now, don’t we? I, along with probably the majority of my neighbors, don’t begrudge paying our fare […]

One opinion I’d like to share is this: I read the police reports and it seems to me that the police department and the East Ridge court system is way too lenient with drug users and dealers. Same goes with repeat offenders, or whatever. _ Gary Woody

We at East Ridge News Online welcome the opinions of the citizens of East Ridge and surrounding area.  Contrary to what some may believe, the “opinion” section of ERNO is not solely the domain of the publisher and editor of East Ridge News Online. It was conceived as a potential forum for readers of this […]

I almost didn’t write this opinion for several reasons. Mainly, due to the fact the employees in East Ridge definitely need a raise above the city’s annual small percentage. But, had administration and the governing body been doing their jobs this wouldn’t be necessary. The pay plan and pay scale adjustments based on performance evaluations […]

In the 1939 movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Jimmy Stewart’s character, Jefferson Smith, gives up on his fight before the U.S. Senate to establish a national boys’ camp and calls it “just another lost cause.” He then goes on to say that his colleague Joseph Paine knew all about lost causes and that Paine […]

In 1790 Benjamin Franklin said nothing is certain except death and taxes. In the East Ridge of 2021 that statement certainly holds true. After a recent reappraisal of property in our fair city, the value of homes rose on average about 30 percent. By state law, municipalities cannot reap a windfall profit from higher property […]

We have all heard, many times, that Camp Jordan is the Crown Jewel of East Ridge. We have been told that investments in Camp Jordan pay off in the long run by keeping taxes low, that “Camp Jordan is a gold mine” – a direct quote from Vice Mayor Vince Dean, way back in the […]

Here’s the least controversial statement you’ll read today: We need to solve Tennessee’s litter pollution problem.  Our roadways, waterways and wildlife are being absolutely choked by litter. And it all has real, measurable impacts on our wallets, our health, and our natural world. There’s a lot of good work on litter happening across the state […]

What happens when you’ve lived in East Ridge all of your adult life in a quiet residential neighborhood and somebody buys the house next door to you and sets up shop? No, not just a household but something that more resembles an auto shop. Apparently, the answer is nothing happens. Last week, our Administrative Hearing […]

East Ridge is planning to raise your taxes. They need more money for “salary stabilization;” in other words, they’d like to give themselves a raise. An extra raise, on top of the three percent already budgeted for next year. When I recently asked City Manager Chris Dorsey for simple details, like “which positions would receive […]