How could a "do-over" include the mayor, or anyone else who wasn't ruled term-limited by the court?
The question is, of course, rhetorical, because the answer is that it couldn't.

Scoobie's faction is running wide-open and attacking anyone who opposes them. They are evidently too stupid to understand that they are also handing anyone who opposes them the high ground. Maybe it feels so good to inflict punishment that they haven't thought through the consequences. They're not real good at thinking.

It's not a question of the News Sentinel doing Ragsdale's bidding -- they are doing what any reasonable person could reasonably expect a major daily newspaper to do: protecting the public process and the public's right to know.

Some of you need to relax that automatic anti-Ragsdale kneejerk reaction and try to judge each sitation on its own merits.

Also, it seems to me that if Moore wanted to make this whole thing go away he could simply allow for a re-do, which would drop the lawsuit, have the public forums, and then vote back in the same people without having any deliberations. Consequently they could no longer be accused of breaking the Sunshine Law. Legal experts, is that right? Also, would this suffice to clear the other lawsuit?

If you watch the YouTube Channel 9 videos of the McElroy lawsuit you will see many of the Commissioners are deeply offended by the charge of the Sunshine Law violation. Right or wrong that is how they personally feel. Mike Hammond says he doesn’t know that a violation occurred and he wants an explanation. Paul Pinkston says that accepting the News Sentinel's offer to drop the lawsuit in exchange for a do-over would be an admission of guilt and he won’t go for that.

County Commission has been in business for over 20 years and one has to question the timing of this Sunshine Law lawsuit. Many weeks ago Beanster and I were live blogging a County Commission meeting and I asked if it was a violation of the Sunshine Law when the Commissioners had a recess and would go behind that wall behind the Chairman. I have had some time to think about this Sunshine Law issue. Beanster wrote she was sometimes behind that wall if I remember correctly. Beanster straighten me out if I don’t have that right. Now if a reporter can be there, then how if there a violation?

Here is my point, why doesn’t the News Sentinel use their considerable budget to have a reporter sit right next to that wall? When the Commissioners go behind the wall follow them and listen. If the Commissioners tried to prevent that then I think it would be a violation of the Sunshine Law. But if it is normal practice for reporters to be there then where is the basis for this lawsuit? If reporters have been there in the past how is it a violation of the Sunshine Law? Why hasn't the News Sentinel done more to report these meetings?

For what it is worth. I feel the 2nd and 4th Districts did not receive due consideration in the January 31st debacle. But neither did the 5th District where I live. Except that in the 5th District we did get the most qualified appointee in Frank Leuthold. In the 2nd and 4th Districts no matter who was appointed half the people would have felt cheated. If Jonathan Wimmer had been appointed the Amy Brolyes people would have been really mad. And so on and so on. The appointment process was not made for that many appointments. But it is State Law.

Aren’t we seeing that the cure is worse than the disease? I was not impressed by Bud Gilbert’s ideas for a special election. While Mr. Gilbert is personally very impressive his bill for the State Legislation is a real mess that just opens the door for all kinds of negative consequences later on. The idea of a do-over for any reason seems like it will not achieve any calming of the waters. The will still be many angry people. That is why we have elections. Isn’t it time to cowboy up like Uncle likes to say and move on the February 2008 election?

We would not be in this mess if the Commissioners that were term limited had stepped down nor would we be in this mess if five of those Commissioners had not sued to invalidate the Knox County charter. We would not be in this mess if the voters had not reelected the term limited County Commissioners.

The Knox County budget is like a bear awakening from its winter slumber. It is hungry and you do not want to be between that bear and the blackberry bush. This is the most challenging and contentious budget in the history of County Commission. When will the County get back to business? Is this the best time for all of this partisan polarized juvenile bitching? Shouldn’t we have done this much sooner?

If we really are serious about Ethics reform in Knox County we have to include the News Sentinel. It is the most powerful entity in forming public opinion in Knox County. KnoxViews is the biggest local blog in Knox County. It might reach 3,500 people a day. AM 1180 when it had Lloyd Daughtery on the air might reach 10,000 people a day. Hallerin Hill on WNOX might reach 25,000 per a day. The Knoxville News Sentinel reaches over 100,000 people a day. If you look at the front page article in today’s News Sentinel can you see an imbalance? Where is the reporting of Mayor Ragsdale and his team attempting to intimidate County Commissioners? When the Mayor meets with new Commissioners and explains the rules of law in Knox County where is the outrage? It is common knowledge that new Commissioners are told to play ball or they will not receive any news projects in their District. The News Sentinel has reported this I believe a couple of times with the Mayor’s statement by Dwight Van de Vate that it is untrue. I do not feel I am alone in the perception that the News Sentinel is very pro Ragsdale. But they are supposed to be neutral. So how can that neutrality be achieved?

I would suggest that the News Sentinel create an Ethics board of five members. Two selected by the News Sentinel’s staff who work for the Sentinel and three others from the community. I would suggest they meet quarterly to review both articles and Editorials to seek a neutral stance. What could this possibly hurt? Will the News Sentinel consider this?

I thought the Mayor presents a budget to the commission for their vote. So how does the mayor control the funds for projects?

Excellent question.

Prior to the January 31st debacle the County Mayor had much more power. At the time before the Chairmanship of Scott Moore the County Mayor had great power. David Collins was the prior Chairman of the County Commission.

Sandra and Betty have written extensively on this at the Halls Shopper News and to a lesser much degree the Metropulse has covered it also. Not much from the Sentinel except for Georgiana Vines and Michael Silence on his blog but not into the depth of the Shopper news analysis.

It is about power. You have to be able to count to ten. Ten votes in County Commission is needed for a bridge, or a zoning variance, or a new ordinance, or to modify an older ordinance. Ten votes means power.

Most people remember the old role of County Executive which did not have as much power as the new role of County Mayor. Mayor Ragsdale remade the office of County Mayor. First by having friends in Nashville change the name from County Executive to County Mayor. Then by using his authority to place people on important boards and committees. Then by using a Chicago style of heavy politics where you twist people's arms behind the scenes.

With this power and the power of friends in high place plus the power of patronage the County Mayor at one time controlled over ten votes in County Commission. He was in charge. Large and in charge if you know what I mean.

But in his quest to be the next Governor he got cross ways with the 800 pound gorilla of Knox County politics the former Sheriff. Shouldn't have done that. A critical miscalculation.

Now he is much less powerful and is in a political makeover to be the sensitive reasonable Mayor who cares about the people and what is fair, right, and just. Hence the outrage and call for the special election etcetera. Hence the open warfare with Scott Moore and Lumpy Lambert. Hence the man of the people performance since January 31st.

So far the County Mayor is winning the PR battle because the January 31st debacle was so ham handed. However, the Chicago style of politics favored by the County Mayor, minus the bullets of course, has a big drawback. Sooner or later everyone you walked on comes for payback.

This is far from over. In the end the losers will be the people. But we had it coming because there are not enough of us that give a damn. When only 1 in 4 people vote you get Chicago politics even if you live in East Tennessee.

I must have missed something. Where did race come in to it?