Knoxville Tennessee Blog

A little history was made last night as the Knox County Commission passed on first reading the Recall Amendment. What makes this unusual is that Charter Amendments are done either by County Commission or by a Charter Review Committee.

But this amendment to the County Charter was actually started by a group of Knox County citizens. The idea began in the comment section of the Knoxville News Sentinel. The comments section had only been in the Internet version of the News Sentinel for a few months. While not exactly a blog, people began to use it as a blog having long discussions about matters concerning local government.

Commenter Brian Paone wrote one day he would start a website for the Recall Amendment. He did, and soon an entire group of people including the founders of the Wheel Tax petition were on board.

Starting in early October Paone’s group was seen everywhere on local television, the News Sentinel, blogs, and on radio. Commissioners Lumpy Lambert and Mark Harmon co-sponsored a resolution to hear the Recall Amendment in County Commission. County Mayor Mike Ragsdale signed the petition as did Tennessee State Senator Tim Burchett and Representative Bill Dunn.

When approved on second reading the Recall Amendment to the Knox County Charter will be placed on the August 2008 ballot and the people will have a vote. Score one for the citizens. Maybe the Internet will be a valuable tool in keeping local government in check?

“With 11 members instead of 19, the control of Chairman Scott Moore has been diminished somewhat, and commissioners’ focus is expected to shift toward putting the county’s house in order, promising Mayor Mike Ragsdale at least a brief reprieve from the attacks of the full Moore-led body.”

Wow. Attacks? That is more than just a little subjective isn’t it? The fact that DA Randy Nichols will not investigate anything with the County Mayor, County Commission, or Sheriff’s Department does not mean that investigations are “attacks”. Only in the bizarro world of the News Sentinel could such logic permeate.

This column was a look into the “inside baseball” politics in Knox County. But what really needs to be done is a look into the “inside baseball” of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Had Editor Jack McElroy not filed the infamous Sunshine Law lawsuit the needed investigations of Knox County would have already taken place. Some might wonder if one of the many purposes of the Sunshine Law lawsuit was to buy time and put off the inevitable investigations of county government.

Without a full Commission can there be investigations of Knox County government? Yet most curiously Editor Jack McElroy, our own local version of William Randolph Hearst, opines through various editorials we should wait until August 2008 and let the voters fill the County Commission. So what is Mr. McElroy really saying?

http://knoxnews.com/news/2007/nov/08/election-for-county-seats-worth-the-wait/

So translated into English, the investigations must wait for almost an entire year. Is one of the reasons that eight members of County Commission were removed because a few people wanted to stall investigations of Knox County government?

How Clintoneque.