County Commissioner David Sharpe on Wednesday defended "the good people of Red Bank" and said the school facilities plan unveiled by County Mayor Weston Wamp takes the city's last elementary school and "stuffs the students into a 1,500-pupil school" elsewhere.
He spoke after County Mayor Wamp on Monday at the Pachyderm Club, without naming him directly, said Commissioner Sharpe was a "single obstructionist with an agenda" who is poised to take over the County Commission with "fringe" conservative ideas that he said will block the Republican Party program.
"If you don't think it matters, look at Red Bank, Tennessee," he said. "They took over Red Bank and have run it completely into a ditch."
"We lost control in Red Bank," he said, quoting state Senator Bo Watson. "Red Bank is an unmitigated disaster."
Commissioner Sharpe said Red Bank has made the city more business friendly by lowering fees and cutting red tape and has given needed raises to employees, including police and firefighters.
He said the Red Bank tax rate remains lower than that of Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain and the city of Chattanooga.
Commissioner Sharpe said there would be "an interesting meeting" tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. at the Red Bank Community Center, 3653 Tom Weathers Road, to discuss the new facility's plan effect on Alpine Crest Elementary.