My name is Joe Koester and I was elected as your county commissioner for the 5th District in Cumberland County, Tennessee, in August 2010. This is the first time I have held elected office, although I narrowly missed being elected to this position in August 2006 by one vote. I am excited to represent you and to help guide our County through the next 4 years.

My goal is to help move this County forward in many ways. Cumberland County is a unique location, blessed by being up on the Cumberland Plateau and surrounded by much natural beauty and a mild climate. We enjoy lower taxes than many places and that is one of the many reasons that draw people here. The natural beauty, climate and great people combine to make it an outstanding place to live. We must strive to bring jobs to the area, good paying jobs and by emphasizing our natural resources and lower cost of living we have a good chance to do this.

We must also protect this natural beauty we have come to love. Cumberland County cannot be home to waste dumps like the proposed TVA coal ash on Smith Mountain, or any other outside contaminant that might harm what we take for granted. The threat of mountain top removal to cheaply gain access to pockets of coal can destroy our mountains and pollute our streams.

We must also work hard to provide the best possible education for our children, for they are our future and the world becomes a more difficult place to earn a decent living with each passing day. If we fail then they will fail or will not reach their full potential. Our County Commission and our School Board need to work very closely to realize this goal.

There are many challenges ahead of us, far too many to attempt to list here. I think all of us want to do what is best for our County, and the County Commission is one of the instruments to accomplish that.