Message of Thanks from Terry Bell
Dear Editor,
The wonderful people of Henderson spoke. I am humbled by their decision to allow me to lead and serve them as Mayor of this city.
First, I want to thank Mark Barber, for his many years of service to Henderson and express how much his friendship means to me. We began this campaign as friends and finished the same. Mark is an asset to this city, and I will be seeking his advice and counsel often, not just as an Alderman, but as a friend. He conducted his campaign in the most professional and Christian manner. I have great respect for Mark and his Family.
I thank Crista for allowing me to conduct this campaign at the expense of being away from home. She is my rock and has supported me not just in this campaign, but in multiple military deployments. It is impossible for me to truly express my great love for her. There are so many that have contributed to the success of this campaign. I appreciated each one of you, especially my Mom and Dad. I want everyone to know, that whatever good you see in me, is entirely the result of the grace and mercy of a loving God. Where would I be without the Lord Jesus directing my life? He is my everything and to receive all the Glory.
I will not make promises that I am not certain I can keep. I will commit to following the advice of a wonderful educator, Coach Poteet. I will try my best to “Do Right!”
I will be spending as much time as possible with Mayor Bobby King over the next month to provide for a smooth transition. Thankful for the many years Mayor King has led this city. Looking forward to building a strong relationship with the City Board and all the City employees. You are all now part of my family. A family dedicated to serving our City.
I have one request from you all. I covet your prayers. Through prayer may we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and remember, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build. Unless the Lord guards the city, in vain does the guard keep watch.” Our hope is in God alone, in Him do we place our trust.
God bless you, everyone.
Sincerely,
Terry Bell
Dunbar’s Statement to Budget Commission
Dear Editor,
I’m here today to speak for the American Legion Post 157. The American Legion was established in 1919 and it was chartered with four Pillars of Service: Veterans and Veterans Affairs, National Defense, Americanism and Children and Youth.
Our Post was contacted last week by Veterans and other concerned citizens that there is a proposal to get rid of the county Veteran Service Officer position, and because we advocate for Veterans and Veterans Affairs I am here to advocate for this access to benefits and services for the Veterans in our county to remain.
For a year, our post has been talking about and gathering economic resources and information so that we can come to the commission and ask for a full-time VSO. One that would be advantaged to attend the weekly, quarterly, and annual training to be better equipped to help the Veterans of our county and others. We hear about veterans going to surrounding county VSOs because our county VSO times don’t always fit someone’s schedule or other reasons.
There are 1,098 Veterans in Chester County, according to TN Department of Veteran Services, and together they make a $17.4 million impact in this county. We have one part-time VSO for eleven hundred Veterans, not to mention helping any of their spouses or next of kin with their specific needs if the veteran passes away. I know I’m not here to try and get a full time VSO, but one would greatly increase the economic impact from Veterans, and getting rid of a VSO all together will greatly diminish the fiscal impact we as veterans make.
Some of you may be familiar with the Bonus Army of 1932, which was, in summation, a response by WWI Veterans to the federal government withholding WW1 soldiers pay until 1945. This led to large protests and controversy on the White House lawn as those Veterans sought to regain their pay and benefits.
After Vietnam, service members were spit on and shunned by the government, media and citizens of our nation, but promises were made to never let this happen again.
In 2013, the Federal Government shut down for 16 days, which meant the Veteran Affairs hospitals and clinics ran bare minimum treatment of those hospitalized and didn’t allow for appointments or other treatments. Compensation pay was halted for 5.3 million disabled veterans, not to mention the service members on active duty and deployed who weren’t getting paid, but still had to fight on.
December 2018 through January 2019, the government again shutdown for 35 days and again, Veterans were the ones who suffered most. This seems to be the way things are done, and it’s not right. There are now protections in place to prevent that at a federal level.
These aren’t entitlements, but hard-earned benefits, and getting rid of accessibility to someone who can help Veterans know what their benefits are and help them receive them is something that shouldn’t even be considered.
Sincerely,
Chris Dunbar, Commander of Davidson-Haltom American Legion Post 157
