There’s a lot of questions concerning efforts of growth and revitalization in our community. The latest being a move of city hall from the Lincoln County Government Complex to the former Hartman-Harrigill Funeral Home. This may have come as a surprise to some residents because when the initial conversation of moving the City Hall was discussed, it was the Mayor and Alderman Jeff Henning who brought up the former Hartman-Harrigill funeral home. And the Alderman at Large [Don] Underwood and Alderman [Andre’] Spiller, made mention of speaking with the Kees about their property across the street from Government complex. No decisions were made and according to board meeting conversations, this deal was to be in negotiations.

Constituents have a right to know about current and future decisions of any and all that goes on in the community. Ultimately it’s the job of city government and elected officials to make sure this information is being distributed throughout the community. While it may be easy to say, if one or two people say hey I didn’t know that’s one thing. But, it’s a whole different story when you have residents from all across the city saying they haven’t heard or didn’t know about different moves being made by city officials. 

No one is questioning Mr. [John] Lynch’s motives, the motives of the city government was being questioned. The only thing the citizens know is that Mr. Lynch is a businessman who has conducted business transactions throughout the city of Brookhaven for a number of years. So to be clear, the actions of Mr. Lynch is not being questioned, but those of the Mayor and board are. 

We have several dilapidated buildings in the city that can be taken and turned into monuments of prosperity in this city. Mr. Lynch is appreciated for his contributions to the city and the business he has created and if more people were privileged to the type of wealth Mr. Lynch is blessed to have it would be easy to do a lot of great things. But sadly, I would like to share that’s not everyone’s story, Mr. [Hunter] Cloud. 

The investments that some citizens have made in this city holds a more weightier value than just dollars and cents. There are citizens throughout our community who’s worked tirelessly to make sure the foundations our community remains intact. The terms of an investment is that you put something in, and receive a return of what you put in. As a public servant, I value the productivity of my work, it has definitely prove to be an investment worth making. I would like for any citizen that may read to know and understand just because you don’t have a certain amount of money, that doesn’t mean you can’t or haven’t made investments in our community. 

This is the purpose of the town hall meetings, not to just talk but so we can strategize and make a unified effort in strengthening our community. I would like for Mr. Lynch and any other citizens that may be on creating businesses or investments to join us during our town hall meetings. I would also like to ask any Pastor that reads this article to please get in touch with me concerning upcoming projects in the faith-based community. 

Just as Mr. Cloud stated, it has been good to see the revitalization of downtown that has taken place since COVID, but the city of Brookhaven as a whole needs the same attention. And the citizens on the east side has definitely expressed the need to see changes in that area. We would love to see franchises come into our city that gives a more variety of food and outlets. When asked why certain businesses pass up Brookhaven and go to other cities, there’s never a clear answer from city government but correspondents from other businesses say the city of Brookhaven charges too much for their property, is this true? We will only know these answers by asking. Our Community Our Future Brookhaven Strong!!

 

The Rev. Jerry Kelly Jr. 

Brookhaven