Not really official until he turns it in.

Half the businesses on the strip closed, and the city didn't even fulfill the part of their promise that would have made it halfway decent (burying power lines, bike lanes.) That being said, from what I hear about Mike, he's just a terrible, misogynistic person so I hope he doesn't win.

It’s not even remotely true that half the businesses on the strip closed. I don’t think the turnover there has been any higher the last 5 years than in any previous 5 years. Places have always opened and closed there, and what’s been lost in the period you’re talking about are two gas stations (both replaced by apartments where people will actually live) and a couple of drive-thru fast-food places.

As Rachel noted, there was substantial public input at the design stage about bicycle lanes. Given width of the roadway putting bike lanes on Cumberland would have impacted the width of the sidewalk. Lake Ave, one block South is much better suited. Putting the wires in the alleys with existing infrastructure was an easy call with which all stakeholders of whom I am aware approved. Putting them underground would have cost multiple millions for negligible gain. The pictures provide a bit of perspective.

Cumberland Before

Cumberland After

I don’t think Knoxville is pretending to be anything, it’s just trying to get better. Whether it’s sidewalks or bike lanes, retrofitting 80 years of auto-centric infrastructure is expensive and difficult and isn’t going to be accomplished in a few years. And keep in mind that for all the people who want more bike lanes, there are people who complain about having to share the road with them. The most common complaint I see about the current mayor is “she’s spent all her money on bike lanes and urban wilderness.” (Not true, obviously, but both have increased as a percentage of the budget.)

Wow. Mayor Rogero has a current employee, a former employee and the spouse of an employee working overtime in defense of her Cumberland Avenue project. And all under the "Mike Chase" header.

Hmmh, Gotta love the trolls. Queue Mike Chase and Cumberland and we discover a new buddy JR01. JR claims half the businesses closed (lie), wires were not taken down (They were, just not put underground), and that a promise was broken to bicyclists (lie). Meanwhile JR asserts that "Knoxville" doesn't understand the value of underground utilities and again, something called "Knoxville" wrongly claims to be a bike friendly city and should cease and desist. The universal BS detector alarm is sounding. Methinks JR protests the treatment of bicyclists a bit too much and could not tell the difference between a derailleur and a dermatologist. I guess we can expect more as our Trump-lite candidate Mr. Chase, himself a fan of Trump, channels his hero's lack of regard for truth and his attitude toward women.

I think the Cumberland Ave. makeover is pretty great. It's a pleasure every time we go up there.

None of us have any problem with those who preferred the old auto-centric Cumberland. While many of us disagree with that view, any fair minded person will acknowledge that it is slightly less convenient to turn into McDonald's and to get to Copper Cellar coming from the West by automobile. It is undeniable that the construction period was very tough for the merchants. Nothing is completely positive for all involved at all times in any project. However we made a community decision regarding an area that was failing for years. The public weighed in throughout and Mayors Haslam and Rogero along with overwhelming, often unanimous support from Council.

Speaking personally, as one who moved to Knoxville to join the UT faculty in 1975 and was often frustrated with the nature of our local politics, I am very proud of our city. I am not just talking about our Mayors and Councils. It is all of those, many participating here, who have resisted the siren song of the cynic in favor of sometimes healthy skepticism and become part of the civic conversation.

We went decades unable to act to deal with the deterioration in and around downtown and our city core. We were frozen in pettiness and small time thinking. Cumberland was a risky project just as our approach to Downtown took risk, as did our approach to Downtown North, the South Waterfront, and now Five Points and Magnolia Avenue. And lest we forget, our commitment to permanent supportive housing was not for the political faint of heart. When we convened a group of people angry about the Fifth Avenue Motel on Fifth and Broadway we got the anger out and then rolled up our sleeves and created what has led to the revitalization of Central, Happy Holler, and now great new projects such as Elkmont Exchange and the Press Room. Cynicism turned to skepticism and then to cautious optimism.

The invigoration of the tax base that has followed has allowed us to invest millions in affordable housing supportive housing along with Knox Area Transit and to work with very generous private donors on key projects such as the soccer fields on the north end of Fort Sanders, the great new community project in Lonsdale, and the Change Center.

While reasonable people will rightly question some of these projects I think we are a much better community for taking them on. The vestigial Political Science part of me is convinced that it is even more important that we are a better community for the high level of public participation and the quality of the discussion on our legislative bodies.

Yes, we are a very different city. We are a better city. I wish the media landscape had not been so eviscerated with the loss of Metropulse and the Mercury and the cutbacks at the KNS. But we do have the Compass, knoxtntoday, and the Focus providing a plenty of coverage and needed questioning and criticism.

Chase did not return his petition by the deadline

Word on the street is that he filed at 10:30 but didn't have 25 valid signatures. Somebody phoned him and he said he was busy. So noon came and went without a valid petition. It's a low bar, 25 signatures. And speaking of bars, perhaps that's where he found his signers.

I drove the length of Cumberland threes times this week, each time admiring its improved appearance. The trees are branching out and reaching closer to the sky and the new shrubs and perennials are looking mighty fine. I recommend a trip while the Oak Leaf Hydrangea are in bloom.