Sevier County Tea Party Chairman Steve Osborn. (The Herald/ Archived Photo)

As members of Our Smokies, Our Future continue to publically contend their Sevier County visioning process is a transparent community effort, a lack of media response has reinforced the concerns of many opponents.

“It would seem Gianni Longo told them that any opposition to OSOF would be rooted in a wild conspiracy theory involving the United Nations and should be respectfully ignored,” said Sevier County Tea Party Chairman Steve Osborn. “Once the facilitators have that in their mind, it’s near impossible to change, even when they are shown evidence that Longois tied to the UN. Longo is playing on that basic human psychology.”

Also believing Longo, who’s AC Planning and Visioning company is based in New York City,  is pulling strings behind the scenes of OSOF is Sevier County resident and pastor Rob Bremer.

“My thought would be the members were probably instructed and trained by Longo not to respond to anyone who disagrees with their positions,” he said. “Longo has faced opposition before and knows if you respond and a discussion starts, the facts might come out and he does not want that.”

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