Mayor “Backdoor” Carr’s Censure
In the grand chronicles of Rutherford County, a tale has emerged of biblical proportions, featuring none other than Mayor Joe Carr, affectionately known by some as Mayor Backdoor. With contracts, trash, and censure on the line, the halls of government were filled with quotes — both from scripture and from a few commissioners itching to deliver a sermon of their own.
And lo, on the second day of August, in the year of our Lord 2024, Mayor Backdoor did sign a contract with Waste Management Inc. But lo, the signature was laid down before the blessings of the sacred Purchasing Committee could be bestowed upon it. And there arose a great commotion in the land.
For 11 of the finest commissioners — men and women of valor, named Beverly, Oliver, Peay, and Wrather (to name a few) — did declare unto the mayor: “Thou hast forsaken the process!” And thus, a censure was born.
Commissioner Beverly, his brow furrowed in righteous indignation, exclaimed, “I don’t appreciate the way we were treated!” while Commissioner Johnson, wise in the ways of diplomacy, proclaimed, “It’s not personal, it’s just a fact. A violation occurred.”
But lo, as the ink dried on the censure, the mayor stood tall, as one does when the winds of controversy blow. With a raised hand, he declared, “Matthew 7:5 speaks to me now. ‘You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye…’” Surely, one commissioner was heard to mutter, “Isn’t this more of a Matthew 5:29 situation? We really could’ve used a ophthalmologist.”
Commissioner Trey Gooch, ever the peacemaker, sought to bring harmony: “It was a mistake, friends. How often have we done the same? Let he who has never signed a contract prematurely cast the first stone!” But alas, no stones were cast… this time.
The debate raged on, as some saw no crime in the mayor’s action, while others saw an opportunity for great spectacle. For as it was in the days of old, so it was in Rutherford: the censure was passed, but the battle lines were drawn. And lo, the words of Carr echoed through the commission chambers, “More political theater! Was this censure just an intermission?”
As the county’s garbage awaited a final destination, so too did the mayor’s critics and allies await the next act in this divine comedy. For if the Lord said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” then surely Rutherford’s solid waste dilemma would be solved in due time — assuming, of course, it passed the Purchasing Committee’s blessing first.
Amen
