Both Waggoner and Hammett seem to really be going after Jones in earnest.

Are either viable?

Jones is one of those local enigmas that’s hard to figure. Hutchinson can’t get elected dog catcher, yet his hand-picked successor has had no major challenges during his tenure.

And just for clarity, the term limit is for two terms or is it worded two "full" terms?

Why didn't he go to the school board meeting himself?
Was it because:
A. He was on the golf course...where he spends weekdays unless it's raining or snowing.
B. He was scooting around town in that pricey new Mustang he bought for himself with taxpayer dollars.
C. He was looking for a new place to party since the Bruin Social Club shut down.
D. He was trying to find another group of human beings to "stack like cord wood in my jail," since that other thing didn't work out for him.

Has Waggoner forgot (or doesn't know) the direct security involvement that KCSO has with the school system? Doesn't the KCSO train all the school resource officers? The sheriff's office is a politically elected position. I just wish it was appointed like the city.

I am no fan of JJ, but that sounds pretty naive. I don't know what Waggoner means by "lobbying," and to the extent that he can demonstrate how anything the Sheriff is doing qualifies as "lobbying," then I guess that's a legitimate gripe. But this "pledge" seems to equate any active relationship with other governing bodies as "lobbying." The Sheriff is an elected office and for anybody to seriously claim he has no business communicating with County Commissioners or BOE or other governing bodies that, for lots of reasons, necessarily consult with and interact with law enforcement is just unrealistic. A comment below points out why it's impossible not to deal with the BOE on some level, and a lot of County business falling under the purview of the Commission necessarily requires input from the Sheriff (within, of course, the mandates of the Sunshine Law:-) Plus, saying you support a particular institution leader like the Superintendent or a given Commissioner isn't lobbying. Everybody scratches somebody else's back in politics. It's how you get elected. And re-elected. Shouldn't be that way, maybe, but nobody has figured out a way to make it work differently.

As someone pointed out, KSO will be supplying resource officers regardless of who is superintendent. Chief Rausch was there, too. KPD supplies the officers at schools inside the city limits. What's most likely is that they were responding to a request from some Chamber type to go down and put in a good word for JMac's contract extension (and, by extension, his raise).

The difference between Rausch and JJ is that Rausch serves at the pleasure of the mayor, which caused people to wonder why Madeline would choose to get involved in such a swampy, contentious issue, particularly when she has strong supporters (eg Gloria Johnson) who opposed that contract extension.

This would have been a good one to stay neutral on, and I think it's a fair point for Waggoner.

One of the reasons why meaningful change is so hard to make happen in this town is that the people who sign up to rock the boat usually try to do so with suggestion and innuendo. Seldom does anybody ever have the balls to call out the person they're going after with specific allegations. And if they do get specific, they always use some three-layered pseudonym so they won't have to be responsible for anything.

If you've got something to say, say it. But if you say it and sign it, "Old Pol," nobody's going to pay attention. Or if you say, "He's lobbying!" without demonstrating actual lobbying, why the hell should anybody listen?

Is an example of collaboration between the sheriff and county commission about an issue that is not strictly law enforcement - but a very important on for justice and compassion.

I support Bobby. He is honest and straightforward. He is not a good ole boy and he will break the cycle of cronyism that plagues Knox County politics. Now is the time for my fellow Democrats to stand up for the right thing. I said this when I ran against Campfield and it still rings true...If you keep doing things the same way you always have... you will keep getting the same results. Vote Waggoner.

I believe the "lobbying" refers to Jones allying himself with McIntyre against Burchett during the last big budget battle.

Funny thing is, Jones and Deputy Biggs didn't really "lobby" for the board to extend McIntyre's contract. To lobby means that you are trying to influence the decisions of government officials. Those 20 some people who spoke in support of McIntyre were there as a show for the media, as the majority of teachers were pushed out into the atrium. The board members had already decided to extend the contract. The supporters just provided the smoke screen behind which they could hide.

All this bickering over these trivial matters....the public only needs to know how the candidates for Sheriff stand on defending our Second Amendment and whether the sheriff's office will continue to be federalized under his command.

Until they answer these questions, their political leaning, Republican or Democrat, lobbying or not lobbying, etc is moot.

We, the people, have a right to know. Which candidate is willing to run on this platform?

To metulj:
Point taken. My point is, if candidates are not willing to state publicly their stance, which is an indicator of their pledge to uphold that 200+ year old well established right and a very basic and important issue to many citizens, we the people have little reason to trust anything else they say or do. IMO, it makes them all suspect and all of their dealings seem covert or loaded with an agenda. All I'm hearing is just more politics and shoulder rubbing....what we DON'T need.

So, since I don't know all the facts and would like to make an informed choice, who is your candidate and why?

Sure hope Donilla can do some fact checking on the three Republican candidates for sheriff in regard to their WBIR Inside Tennessee appearance.

The only thing potential voters could have walked with is nobody can agree on the “facts” to the point Jones and Hammett accuse each other of lying about them.

If Hammett’s polling is showing him a distant third, I think it would serve the race for him to bail and back Waggoner.

And I’ve tried looking elsewhere and attempted to get an answer from the show but still cannot figure it out. Are Knox County School’s resource officers Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies?

As seen on Knoxnews.., just kidding, from The Mail Online; (link...)

At 7:22 the KNS gets up a story surrounding photos taken by a freelance photographer of theirs. (link...)

(link...)

Still would love to know how a British newspaper got the scoop on these photos.

John Messner used to run a 'crimewatch' web site (after people on the 37917 list protested his constant diatribes monopolizing the conversation there). It may still be around -

Whatever else, he's a good photog and must live with his scanner on 24/7.

As for how the Daily Mail site got hold of it, they are on the equivalent of the "scanner", too. And they carry as much US news as UK.