Sun
Aug 20 2006
08:25:pm
Betty and Tyler
By: R. Neal  shortURL

Here it is, the much anticipated part one of Betty Bean's report on Tyler Harber:

"We decided to subvert, steal and destroy as many petitions as we could get our hands on. We were trading real petitions for fake petitions so they would think they had more names than they actually had."

Looks like a complicated story. I'm sure there will be lots more to come.

See the full text of the e-mail mentioned in the Halls Shopper article (which came to us by way of an unverifiable hotmail.com account, not the domain mentioned in the article) after the jump...

From: Tyler Harber
Date: Friday, August 04, 2006 9:30 AM
Subject: Ragsdale Missing Me Now...

Ragsdale's hand-picked or heavily supported candidates that were successful during my tenure with Ragsdale (not including incumbents):

1. Mike Hammond - County Commission
2. Chuck James - School Board
3. Scott Moore - County Commission
4. Parkey Strader - State House
5. Ivan Harmon - County Commission
6. Chris Woodhull - City Council
7. Joel Garber - Farragut Board of Aldermen
8. Stacy Campfield - State House
9. Dan Murphy - School Board (I did not work this race, but we were involved)
10. Jeff Byrd - School Board *resigned but won popular vote
11. Wheel Tax Referendum
12. Hotel Referendum
13. Lamar Alexander - US Senate (I provided voter targeting consulting)
14. Chad Tindell - Party Chairman
15. Brian Hornback - Party Chairman

Races we lost
1. Billy Stokes - State Senate
2. Jim Ford - County Commission
3. Rob Sanders - County Commission
4. Archie Ellis - City Council
5. Lillian Bean - Court Clerk

Successful Incumbent races we worked in on behalf of Ragsdale:

1. Mike Arms - County Commission
2. Sam Anderson - School Board
3. John Greiss - County Commission
4. David Collins - County Commission
5. Randy McNally - State Senate
6. Mark Cawood - County Commission
7. John Rosson - Municipal Judge

All of which I worked for in one capacity or another (including paid or unpaid consulting).

I provided targeted voter lists to Mark Cawood in 2002 in exchange for his agreement to support Chuck James in 06.  The meeting was at Scott Davis' office. Cawood supported James heavily in 02.

While not everyone will "own up" to having me involved, I'm sure a great majority of their financial disclosures will reveal expenditures to: Tyler Harber, Adam Groves, Southern Political Group, National Public Strategies, Concepts Unlimited, Daybreak and Associates, Franklins printing, Rebecca Hargrove Smith, Red Balloon Media, KITH Productions, LuVox Media, Target Point and several other companies owned, directed, or controlled by me to provide political work.

I'm sure I'm probably missing a race or two above however, compare the results above with those of yesterday. Nearly every candidate heavily backed by Ragsdale lost. What does this mean? Is Ragsdale's machine slowing down? No longer using the "heavy handed" strategies that got him to where he is now?

The first thing I hear this morning is word that Ragsdale is unhappy with his political results. First with a weak show against Hall and second, with a complete failure of his political machine to elect a single candidate. It's hard running for Governor when you can't elect your own people.

Ragsdale can point to how much "shit" I brought to his administration, but he forgets that I ran his campaign and the campaigns of many of his allies to build a political environment he could control. The library take over, Hardin Valley school, and the wheel tax are excellent examples of the height of Ragsdale's control. But, with an eroding political base, things will be different. In the past, we just worked to defeat our enemies, but now his enemies hold even more elected offices and are turning their sights on Ragsdale who no longer has a political "hitman" that will do anything he orders.

In the end, I took the heat and he left me "holding the bag" for the all the races he instructed me to work. Now he is paying the price for being disloyal to those who would have taken a bullet for him - and did.

Topics:
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simonsays's picture

I knew they were stealing

Submitted by simonsays (not verified) on Sun, 2006/08/20 - 8:43pm.

I knew they were stealing petitions. I ran off one volunteer after becoming suspicious that he was making off with petitions. It seems like Harber was just following orders. Why else would Ragsdale hire a 19year old. Ragsdale wanted someone to do his dirty work. But, poor treatment of Harber spurred this "tell all." Ragsdale has no one to blame but himself. If he had just paid the kid what he owed him, then none of this would have gotten out.

Bean's picture

The on-line version cut off

Submitted by Bean (not verified) on Sun, 2006/08/20 - 9:00pm.

The on-line version cut off the last few paragraphs. Here is the material that got inadvertantly deleted:

...................................................
Cunningham said the Ragsdale administration is fortunate that the voters chose the wheel tax over the property tax increase.

“There’s one other thing I remember about this – the property tax increase they passed was clearly illegal. Dickson County went to the state attorney general, who issued an opinion that you cannot set a tax rate after October. ... If it had come to that, it’s very clear to me it would have been ruled illegal and unconstitutional.”

Sellers and Lambert both believe some skullduggery went on with their petition drive. Lambert said petitions left at retail establishments disappeared. Sellers said the Election Commission’s count was “about 3,000 signatures short of what we thought it should be.”

Harber’s assessment is tinged with regret.

“Ragsdale wanted to build something the whole community could get behind – the downtown library. He wanted to leave a physical legacy, and he used (Gov. Phil) Bredesen as a model. As mayor of Nashville, Bredesen built a beautiful library. A crown jewel. Ragsdale wanted to do the same.

“But we overextended ourselves, and when it was evident that the wheel tax was going to get onto the ballot, we were left with only two choices – beat it or let it beat us, in which case we’re damaged, to the extent that we couldn’t run for governor. It turns out this was just as bad.”

Next week, Bean explores the Web site caswalker.com and talks with candidates who felt the fundraising muscle of Team Ragsdale.

AnonymousCoward's picture

Thank you

Submitted by AnonymousCoward (not verified) on Sun, 2006/08/20 - 9:05pm.

Betty, thank you for writing this article. I can't wait for the next installment!

Tommy Gavin's picture

Tyler isn't Ragsdale's only

Submitted by Tommy Gavin (not verified) on Sun, 2006/08/20 - 10:15pm.

Tyler isn't Ragsdale's only "hitman". Mike Arms is even worse. Did you know that Mike Arms has a full time job in Oak Ridge and is being paid about 120k by the county?

Arms is Ragsdale's original 'bad boy' and is twice as crooked and four times as vindictive as Harber was.

This is just the tip of the iceburg. Ragsdale's future is empty. Even if he is not prosecutrd by the state (which he likely won't be), then the stain of this scandal will hurt his chances of higher office.

The more I hear about this, the more I think that Harber was a scapegoat for these guys. Now it turns out that he was doing what he was told to do and was never the "uncontrollable maverick" that Ragsdale made him out to be after he resigned.

IMPEACH RAGSDALE AND FIRE ARMS!

Knox Action's picture

Ragsdale's fingerprints are

Submitted by Knox Action (not verified) on Sun, 2006/08/20 - 11:03pm.

Ragsdale's fingerprints are also all over the Midway Road Industrial Park - he is pressuring Co. Commission to push it through ASAP. He knows what little power he has left is still sitting on the Commission only thru Aug. After that, he'll have a much harder time selling his agenda at Commission.

Factchecker's picture

Ragsdale's favorite book is

Submitted by Factchecker on Mon, 2006/08/21 - 11:44am.

Ragsdale's favorite book is the Bible, his favorite song is Rocky Top, and his hero (besides Jesus) is Ronald Reagan.

What more could the voters of Knox County ask for?

Kelvin Moxley's picture

Can't Wait for Parts II & III

Submitted by Kelvin Moxley (not verified) on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 9:28am.

I await with eager anticipation the next installment of Betty’s story as well as complete and comprehensive coverage by members of the local media.

R. Neal's picture

complete and comprehensive

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 9:32am.

complete and comprehensive coverage by members of the local media

Don't hold your breath.

Oren Incandenza's picture

Coverage

Submitted by Oren Incandenza on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 10:26am.

I await with eager anticipation ... complete and comprehensive coverage by members of the local media.

And I'll see you at the Big Rock Candy Mountain. 

"I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, but it turned out to be a
bastard with a torch, bringing me more work." - The Office

Number9's picture

I await with eager

Submitted by Number9 on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 11:16am.

I await with eager anticipation the next installment of Betty’s story as well as complete and comprehensive coverage by members of the local media.

If this had happened at UT it would have a three week news cycle and would be on the air every night.

Apparently the sixth floor of the City County Building is a news free zone.

Factchecker's picture

SayUnk will like this part

Submitted by Factchecker on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 11:35am.

...AND FIRE ARMS

First I need to learn to get a long gun.

Factchecker's picture

One public employee dick

Submitted by Factchecker on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 11:42am.

Apparently the sixth floor of the City County Building is a news free zone.

And on one of those floors works an *sshole who drives a white Escalade like a maniac, freely running red lights in the morning on his/her way getting to the royal parking garage.

Number9's picture

And on one of those floors

Submitted by Number9 on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 11:47am.

And on one of those floors works an *sshole who drives a white Escalade like a maniac, freely running red lights in the morning on his/her way getting to the royal parking garage.

Could you give us just the first name? Is it Mike?

Anonymous's picture

I've noticed that comes with the territory.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 12:10pm.

Escalade drivers seem to think they are entitled to drive that way. Go figure...

Factchecker's picture

Could you give us just the

Submitted by Factchecker on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 12:13pm.

Could you give us just the first name? Is it Mike?

I have no idea.  I was driving down Neyland Drive last week when this "moran" (old SKB term) passed through like he/she was re-enacting a scene from Clear and Present Danger.  I had a suspicion it was heading for the C&C garage, which it was.  I damn near went in to inquire about the vehicle, but it was too damn hard to find a parking place.  Being a mere mortal and all.

Can't be too many of those vehicles in there (at least I hope not!), so somebody knows who it is.

Making government better every day's picture

IMPEACH RAGSDALE AND FIRE

Submitted by Making government better every day (not verified) on Tue, 2006/08/22 - 10:33am.

IMPEACH RAGSDALE AND FIRE ARMS (and his son).

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