On behalf of the Town of Franklin and the Franklin Main Street Program, I extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone that helped make PumpkinFest2011 a tremendous success. This year’s event was the largest and best attended event ever held in downtown Franklin.

We have many people to thank for their contributions to the success of the event. They include:

At the end of another successful fund raising season, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks from the entire membership of the Scaly Mountain Women’s Club for the superb publicity you have provided for us.

Your publicity has been the key to our success, since so many more people have attended our functions.

Good grief, during our sputtering economy with increasing inflation and many having to do more with less, Macon County will spend $30,000+ evaluating the current job descriptions and salaries? Isn’t there more prudent uses for this money at this time?

The county should do what they can with the current budget and give the people at the bottom the greatest raise and scale back at the top, so as not to impact costs or taxes. A revenue neutral approach.

Duke Energy has applied to the N.C. Utilities Commission for yet another rate increase in an attempt to force ratepayers to finance the cost over-runs of their ongoing construction on the new, un-needed coal-burning power plant at Cliffside, in Rutherford County. This time Duke is asking for a residential rate increase of 17.4 percent on top of the five percent they just received for the increasing cost of fossil-fuels. The cost of street lighting for local governments (and taxpayers) will rise another eight percent, if Duke’s request is granted.