Murphy – Cherokee County commissioners have rescinded a controversial “petition for grievances” they approved in April 2025 that, among other things, called for the U.S. Forest Service to return land around Hiwassee Lake to private ownership.
Commissioner Ben Adams, who is not seeking re-election, defended the petition, but recognized that several thousand people have signed a petition against it. He made a motion for the 2025 petition to be rescinded.
Several commissioners spoke in defense of the 2025 petition, but all five wound up voting in favor of Adams’ motion. The board followed up with a new motion, also approved unanimously, calling for the U.S. Forest Service to provide land for a state park on Hiwassee Lake.
Three people spoke during the public comment period of the Jan. 19 meeting, the first of the new year.
Henry Saludes, Robin Goulin and Elmer Roush each spoke against the 2025 petition, with Saludes suggesting the board start the year off fresh by rescinding it.
Goulin said she lives in the forest and likes it that way. Roush said he moved to the area following his service in the Vietnam War and urged the board to preserve the county’s rural nature.
The issue was added to the agenda by Adams prior to the meeting.
The petition
Proposed by Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, then chair of the board, the petition lacked the force of law. “Federal bureaucracy has, over time and without remedy, deprived the citizens of Cherokee County of their “respective and collective rights to utilize property within the borders of the county,” the petition reads.
Cherokee County consists of 298,482 acres, of which the U.S. Forest Service owns 31% – a total of 92,637 acres. Much of that land was acquired by the Tennessee Valley Authority when it built Hiwassee Dam.
“The TVA took more land than necessary to build the dam and fill the lake,” the petition reads. “Instead of giving the land back to the original owners, the TVA deeded the land to the USFS (U.S. Forest Service), which now owns almost all the shoreline. The USFS actively restricts private and commercial development of the land.”
The petition reads that lakefront land should be made available for private and commercial developers to enhance the county’s property tax base.
“TVA lakes in our neighboring counties allow such development, putting our county at a disadvantage in terms of recreational facilities, property tax and tourism dollars,” the petition reads.
Months after the board signed the petition, community opposition started to emerge and led to further discussions by the board. That included a proposal by Adams to change the focus toward a state park.
At one point, Eichenbaum suggested the shores of the lake would be a good venue for a luxury hotel.
At the meeting
Adams once again raised the issue, saying it was what the county’s constituents want.
Commissioners Eichenbaum, Mark Stiles and Alan Bryant each seemed to defend concepts of the petition, with Cal Stiles saying his main goal is to establish a state park.
Eichenbaum and Bryant also pointed out that the land around the lake was taken from original owners at discounted prices. Mark Stiles said the petition would give the county standing should the federal government ever sell the land.
A heated exchange occurred between Eichenbaum and Adams after Eichenbaum talked about the generational wealth some Cherokee County families were robbed of when TVA took their land.
Adams pointed out that Eichenbaum has never suggested that the land be returned to the original families. As the two argued, Eichenbaum told Adams to “shut up.”
Cal Stiles said his primary goal is a state park and asked Adams to amend his motion to rescind the petition and call for a state park.
Adams said he once suggested that but was ignored by the board, and refused to amend his motion. Despite a year of commissioners defending the petition, the board voted 5-0 to rescind it, then voted 5-0 to call for a state park.