http://www.shoppernewsnow.com/aVanguilder.aspx Larry's article says Knox County does bid'ness Blount County style anyways....

Great article Larry.

Let's look at it this way, for purely political purposes.

Ragsdale is a bucket of ice cream.

Finch is a bucket of poop.

You put a heaping scoop of Ragsdale's ice cream in the bucket of poop, you've still got a bucket of poop.

You put a small piece of poop on Ragsdale's ice cream and you've got contaminated food that nobody wants to eat, so it just sits there and melts until it gets thrown away.

Why Ragsdale wants to lug this bucket around any longer is anybody's guess. Looks like they've given her a choice of basically stay or go, but at least it's her choice, but I suspect that there are approximately $840,000 other issues coming down the pike that will costs the county lots of buckets of money.

KNS July 26, 2007:

Finch, along with then-husband Kesley Finch, purchased the former Burlington Branch Library at auction in 1994 and reopened the 3,000-sqaure-foot building as an office complex the next year. After the couple’s divorce, Kelsey Finch gave up his interest in the property.

On Aug. 15-16, 2002, Cynthia Finch paid off six years’ worth of overdue city and county property taxes on the building, totaling almost $18,000 with interest and penalties, property tax records show.

The next day, the recently elected Ragsdale announced Finch as his pick to serve as director of community services. Van de Vate said Ragsdale knew at the time Finch was behind on paying taxes on the property

“He was aware of it and advised all candidates for senior staff that their property taxes needed to be current if they were to be part of the administration,” Van de Vate said.
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My comment: Did she stay current on property taxes while an over-paid senior staff member? No! Those "occupancy fees" were funded at an interesting time.

Clipping her wings is too little to late... time for the complete Ragadale crowd to leave on their own or by force... it is their choice!!!!