Tennessee State Official Threatens To Seize Town Over Ford Motor Company Investment

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Tennessee State Official Threatens To Seize Town Over Ford Motor Company Investment

"This is akin to a hostile takeover" says Mason, Tennessee's Vice-Mayor

By Erin Marquis
Today 10:00AM

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Mason, Tennessee, is a tiny town that stands to benefit a great deal from Ford Motor Company’s massive investment in electric trucks and batteries. With construction starting on a 4,100-acre truck and battery plant sometime this year, Tennessee’s Comptroller has a message for elected leaders and residents: Dissolve your town’s 153-year-old charter or the state will simply take the town over.

Mason is less than five miles from Ford’s planned Blue Oval City, one of the new battery and EV truck plants slated to open in 2025 in the American south. The town stands to profit a great deal from the construction and operation of such a plant. It’s the first boon the people of Mason have had in a while. The last few years have been a difficult road. The town of 1,337 property owners — around 60 percent Black — lost nearly all of its white elected officials after they resigned in 2016 when 20 years of fraud and theft came to light. Three years ago, the only grocery store in town was hit by a semi and burned down.

Now Mason is slowly rebuilding with a mostly Black town government. What should be an exciting time in Mason is now a direct threat to its existence as this new investment from Ford is exactly what led Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower to issue the unprecedented request that the town dissolve in order to thrive. The Tennessee Lookout has the story:

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[atreides1]

1. Interesting

If the town dissolves its charter, then all that remains are private homes and property...the state will then use eminent domain to remove the people and sell the land to Ford...

[SheltieLover]

2. TN in an international disgrace!

There is nothing in Mason, TN. 1 bbq place & 1 fried chicken place.

The land grab is definitely on here. I live sort of near Ford's new 6 sq. mile nightmare that experts forecast to destroy the pristeen Memphis aquifer.

Numerous calls every week. Investors trying to buy up homes to screw over people desperate for housing during construction boom.

So, I got sick of it & started naming an extraordinarily high price, "as is. Firm." They start blubbering but but. And I hang up. Sickening imo.

[blueinredohio]

7. When the state wanted to reroute the highway near my house

they said we only have to give you fair market value.

[SheltieLover]

8. Grrrrr

[The Unmitigated Gall]

3. Wow. Small government. Limited powers.

Hypocritical-maniacal overlord much, Mumpower?

[niyad]

4. nahh, mumpower, of course not racist. I mean, it wasn't like you ignored the previous,

all whiteband corrupt leaders of that town. Funny how it is suddenly important when there is so much money at stake.

[NCjack]

5. Looks like African-Americans instead of the good-ol'-boy whites were poised to benefit.

[niyad]

6. For those who wish to express their opinions about this to mumpower,

the nmber is 615-741-2775. press 0 to leave a message.

[70sEraVet]

9. Can't be having black Tennesseans benefitting. Sets a bad precedent.