Knocking on Summit Avenue
Crissy and I had another busy week! We are counting up to all 95 counties visited, and we are getting close! After today’s visit, we have traveled to 92 counties in Tennessee. These aren’t just stops along the road; they are meet and greets, courthouse visits, small business roundtables, breakfast with community leaders, lunches with business leaders, dinners with neighborhoods, mega site visits, tours of academic villages, young professional events and my favorite: neighborhood knocks. I enjoy every opportunity to meet my fellow Tennesseans, but there is something special about talking to folks on their own front porches.
The past few days were full of knocks. In Putnam County, we knocked in Cookeville. It began to feel like winter, as the lawns were dusted with a light snow, and Crissy and I watched folks putting up their Christmas lights and decorations. It’s fun for us to walk along neighborhood blocks as it gets dark and see all the different lights. When we stopped in Williamson County to knock, we certainly weren’t expecting the torrential rain and winds that kept us from knocking. We appreciated those who opened their doors for Crissy and I to come inside and sit with groups of neighbors, learning about issues that affect them. We had a great talk on jobs that day and how folks want to help create a better business climate for Tennessee. Yesterday, Crissy and I knocked through a Smyrna neighborhood. We enjoyed the neighborhood filled with young families, willing to brave the cold out on their front porches with us. We talked about small businesses and how their growth affects an entire community. They spoke of the impact successful small businesses have had on Rutherford County, and the impact these businesses could have on the state.
As we make our way to visiting all 95 counties, I continue to be humbled by the support we receive along the Tennessee trail. Crissy and I have so much appreciation for those who take time to talk with us on their front porches, or let us into their homes to meet their families. I started knocking on doors to learn the needs of those in Knoxville when I ran for Mayor, and I will continue to knock on doors to learn the needs of every Tennessean in every corner of this great state.
