Proaps vs BBB
| At the last city council meeting, former mayor
candidate, Thomas (Jr.) Proaps ask council to remove his property from
the agenda of Lenoir City's Better Business Board. Recalling many years
ago when his property was annexed into the city and the reasons for the
annexation, Proaps now feels that the city is out to destroy his
property. The BBB has cited his property for numerous code violations.
The property, formerly the Shamrock Tavern along old Hwy. 95 between
down town and the high school is also now very visible from the newest
leg of the Mayor's walking trail prompting some to believe this is what
has brought Proaps' property under the guns of the BBB. The building
that has been there for more than four decades and has never been cited
before.
Mr. Proaps claims that at his first trip before the BBB, he agreed to make the needed improvements but just a couple of days after the meeting LCUB pulled his electric meter and service wires. Proaps stated that he had always paid his electric bill and didn't know why his meter had been pulled. Proaps called the police when he found his meter and service wire removed. He told the police he wanted to report a theft. After making a few calls the LCPD discovered that in fact LCUB had pulled the meter and wire. Mr. Proaps stated that he is in a bad position. While he has agreed to make the repairs, with the loss of electricity he now has no way to operate his power tools. It's like they told me to fix the building then they took away my electricity so I couldn't fix it, Proaps said. Apparently the city attorney, Shannon Littleton, had anticipated Proaps attendance at the meeting. According to the Littleton, the city had been attempting to send Jr. a certified letter outlining the city's problems with his property but had been unable to find Mr. Proaps to give him the letter. The city attorney had LCPD officer Mike Tinnel formally present Mr. Proaps with the letter immediately after the meeting. Several days later when asked what the letter contained, Mr. Proaps said he didn't know. He stated that the he thought the letter must have blown out the car window on his way home. Last year the city took action against a property owned by Larry Trego. Mr. Trego hired an attorney who won an injunction against the city to prevent the city from taking action against his property. There are also other law suits pending against the city for actions they have taken on other private property. |
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