From Scott Barker's KNS article [1] referenced earlier in Disclosures VII [2] regarding newly appointed County Commissioner Richard Cate: "Cate said they've paid their tax bills. "I have a clean bill of health with the IRS and the state tax people and the county tax people," Cate said.

It appears, however, that one of his companies involved in a bankruptcy mentioned in the article (Blaze Fence, listed as administratively dissolved by the Tennessee Secretary of State) owes more than $4200 in unpaid property taxes to Knox County and the City of Knoxville. (Details here [3], PDF format). There are also unpaid taxes on another piece of property owned by Cate.

Paul Pinkston said he wouldn't consider a nominee who owed back taxes. Did Pinkston vote for Cate? I don't recall. (UPDATE: He did not.)

In a totally unrelated disclosure, there's this from an October 1998 Knoxville News Sentinel article by Tom Humphrey:

The [Registry of Election Finance] is threatening to impose fines on two Knoxvillians for failure to file required reports on their 1998 lobbying activities.

Richard Cate, who registered as a lobbyist for the Downtown Organization of Knoxville, faces a civil penalty of $750. Bill Nolan, a veteran lobbyist who has represented several clients, faces a penalty of $400.

Cate still had not filed his required report, said Peggy Nance Williams, executive director of the registry. Nolan filed but did so past the deadline for doing so, she said.

The point of all this is not to pile on, but that County Commission did not perform due diligence on the nominees and that there were no public meetings to discuss possible issues with these unelected officials.