In a recent board meeting, Alderman Amacher asked, “What is the need?” in reference to the funding of multiple SRO vehicles. I will get to that issue in a second, but first allow me to deconstruct Ms. Amacher’s character to just one word: incorrigible. Is that not the sign of a troublesome leader? Is that not the word for someone who stifles progress for her own mirth? Week after week, it’s a battle between the interests of the people versus the interests of Ms. Amacher–or, a matter of the Board’s hopeful flames being extinguished by Ms. Amacher’s irreverent behaviors.

In the case of our SROs: to not grant our officers their own vehicles is a huge liability. Ask a fireman to douse a fire with nothing but his Buick and a garden hose connected to a local spigot…it simply does not work.

Alderman Mann made a great point: the board voted to fund SROs, so why stop short of supporting them? Our SROs are city employees, correct? Why not treat them as such?

“I’m there if it’s something we need and it’s for safety and for the kids,” Ms. Amacher said, almost absentmindedly.

Yet, she failed to realize that to fund our SROs’ vehicles are, in fact, for those exact things she spoke of.

To disinvest in our SROs is to strip away the safety from not only our children, but from our officers themselves. Even more so, Ms. Amacher, your comments abrade the dignities of our officers. How shameful for a public official to look down upon her colleagues!

I get that Ms. Amacher wants to be frugal, but let’s consider the value of our SROs. They play a vital role in safeguarding our community’s children. Shouldn’t we also safeguard our SROs? I certainly think so.

Colin Shuran

Tullahoma