Wed
Oct 4 2006
02:44 pm
County commission to consider an investigation into Team Ragsdale
By: CL

I've heard that the topic of an investigation into Team Ragsdale has been placed on the agenda for the next county commission meeting. Lumpy Lambert had it placed on it on the agenda and three other commissioners (Cawood, Moore, and Harmon) have also put their names on it.

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Number9's picture

This is unraveling just like Watergate

Submitted by Number9 on Wed, 2006/10/04 - 9:30pm.

WATE reports the story that, "Knox County commissioners decided Wednesday to discuss a possible investigation of Mayor Mike Ragsdale at their next public meeting."

Dwight Van de Vate has a great line, "I was talking to a friend the other day and he thought Tyler Harber was a lakefront development." Something tells me that type of humor is a bad omen.

The important thing to know about this is that only 10 votes are required for an internal County Commission investigation. To send the investigation to the Grand Jury would require 13 votes in a supermajority.

This is unraveling just like Watergate. The unlikely hero is Lumpy Lambert. Talk about a complete reversal from his debut on County Commission, Lumpy has gone from the doghouse to the head of the class.

Will Lumpy Lambert be the one to bring ethics to the Knox County Commission?

Bbeanster's picture

It'll take 13 votes to make

Submitted by Bbeanster on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 12:12am.

It'll take 13 votes to make an investigation happen.

R. Neal's picture

People are saying they only

Submitted by R. Neal on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 8:41am.

People are saying they only need 10 votes if it is on the agenda, 13 if not?

TPTB's picture

Bbeanster said"It'll take

Submitted by TPTB (not verified) on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 9:04am.

Bbeanster said
"It'll take 13 votes to make an investigation happen."

I thought I read 10 votes for commission to investigate, 13 votes for a grand jury investigation.

In any event, Team Ragsdale should say "go ahead and investigate." Really. If the votes aren't there for an investigation (for any good or bad reason), there will always be speculation of a cover up, and that will haunt them forever.

The smart thing would for Team Ragsdale would be to say go ahead with the investigation, we have nothing to hide. The real upside is Team Ragsdale saying later "they looked, and found nothing." Without that, the speculation they presently don't like will continue and come right back up when Ragsdale runs for something else.

Johnny Ringo's picture

13

Submitted by Johnny Ringo on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 10:07am.

Section 2.02(H) of the Knox County Charter reads as follows:

H. Upon adoption of an approving resolution in each instance by the affirmative vote of two-thirds ( 2/3) of the entire Commission, the Commission and its authorized committees shall have full power and authority to hold public hearings, with power to subpoena witnesses and to administer oaths where necessary or desirable, for the purpose of either (1) gathering information necessary or desirable for the purpose of considering proposed Commission legislation, or (2) investigating any allegation of violations of this Charter, ordinances or emergency ordinances of the Commission brought by either the Executive of Knox County or any member of the Commission against any elected official or employee of the County. No such hearing shall be held with or without such subpoena power having been exercised except when a quorum of the Commission or any authorized committee, as appropriate, is present.

Number9's picture

WBIR is reporting 13 votes.

Submitted by Number9 on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 10:55am.

WBIR is reporting 13 votes. WATE has modified their report. Gene Patterson's blog still has 10 votes.

Of other interest is Dwight Van de Vate's quote, "I was talking to a friend the other day and he thought Tyler Harber was a lakefront development" is now missing from the WATE report. I was amazed Dwight made that comment.

 

Anonymous's picture

Wonder if Ragsdale and Van

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 8:34am.

Wonder if Ragsdale and Van de Vate have burned the evidence yet?

Rachel's picture

Is that Harmon Mark or Ivan?

Submitted by Rachel on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 10:45am.

Is that Harmon Mark or Ivan?

Number9's picture

Is that Harmon Mark or

Submitted by Number9 on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 11:25am.

Is that Harmon Mark or Ivan?

Ivan Harmon. Supposedly he has ask to have his name removed.

Bbeanster's picture

Well, consider Ivan's nickname:

Submitted by Bbeanster on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 12:23pm.

Ivan Harmon -- Man of Steel.

I would take this about-face as evidence that while Team Ragsdale is swaggering around and saying "Bring It On" in public, they are saying something quite different in private conversations with commissioners.

bill young's picture

mayor envy

Submitted by bill young on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 1:29pm.

i don't think rags understands the job..take information,put it in a concise report,make a recomendation with options & present it to the commission...this bunch has always had "mayor envy";the mayor of knoxville runs the city;the county mayor does not run the county.therefore,from the get,team rags has been on a power grab..so,teenage tyler...with his his art of war tricks are for kids bs,..shows up...hears all this us vs them..i'ma gonna b the guv....&,two years later, lumpy's on commission...bean writes a trinity...& rags is a lame duck one month into his term...

Number9's picture

Is Team Ragsdale reviewing their collection

Submitted by Number9 on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 12:50pm.

Is Team Ragsdale reviewing their collection of color negatives and reminding people of what relationships really are? You can imagine underneath all the bluster of "Bring it on" there is serious arm twisting happening today. Don't be surprised to see a few people wearing arm slings.

Ragsdale's office or County Commission are the only ones that can investigate PPRD. It has been alleged that Chief of Staff for the Mayor Mike Arms has his son working in the PPRD office. If true does that seem to be a strange coincidence?

The question is very simple, is there any work product for Tyler Harber in the PPRD department? If there is not, then questions of DA Randy Nichols will be asked.

If there is work product for Tyler Harber in the PPRD department why doesn't Mayor Ragsdale bring it forward?

JaHu's picture

Confused and Dazed

Submitted by JaHu on Thu, 2006/10/05 - 7:09pm.

I think I may be confused, but I thought I heard that the investigation is to be on Tyler Harber and not Ragsdale? To me it sounded as if they were trying to discredit Tylers credability.

Number9's picture

You may be referring to

Submitted by Number9 on Fri, 2006/10/06 - 10:21am.

I think I may be confused, but I thought I heard that the investigation is to be on Tyler Harber and not Ragsdale? To me it sounded as if they were trying to discredit Tylers credibility.

You may be referring to this over at Gene Patterson's blog.

County Communications Director Dwight Van DeVate makes a point about the possible investigation by County Commission of Tyler Harber’s allegations.

Van DeVate points out that the resolution calls for a probe of the activities of Tyler Harber, not County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Of course, anyone following this story knows that Harber is tied to Ragsdale and any investigation of Harber would include ( I would assume) a review of Ragsdale’s role (if any) in Harber’s activities.

Also, in my earlier post, I said the resolution would require 10 votes for passage. Actually, a supermajority or 13 votes is required to give Commission subpeona power. Chairman Scott Moore, one of the sponsors of the resolution, says the investigation’s structure is still being worked out.

He says there are several options. The entire Commission could sit as the investigative body, or a smaller panel, made up of Commissioners, could be appointed, or an existing committee such as Intergovernmental or Finance could be used. Moore says a recommendation will be made to Commissioners at the October 23 meeting.

As for whether there are enough votes on Commission to pass this resolution, he sees no reason why it won’t pass unanimously.

Mayor Ragsdale has handled this as poorly as possible. He needs to address the people not hide behind Dwight.

This is not just about Tyler Harber. Questions about Jay Witt, Adam Groves, and Brian Hornback have to be answered.

Is it true Tyler Harber did no work for the County?

What work product is there from the three years Tyler Harber worked for Knox County?

Was the Tyler Harber incident at the Copper Cellar planned to send a warning to Mike Chase?

Why did Jay Witt have 87 keys to the doors of the City County Building?

What computer work did Adam Groves do for Tyler Harber and Brian Hornback?

What other information was on Tyler Harber's Knox County computer?

Was Tyler Harber managed by Mike Arms or was he a solo agent?

Were there multiple office burglaries using the keys that Witt had?

What is really happening in PPRD?

Does Mike Arms son work for PPRD?

If so, want does he do and how long has he been in PPRD?

Have documents in PPRD been tampered with to provide a false work product for Tyler Harber?

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