So much drama ahead of today's Administrator of Elections appointment. According to reports, everyone from the County Mayor on down to the parking garage custodian knew about the confidential HR file memo regarding assistant election administrator Scott Frith, one of the top three candidates for the permanent post after the unceremonious sacking of Greg Mackay.

What is not revealed in any of the reporting is, how and why is this suddenly being made public?

Astonishingly, reporters on the story (Mike Donila at the KNS and Anthony Welsch at WBIR) say that Frith himself provided copies of the memo. Presumably they asked him about it on the day before he was up for promotion to the AOE job.

What prompted them to ask, pray tell?

Donila says on his blog that he knew about the memo, but doesn't say for how long. And Welsch obviously didn't put the story together yesterday afternoon on a whim. Why is this coming out all of a sudden?

Curious timing. Donila says on his blog that "someone 'in the administration' [i.e. Mayor's office] tipped Frith about it," but that's probably neither here nor there.

At any rate, Frith apparently panicked when he could have just said "no comment." No comment, no story. Copy of the memo, big story. Admitting there was some basis in fact with regard to certain elements of the memo, even bigger story. Admitting he shredded the "official" (or unofficial, depending on who you ask) copy, huge story.

What's wrong with that boy? Repeat after me: "no comment."

In the fallout, Election Commission Chair Christopher Heagerty is quoted as saying "I'm not pleased. You just don't do that."

So their hand-picked apprentice has gotten himself thrown under the bus and attorney Clifford Rogers parachutes in out of nowhere to take over the AOE post and save the day. (Because nobody is taking DeFreese seriously are they?) Unless they follow form and keep Frith on despite all this, similar to how they appointed a new election commissioner who admitted violating election laws. You never know with these guys.

Either way, the Election Commission decision will likely be short and sweet. It's amazing how they're able to make so many decisions without any open deliberation at their meetings.

And we probably haven't heard the last of this. Frith leveled some pretty serious charges of "blackmail" against Mackay. It's going to be hard to walk that back.

Mackay is known for following the rules, for good or ill depending on your point of view. He did what he was told by HR, according to the leaked memos, and Frith admits to factual elements of the memo. Did Mackay leak the existence of the memo? Did he really tell Frith he would "smear" him as Frith is quoted as saying in the paper? It seems out of character for Mackay, but who knows? (Actually, Donila knows but he ain't talking.)

On the other hand, it doesn't seem out of character for the GOBs running things now. It would be just as easy to speculate that Frith pissed in somebody's Cheerios and this is an expedient way to get rid of him and save face. That would be ironic, but not surprising.

We may never know. Unless there are depositions.

On a final note, County Mayor Tim Burchett is quoted in the Sentinel as saying "Mackay gave it to our HR director as maybe job insurance, I don't know." Nice cheap shot. It fits the pattern, though.

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