What do we want to be?
Over his three terms in office, Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, has been known to launch into speeches about things he strongly believes in, like making Cherokee a “gun sanctuary county” in 2019 (which passed by a 3-2 vote) or demanding in 2022 that the state reimburse the county for all expenses involved in Department of Social Services lawsuits (the check’s still not in the mail).
On April 21, Eichenbaum proposed a “petition for redress of grievances,” which was not just a reference to a classic Seinfeld episode. While the petition lacks the force of law, since it was unanimously approved by an all-Republican board it could catch the attention of Trump Administration officials, who have expressed support for policies that could lead to the sale of federal public lands.
The petition opens by saying the “federal bureaucracy has, over the course of time and without offer of remedy to the people of Cherokee County, deprived the citizens of Cherokee County of their respective and collective rights to utilize property within the borders of the county.” Many folks would agree with that, but the devil’s in the details.
The petition continues by saying Lake Hiwassee was formed by the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Hiwassee Dam. The TVA took more land than necessary to build the dam and fill the lake. However, instead of giving the land back to the original owners, they deeded the land to the U.S. Forest Service, which owns almost all the shoreline.
Here’s the paragraph local residents and lake lovers have been focused on.
“The USFS actively restricts private and commercial development of the land. Lakefront land should be made available for private and commercial development such as private homes and commercial development to enhance the property tax base of Cherokee County and to support revenue generation for the benefit of the citizens of the county. 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.”
When the Cherokee Scout first reported on the petition, it didn’t get much response. But in the weeks that followed, it has been hard to find anyone other than a commissioner backing the proposal.
Letters to the editor have been published. Local groups on social media became consumed with the subject. Residents showed up to protest at board of commissioners meetings.
The result? A Scout poll question asking whether the publicly owned land around Lake Hiwassee and other areas of Cherokee County should be turned over to private development ended with 91% against to only 9% in support.
To his credit, Commissioner Ben Adams has held meetings in person and online to talk with the public about the issue and hear their views. While some people who observed Adams’ meetings have accused him of gaslighting – by saying things like, “There isn’t anything to talk about, we have no land to sell,” when clearly the petition is an attempt to get the land to sell – he did submit an alternate petition for the other commissioners’ consideration on July 29.
Adams’ revision says the USFS should relinquish portions of its land to the State of North Carolina for the sole purpose of developing a state park in Cherokee County. While Eichenbaum opposed the changes, the board agreed to have county attorney Darryl Brown and state representatives review it. A beautiful state park on the water would bring additional recreational and tourism dollars to the county, counteracting a loss of proposed property taxes, while also not being a slap in the face to the families who were forced to give up their land.
Eichenbaum is right that allowing development on highly valued lakefront property would provide additional tax revenue to meet the rising amount of needs in our rural county. However, commissioners misjudged just how important that land is to so many people in these parts. To them, Lake Hiwassee is not just an asset to be used, but a way of life.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, what do we want our community to be? Do we want Cherokee to mimic surrounding counties that have lakefronts and hillsides dotted with development, but devoid of the nature that brought most people to the tri-state area? Or do we want to walk down our own path and preserve the things that matter the most?
– Publisher David Brown