Red Bank city officials respond to Mayor Wamp’s criticism
Red Bank Mayor Hollie Berry (left), City Manager Martin Granum (right)
RED BANK, Tenn. (WDEF) — The City of Red Bank has issued a response to Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp’s comments on the state of the city.
Mayor Wamp criticized Red Bank on Monday during a Pachyderm meeting, calling it an “unmitigated disaster.”
Now, Red Bank officials have responded. Red Bank Mayor Hollie Berry says she is disappointed in his “divisive national partisan rhetoric.”
Mayor Berry continued to say, “In my opinion, that kind of ‘us vs. them’ mentality has no place among neighbors who all ultimately want the same things. Don’t we all want a safe place for our children to grow up, reliable infrastructure, and a thriving economy?”
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp
City Manager Martin Granum responded as well, saying Red Bank is enjoying a revitalization and is thriving. He also says Mayor Wamp’s criticism is unexpected and unfortunate.
“We invite Mayor Wamp to join Red Bank for a commission meeting so he can learn first-hand about the positive work taking place every day to realize the mission of the City of Red Bank to be a safe and thriving small-town community, and how we strive to realize our vision of a vibrant and inclusive community by pursuing excellence, enhancing safety, and preserving our neighborhood character,” said Granum. “He can also learn more about our progress on the City’s Facebook page and monthly newsletter as both consistently feature numerous new businesses locating in Red Bank, touts multiple successful family-friendly community events, and illustrates countless positive examples as to why so many people are choosing to live and work in Red Bank.”
The city manager says Red Bank’s recent budget addressed its needs, including adding police officers, a firefighter, and funding its comprehensive plan and parks assessment.
“The Red Bank commission appropriately funded the city’s departments and staff with the resources necessary to achieve the city’s goals and meet the expectations of the residents and businesses served,” the city’s press release stated.
Their press release also said that Red Bank homeowners pay a lower property tax rate than 75% of city-dwellers in Hamilton County and receive excellent services.
“The County Mayor’s harsh words do nothing to create community-wide consensus on important matters that impact everyone, including Hamilton County,” Granum continued. “It is our hope that everyone in leadership will support each other as we strive to make Red Bank and all of Hamilton County a great place to live.”
“I hope that, despite incendiary statements like those recently made by the county mayor, the City of Red Bank and Hamilton County can continue collaborating productively towards our many shared goals as we have been for years,” Mayor Berry concluded.
