Setting the Record Straight - Not as Easy as it Looks

During the April 13, 2009 Brentwood City Commission meeting, Commissioner Regina Smithson spent a few minutes at the conclusion of the meeting attempting to set the record straight about an answer she gave to a question during the first candidate forum in March. (An important move in what will likely be a close election with 10 candidates running for four seats. Don't forget, Election Day is Tuesday, May 5, 2009.)

The question Commissioner Smithson was asked during that forum, along with the other candidates, was, "Have you ever voted to raise a tax or a fee?" A straight-forward question if ever there was one. (Some people would even say it's a yes or no question -- people including Mayor Joe Reagan who clearly took it that way when he answered, albeit incorrectly, "No.") Commissioner Smithson mentioned a small cell phone fee increase as being the only one she could remember.

Well, almost a month after that March 16 forum Commissioner Smithson used her platform during a City Commission meeting to correct herself and expunge her record on fee increases. In fact, she seized the opportunity to proclaim that the commission has never raised fees on the citizens of Brentwood.

Some 9,300 residences in Brentwood that saw their sewer bill increase 25% a year ago (an average of $6.77 per month per customer) may disagree with Commissioner Smithson's assertion. Watch the video, decide for yourself, and vote on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Your Vote Determines the Course Brentwood Takes.