Thu
Feb 15 2007
10:45 am
By: R. Neal
As a follow up to Disclosures III, the Knoxville News Sentinel's Scott Barker has the details on newly appointed County Commissioner Richard Cate's sexual harassment lawsuit and previous bankruptcies.
According to the article, several commissioners said they did not know about this before voting to appoint Cate to County Commission.
Bonus: bizarro quote from Lumpy Lambert:
"I don't know (Cate) extremely well, but he does not seem like the type to do something like that," Lambert said. "But Ted Bundy didn't either."
Which is why Lumpy is the media's favorite go to guy for commentary on county politics.
|
|
Discussing:
- Execution failed!!! (3 replies)
- GOP Senator "deserves the obloquy" (2 replies)
- AI company going public says "existential risks to humanity" (2 replies)
- Michaela Barnett for Congress TN-02 (2 replies)
- Timing is everything (2 replies)
- Presidential protest? Deja vu? (3 replies)
- Republican midterm strategy 2026 (2 replies)
- Kerbela Development: Understanding the Appeal and What Happens Next (1 reply)
- 865 Neyland Entertainment District announcement (3 replies)
- Federal court rules Constitution doesn't guarantee clean water (2 replies)
- Trump Admin wants rid of DEI bike lanes (1 reply)
- New COVID-19 wave, vaccine available soon (2 replies)
TN Progressive
- View from the Overlook (Whitescreek Journal)
- Alcoa property taxes will probably not go up (BlountViews)
- Smith & Wesson not a good fit for Blount County (BlountViews)
- Pellissippi Parkway extension delayed again (BlountViews)
- Blount County early voting record turnout (BlountViews)
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- America As It Is Right Now (RoaneViews)
- A friend sent this: From Captain McElwee's Tall Tales of Roane County (RoaneViews)
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
TN Politics
- Trump may backtrack on livestreamed execution of Fort Hood shooter (TN Lookout)
- Judge extends temporary access to White House for news organizations Trump banned (TN Lookout)
- A survived execution in Tennessee exposes the grim science of lethal injection (TN Lookout)
- Out-of-state Dem govs with 2028 ambitions are working to boost TN US House candidates (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee Trucking Association, fuel providers say clarity is needed on dyed diesel relief (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee prepares for heavy rain, strong winds brought by Hurricane Isaias (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Week 8 roundup: Grace Christian wins thriller as Austin-East and Karns roll (Knox TN Today)
- Saturday Catch-Up: Six stories worth another look (Knox TN Today)
- From golf to hoops, Lady Vols are covered (Knox TN Today)
- New on the SoKno art trail + Sharps Chapel lake access + Ag grants for watersheds ++ (Knox TN Today)
- Daily Connections for Friday, October 9, 2026 (Knox TN Today)
- Zoo Knoxville goes to the dogs for special November weekend (Knox TN Today)
- Close to Home, Far from Ordinary: Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it towns that deserve a second look (Knox TN Today)
- Hiking with Harrington: Fall wildflowers and foliage along Crooked Arm Trail (Knox TN Today)
- Give Like Dolly campaign carries her legacy forward across Tennessee (Knox TN Today)
- Morning Pointe celebrates senior talent while supporting future caregivers (Knox TN Today)
- Food City brings slow-smoked barbecue to East Tennessee this weekend (Knox TN Today)
- Max has been waiting for his person for more than a year (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Killer Trash: A Bear's Gateway Drug (WATE)
- Friday Frenzy Live Week 8: High school football highlights from around East Tennessee (WATE)
- $10 billion in investment plus 4,000 jobs: Oak Ridge grows as more nuclear companies plant roots in the area (WATE)
- 'You're not alone' World Mental Health Day highlights support and resources in East Tennessee (WATE)
- From Disney on Ice to teaching from a wheelchair: Knoxville health fair highlights inclusion, independence (WATE)
- Newfound Gap Road in the Smokies to close due to looming threat from Hurricane Isaias (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Chattanooga businesses seeing resurgence from Walnut Street Bridge reopening - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Mocs know who they are right now, and Wright isn’t running from it - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Free Press Editorial: Police center update probably due after 51 years - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Perspective: The case against posting the Ten Commandments in schools - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- Exclusive: Zelensky tells Axios Trump's diesel deal with Putin "not fair and not honest" - Axios (US News)
- Army caught off guard by Hegseth’s order to make firing squad execution public - CNN (US News)
- Hurricane Isaias live updates: warning of ‘spinoff tornadoes’ as hundreds of thousands without power - The Guardian (US News)
- A Vague, Redacted Execution Protocol in Tennessee Draws Scrutiny - The New York Times (US News)
- UAW leader reviled by Trump declares victory in reelection - The Washington Post (Business)
- AI is changing how lawyers work — and putting the billable hour under pressure - CNBC (Business)
- Large waves pummel Southern California coast, flooding homes - The Washington Post (US News)
- EXCLUSIVE: CNY Central's Matt Mulcahy interviews President Trump - WSTM (US News)
- Fired OpenAI employees question the company's commitment to safety - NPR (Business)
- SpaceX snaps up the 800 MHz spectrum T-Mobile dumped for $2.9 billion — and T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T stocks are sliding - Yahoo Finance (Business)
- Second defendant in Cornell fraternity case seeks New York AG’s recusal - NBC News (US News)
- Trump administration rebuffs Mamdani’s demand for ICE enforcement freeze after shooting - Politico (US News)
- Here’s how Treasury yields could rise to 6% — even without market upheaval - MarketWatch (Business)
- Bigger US corn stocks fuel doubts about USDA livestock feeding data - Reuters (Business)
- Data Center Darling’s $30 Billion IPO Dream Crushed in 48 Hours - Bloomberg.com (Business)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
To date, the failure to expand Medicaid/TennCare has cost the State of Tennessee ? in lost federal funding. (Source)
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South

Unconscionable
Ya know, during the many years I worked in accounting and finance in private industry, I was required to complete pretty thorough applications for bonding before my employers would consider issuing my paycheck, and the budgets I oversaw were certainly smaller than Knox County's.
Even in the years since I left the workplace, I've submitted to background checks by organizations like Girl Scouts USA and Boy Scouts of America, just to work without pay!
Commission's total and complete disinterest in researching candidates was unconscionable!
Cost to obtain bond?
The questions to ask -
How much does it cost to have a County Commissioner or any elected official bonded?
Does a bad credit report / score cost the county more money to obtain this bonded status?
Just some things to think about...
Qualifying elected/appointed candidates
To answer your questions, Thomas, about five years ago bond coverage of around a half-million ran just over $100 annually. Since the common practice in the field is to solicit candidates' credit reports before hiring, then act to bond the new employee immediately after hiring, I wouldn't think someone with bad credit would even be hired. Your question, then, about the increased cost of bonding someone with bad credit is really moot!
Actually, in the workplace, insurance coverage of this sort isn't sought for policymakers so much as it is for folks whose involvement with finance is more hands-on.
It isn't the insurance coverage per se that I believe should be applicable, just some sort of investigative process at the front end.
I wonder, since we are a home rule county, if KC could amend the charter to make the qualification process for candidates more rigorous than that required by state law *and* to create a qualification process for appointees? If so, it would also be necessary to rewrite those horribly vague state statutes to more clearly afford MacKay the authority to qualify candidates...
Have you noticed how every "fix" we seem to consider in these conversations seems to require the cooperation and support of a great many people beyond just the voters...
I'm tellin' ya -
Lumpy is the new Cas Walker.
www.lesjones.com