Tue
Nov 24 2009
03:22 pm

We are told that Lewis F. Cosby has picked up two nominating petitions for Knox County Mayor: one for the Republican Primary and one as an Independent Candidate.

Anonymously Nine's picture

Quite the scoop. KNS?

Quite the scoop.

Depending on what happens nationally next year may seen Independents break the glass ceiling.

Much speculation will ensue.

Average Guy's picture

Lest we forget...

(link...)

The guy has bigger stones than anyone I've seen in or around government.

Run Lewis, run!

bill young's picture

Interesting

Should the Democrats urge Cosby to run as an independent?

And pledge to support Cosby?

buttorfly's picture

Cosby for Mayor

Cosby would be a great independent candidate and deserves the backing of the Democrats. The Republican Party is fractured into groups in Knox County. They need a break to reorganize and present viable candidates.

StaceyDiamond's picture

Cosby

I'd vote for Cosby. Its a scary thought that the choices are Tim and Tim. Makes me miss Ragsdale already.

alan swartz's picture

Independent

Lewis Cosby discovered the P-Card abuses in the Mayor’s office. The Mayor and other officials had to write checks back to Knox County. Cosby made us aware of the Mayors illegal booze fund and it was shut down. Cosby’s investigative work and the reaction to “Black Wednesday” led to the largest turnout in a local election possibly ever. Cosby has no ties to any of the Knox County political machines so he could make a positive change in local politics. The question is without the ties to local old boy networks, can a reformer like Cosby win a local election?

Average Guy's picture

An "I" can only be an "I" if left "I"

It would be a great experiment. Dems would serve themselves by organizing around him, without trying to organize him. Independents and moderates will support him but have no organization. Dems have the organization, but should not offer him help, just support. Trying to bring him "in" would just be fodder for Reps to make an attempt to label him. This man already knows what to do, just support him.

Somebody's picture

Does being an astute auditor

Does being an astute auditor and 'not Ragsdale' equal qualification to run the County? I'm quite certain Mr. Cosby did a service to taxpayers by identifying where funds were not being handled properly. I'm less certain that that qualifies him to lead an organization. Knox County clearly needs remediation in the fiscal disciplne department, but it also needs forward thinking leadership and a path out of the political quagmire of recent years. Don't know that much about Mr. Cosby, but haven't seen anything yet that suggests he can do the latter thing. I would so much like to see not only better financial management, but also a break from the political mudfights of the past.

Average Guy's picture

Mudfights can only happen in the mud

When megalomaniacs are taken out of the equation, an agrarian style leadership could thrive. Cosby doesn't want or need anything from the Knox political scene. Hence, he could (and hopefully would) bring up and groom a-political people to do the work of the county.

Getting out of the quagmire takes recognition there is one. Cosby's run can make this obvious to anyone still out of the loop.

Anonymously Nine's picture

leadership?

I'm less certain that that qualifies him to lead an organization. Knox County clearly needs remediation in the fiscal disciplne department, but it also needs forward thinking leadership and a path out of the political quagmire of recent years.

How to you figure Tim Burchett has those qualities? What has Burchett done that shows "leadership"?

Burchett's State record:

Payday loans

Roadkill bill

No helmet bill in Tennessee for motorcyclists

Changes County Executive to County Mayor

Requirement that the County Mayor have a college degree (it was never voted on)

Always a vote for John Wilder and the protector of Jimmy Naifef

That is leadership? When asked how he would address his lack of executive experience Burchett said, "Don't worry, I'll hire the best people".

You can worry now.

Somebody's picture

Who said anything about

Who said anything about Burchett?

smalc's picture

Somebody, you're new here?

Somebody, you're new here?

Somebody's picture

Not really new, no. Just

Not really new, no. Just not frequent, either.

Rachel's picture

Somebody asks the right question

It's the one I wanted to ask but s/he beat me to it.

SnM's picture

snark

Potential Mayoral Candidate Cosby Faces Identity 'Clarification'
To be or not to be Republican: That is the question

From APB reports. KNOXVILLE - Potential Knox County mayoral candidate Lewis Cosby is undergoing a crisis of political faith and is seeking "clarification" of his political identity in the coming months, he announced today.

A former certified public accountant, sometime television station manager and full-time critic of County Mayor Mike Ragsdale's administration, Cosby picked up petitions to run for county mayor next year both as an Independent and as a Republican.

"I was taught to always be open-minded about political orientation," said Cosby, 59. "I'm keeping my options open. If I need to undergo an identity clarification procedure to transform myself into a viable political candidate, I think I have the flexibility for that. Just don't call me a Democrat - not that there's anything wrong with them."

Cosby has combed mayoral financial records for discrepancies in everything from purchasing card reports to the budget, and has offered to brush, wash, lather, rinse and repeat his criticism of the mayor's handling of his financial house.

"I want to make sure that, in me, the voters of Knox County have the best option for Knox County mayor," said Cosby, who is on the Knox County Ethics Committee. "This will be a pivotal year, and I want to make sure I am the right person there to fix the fulcrum, whichever way it sways. That's why I will gaze into the navel of my political positions to determine if I can maintain those positions and still be the candidate who wins the election. If not, those stances will change."

Cosby says it's important that voters know who is and what he stands for, which is why he is taking the time now to find out for himself.

"Yes, I want to clear myself, I mean, I want to be very clear on this myself," clarified Cosby. "Who am I? Am I Republican? Am I Independent? Am I some new hybrid that might appeal to a liberal, moderate and conservative viewpoint, to peaceniks, tea partiers and Palintologists alike? I don't know. That's what I'm going to find out..."

Tess's picture

He is a businessman

Lewis Cosby is a businessman as well as a CPA. I believe he is an owner of several local radio/tv stations. I would vote for him, for sure. It would be refreshing to have someone in charge of the county who is smart, capable and not tied to the usual crowd.

bill young's picture

If & ONLY If

If & ONLY if Cosby runs as an independent.

It is the longest of the longest odds that the
Democrats would support him BUT on the outside
chance that anything is possible.

Here goes.

First,I agree with Average Guy,"organize around
him(Cosby),without trying to organize him."

1.No Democratic nominee for County Mayor.

No Democrat running is the best case scenerio.

The Knox County Democratic Executive Committee
would make no endorsement.

However,members of the Committee would be free
to individually support Cosby.

2.Nominal Democratic Nomninee

I stress nominal.

Under the Bylaws members of the Committee "MAY
be impeached" for "failure to support" the Democratic
nominee.

The key here is "MAY be impeached".
It's not SHALL it's MAY.

Therefore,as long as there is not a majority on the
Knox County Democratic Executive Committee in favor of impeaching a member for endorsing Cosby's independent candidacy over the Democratic nominee..then
members would be free to individually endorse & help Cosby.

This could get dicey if the membership is evenly divided
on the question of "failure to support" the Democratic nominee for mayor & supporting Cosby's independent candidacy.

I will say this.

I've been very impressed with Mr.Cosby.

And every thing I've read about Mr.Cosby
sure leds me to believe he's qualified to be
the chief executive of the county.

KC's picture

I've been very impressed

I've been very impressed with Mr.Cosby.

And every thing I've read about Mr.Cosby
sure leds me to believe he's qualified to be
the chief executive of the county.

How so?

He only focused on the Mayor's office and management of the county offices under its control.

What about the other county offices?

Did they not need any scrutiny?

One thing's for certain when someone says he's not sure whether he'll run as an Independent or a Republican:

It's ALL about Lewis.

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.
President Abraham Lincoln 1862

bill young's picture

Specifics

If I remember right I saw Mr.Cosby on Steve Hall's &
Hal Hill's tv shows.

I was impressed with Mr.Cosby's background.

However,I can't recall all the specifics..
so I don't want to take a shot in the dark &
be wrong.

Others who read Knoxviews maybe able to shed more
light & post the specfics.

KC's picture

I was impressed with

I was impressed with Mr.Cosby's background.

Thanks for your opinion.

I can see how people would be impressed with Mr. Cosby's background as a businessman, but how his experience applies to dealing with constituents, different interest groups, and the general processes of public office and governance is not clear to me, and to me, that's more important than simply auditing and finding problems in a public office.

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.
President Abraham Lincoln 1862

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