By Lewis Loflin
Printed: April 1, 2001 in the Bristol Herald Courier
Printed: April 4, 2001 in the Kingsport Times-News
To the Editor:
The Mendota Trail hearing on March 26 was a letdown—a clear display of bias from the Washington County Planning Commission. It felt like they’d already decided to favor Bristol, Virginia, ignoring the residents most affected. Over half the supporters were Bristol folks—business owners, retirees, and eco-enthusiasts—not locals scraping by on low wages.
Opposition came entirely from Washington County residents. As they spoke, commission members rolled their eyes and dodged questions with a curt “We don’t answer questions!” It was disheartening to see decent people dismissed so rudely. Bristol officials showed similar disregard, like when they blocked a trailer park for affordable housing—fine to flip burgers, but don’t live here.
This region thrives for retirees but struggles for workers. We need living wages and affordable homes, not trails or the overhyped Bristol Train Station. It’s time locals reclaim our community from wasteful politics and misplaced priorities—those in high-end subdivisions don’t speak for us.
Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia
Published: August 7, 2003 in the Bristol Herald Courier
As a Washington County resident, I’m against the Mendota Trail and the broader pattern of government waste here. We’re crying out for decent jobs, not pork projects. Mendota’s roads need fixing, yet funds go to a horse trail? It’s tied to flops like the Bristol Train Station and $200 million for passenger rail—zero demand, zero return for our struggling workforce.
The $113,583 to the Carter Family Music Center from VCEDA is another “tourism development” dud. In Dickenson County, $642,500 went to the Ralph Stanley Museum, peanuts next to the $7 million in infrastructure, $250,000 in training, and $1.6 million in daycare for a call center—250 jobs at $6.18 an hour. Training at $10,000 per head? That’s more than community college, and it still closed (see A Town’s Future Is Leaving the Country).
The Coalfields Expressway’s cost could educate every adult in Dickenson and Buchanan Counties. Moving Grundy’s empty buildings ($100 million) won’t keep talent here. Norton’s US 23 proves these schemes don’t deliver. Stop the “Bristol Gang” from suing over Wal-Mart and trails—call it what it is: waste, not jobs.
Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia
Published: March 6, 2001 in the Bristol Herald Courier
To the Editor:
Property taxes in Washington County are soaring alongside energy costs, poverty-wage jobs, and Electrolux layoffs. Our leaders in Abingdon seem out of touch. The working and retired poor can’t fund a ritzy retirement haven on $6 an hour or $500 monthly Social Security—those who benefit should foot the bill, not us.
Cut wasteful spending—start with the Mendota Trail. It’s a pricey nothing that hikes taxes, threatens property rights, and even safety. Industrial “development” here often means corporate handouts and higher taxes, not jobs. Join me at the March 26 hearing to demand answers on this “comprehensive plan.” Kudos to the assessor’s office for their help amid the frustration.
Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia
Published: January 3, 2001 in the Bristol Herald Courier
The editorial “Save bats and orchids...highway too” misses the point. The $1.1 billion Coalfields Expressway and $100 million Grundy move lack economic sense, not just ecological. New highways—Glade Spring, Russell County—don’t bring jobs; they’re flops despite interstates and industrial parks.
“Phone jobs” in Wise and Dickenson Counties tanked, yet millions more are pushed into chaos-ridden industries. If private firms won’t touch it, why should taxpayers? With a recession looming and a billion-dollar state shortfall, this waste could fix roads, cut debt, or lower taxes—not prop up a few fat cats.
Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia
Published: January 15, 2001 in the Bristol Herald Courier
The Herald Courier’s “Growing or dying: The choice is ours” (01/01/01) nails it, but talk’s cheap—we’ve heard it before. National trends lock us into low-wage retail and service gigs; keeping taxes low is key for folks on tight budgets. Real regional cooperation beats endless chatter.
Ditch the political fluff in schools—multiculturalism, eco-myths—and teach Western Civilization’s reason and individualism. One diploma standard, no social promotions, enforce SOLs. Tackle truancy, limit teen jobs, consider curfews like Big Stone Gap’s—busy kids don’t drift into trouble. Churches could step up with safe after-school spots.
We can’t wait for government fixes—let’s solve this ourselves in 2001.
Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia
Acknowledgment: Thanks to Grok, an AI by xAI, for formatting assistance. The views and edits are my own. —Lewis Loflin
