Good questions. One this I find odd about this is that there has been this ongoing drum beat about "unelected boards" who are somehow trampling everyone's rights (note that I don't agree, to be clear). Isn't this just forming another "unelected board" that seems duplicative? The meeting recap had a couple of interesting side notes that may answer this.

First off were the comments about the state limiting the power of the current board so "the mayor will still need an advisory board". The state has already tried and failed to do so, but don't be surprised if there's another try. Secondarily, one of the commissioners said something like "we don't need this new board, this is a prelude to shutting down the current one and saying 'see, we have a replacement'". That would not be surprising either although it's not clear to me that the current board can be replaced with another one per the state law governance. If not, this just seems like a competing group providing "guidance", when we already have a well qualified group serving this role.

The difference is that this is just an advisory group, it won't have any power to create regulations like the Board of Health has been.

Another thing about all of this that I feel like keeps getting lost is that Knox County's current reliance on the Board of Health to guide its pandemic policies is unique in the state and was mandated by the county Law Department in June (three months into the pandemic). It remains unclear to me why the Law Department believes this is required when no other county with an established Board of Health is using it the way we are. (I have asked the Law Department this question, and suffice to say that after their explanation, it still remains unclear to me. Because they say so, basically.)

The interesting twist about the "unelected board" spin on things is that many of the elected officials who are pushing this are more or less on record saying that they don't feel that it is their role as leaders or governments role in general to make these decisions.
So, the real push here is to be free to do nothing because...you know...freedom...even others get sick or die as result.
But the real backstory...in my opinion...is that this is the result of a philosophy that wants to weaken government at all costs and therefore doesn't want our government to be perceived as a solution to any problem.
In that sense, the freedom that is actually being championed is for the strong and powerful to be able to do whatever they want to do without regard for the consequences inflicted on others - whether bad air and drinking water or COVID.

Compass report:

(link...)

Citizens of Knox Co. should set up a shadow Committee for Leadership and Public Policy Based On Science, Logic, Reason, Safety and Sanity, independent of county commission and the mayor.

Betty Bean