by Mark Bellinger
MAURY COUNTY, Tenn.- A leaflet urging people to vote against a proposed Metro Government has landed a mid-state mayor in hot water.
For the past couple of weeks Spring Hill Mayor Michael Dinwiddie has taken his campaign against Metro government in Maury County to the front doors of voters.
"You know we're talking about changing a government and I don't know if there's any good reason to make the change. I don't know that this new government can do anything that the government in existence can do already," said Dinwiddie.
The leaflets in Mt. Pleasant are different than the ones he passed out in Spring Hill two weeks ago. Those flyers have landed the mayor in some hot water with two county commissioners who are trying to stay neutral on the issue.
The Spring Hill leaflets tell residents the Spring Hill Board unanimously approved a resolution opposing a Metro government. Then it lists the names of the Mayor, city aldermen and the two people representing the Spring Hill area on the Maury County Commission.
"And the way it seems is that Commissioner Burkhalter and myself were supporting voting no for Metro which is contrary to what we've said," said Scott Cepicky.
Commissioner Scott Cepicky said he started getting phone calls from people on both sides of the issue asking him if he'd changed his mind about staying neutral. Cepicky said he and Burkhalter have agreed to stay out of the argument and let voters decide.
Mayor Dinwiddie said placing either Cepicky or Burkhalter on either side of the issue was not his intent.
"I can somewhat understand his point, but that's not what the flyer said at all. It simply listed all the officials that represented them from myself to the aldermen of Spring Hill down to the county commissioners that represent district eleven," said Dinwiddie
Cepicky said he and Burkhalterhave spoken to Dinwiddie and voiced their opinion on the matter. Cepicky said he hopes Dinwiddie will remove their names from the flyer.
There are only two names on the leaflets Dinwiddie distributed in Mt. Pleasant. They are Dinwiddie and Mt. Pleasant Mayor Maury Colvert.
Spring Hill has been opposed to a Metro government because the city would no longer be able to expand its boundaries in Maury County. Despite the opposition lawmakers voted in favor of the bill now it heads to the house floor for a full vote.
