Thu
Jan 11 2007
07:14 pm
By: R. Neal
The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting that the Tennessee Supreme Court decision on the validity of Knox County's charter will be issued tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Should be an interesting afternoon...
My prediction: The charter will be upheld (possibly with an order for a referendum to incorporate the changes and clarifications from the recent charter review committee ed. note: duh, see comments) and hilarity will ensue.
Topics:
|
|
Discussing:
- Building housing Knox County Democratic Party headquarters up for sale (3 replies)
- Terrible things are happening outside. (2 replies)
- Electricity prices are rising (1 reply)
- Watch how scam victims lose millions to a con with a modern twist (1 reply)
- Knoxville SOUP proposals Announced for Sept. 23, 2025 (1 reply)
- No Kings Rally - Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 (1 reply)
- Study finds Knoxville has the second worst drivers in the US (3 replies)
- Republicans shutdown government to avoid healthcare support (2 replies)
- Well, isn't that special? (1 reply)
- Serious Budgeting Yes, Silly Pandering No (1 reply)
- What's that being built near the entrance to Fort Dickerson Park? (8 replies)
- Tennessee hospitals will hurt if GOP has its way (4 replies)
TN Progressive
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- Report on Blount County, TN, No Kings event (BlountViews)
- 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)
- Lee's Fried Chicken in Alcoa closed (BlountViews)
- Alcoa, Hall Rd. Corridor Study meeting, July 30, 2024 (BlountViews)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
- July 4, 2024 - aka The Twilight Zone (Joe Powell)
- Chef steals food to serve at restaurant? (BlountViews)
TN Politics
- Shelby County Mayor, elected officials sue Gov. Bill Lee over National Guard deployment (TN Lookout)
- US House Dems slam Trump moves to quash public demonstrations, dissent (TN Lookout)
- Stockard on the Stump: Gubernatorial candidate would “suspend” private-school vouchers (TN Lookout)
- Voting Rights Act supporters rally outside Supreme Court as justices hear Louisiana case (TN Lookout)
- Trump threatens more crackdowns in Dem cities, prosecutions of his political enemies (TN Lookout)
- Gov. Lee says task force arrest are of violent criminals, gang members; data show that’s not true (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Lisa Soland becomes Pat Summitt in one-woman play (Knox TN Today)
- Bat House + Caroline Platt + Lizzie Gaver + Notes ++ (Knox TN Today)
- Hurry, hurry: It’s International Sloth Day (tomorrow) (Knox TN Today)
- HEADLINES: World & national news to state & local (Knox TN Today)
- PetHelp Community Clinic to expand affordable veterinary care (Knox TN Today)
- Ace Gap Trail, Crooked Arm Trail host Fall flowers and foliage (Knox TN Today)
- 47th Annual Washington Presbyterian Church Fall Apple Festival (Knox TN Today)
- Knox is Musical Festival bound (Knox TN Today)
- Food City awards BIG Bucks to schools! (Knox TN Today)
- Solar recycling resources (Knox TN Today)
- Maine’s Mahoosuc Notch: ‘The Toughest Mile on the Appalachian Trail’ and a dream come true (Knox TN Today)
- Double take (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Community members eager for Gay Street Bridge to reopen as construction continues (WATE)
- KidStrong Knoxville combats rising screen time with fitness, leadership training (WATE)
- Upcoming North Broadway construction projects to improve safety, bus service (WATE)
- UT Extension program gets $500K grant to help SNAP recipients access job training (WATE)
- Knoxville Track Club's new race series kicks off with Neyland Stadium finish (WATE)
- State, county partners keeping Smokies open through October amid government shutdown (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Chattanooga Now Events - Groove on the Green - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Final scores and photos from Friday's Chattanooga-area prep football games - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Homes going up in luxury neighborhood along Tennessee River - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Chattanooga housing inventory continues to normalize - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- France Gets Debt Warning as S&P Downgrades in Unscheduled Move - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- China Officials Try to Ease Global Concern Over Rare Earth Curbs - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- 'No Kings' protests against Trump planned nationwide, in what the GOP calls 'hate America' rallies - AP News (US News)
- Alaska storm damage so bad many evacuees won’t go home for at least 18 months, governor says - CNN (US News)
- Trump commutes prison sentence of ex-lawmaker George Santos - DW (US News)
- 10 injured, 1 seriously after balcony collapse near UC - FOX19 | Cincinnati (US News)
- Trump says he wants to end Ukraine war without sending Tomahawk missiles - Axios (US News)
- Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologises for San Francisco deployment remark - BBC (Business)
- Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologises for San Francisco deployment remark - BBC (US News)
- Boeing wins FAA approval to hike 737 MAX production to 42 planes per month - Reuters (Business)
- Dhanteras: Why India's Diwali gold rush is different this year - BBC (Business)
- Vermont Legislator Resigns Over Racist Republican Texts - The New York Times (US News)
- Trump Pledges To Cut Obesity Drug Prices. Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly Stocks Dive. - Investor's Business Daily (Business)
- Wall Street rises to finish its best week in 2 months after bank stocks stabilize - AP News (Business)
- Man convicted in Etan Patz's murder must be re-tried by June or released: Judge - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos (US News)
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
Already done
(possibly with an order for a referendum to incorporate the changes and clarifications from the recent charter review committee)
Those changes were adopted by referendum in the November elections.
Duh. I completely forgot
Duh. I completely forgot about that. Thanks. So the stage is set for the fun and games to begin!
Tomorrow will be one of
Tomorrow will be one of those days that reporters live for. I'm going to have a hard time getting to sleep tonight. Boyoboyoboyoboy!!!!!!!!!!!
um...
Careful Beanster - your schadenfreude is showing...
Nah. It's not the
Nah.
It's not the destination, but the gettin' there. Although I do, as you know, have my druthers re the result, it's finding that second-day angle that's the challenge when you work for a weekly. PTL that we come out Sunday night, or it'd be a third-day angle.
Care to predict?
My guess
My prediction:
The charter will be upheld, but only as amended by the voters in November. The Court will find a clever way to conclude that the effective date of term limits will be tomorrow, the day the decision is made official. That will mean that the term-limited officials already sworn in will be allowed to serve out this term, but that's it. There won't be a special election to kick the bums out. The drama will subside fairly quickly.
--Socialist With A Gold Card
"I'm a socialist with a gold card. I firmly believe we need a revolution; I'm just concerned that I won't be able to get good moisturizer afterwards." -- Brett Butler
possibilities
Part I: There's a whole range of possible results.
From one end:
charter invalid, everyone stays in office because there's no term limits
to the other end:
charter valid, everyone (commission, clerks, register of deeds, sheriff, etc.) out.
But you might get a blend of the latter, with only some getting put out. If anyone goes, my guess is that it certainly will be commissioners.
Part II:
If the latter is decided, then there's the issue of when the office holders must get out.
On one end: term limits start now, so everyone now has two terms, starting now.
On the other end: everyone out as soon as your replacements are appointed at this month's commission meeting.
In between possibilities: you can serve out the present term (commissioners and sheriff then have almost 4 years left; and some clerks have a little less than 2 years to go), to the seats are up for grabs a) in a special called election, b) when the next regularly scheduled election is held (city election this fall, next state election next year, I believe).
Feel free to add possibilities, they are probably almost limitless.
My prediction: Charter
My prediction:
Charter valid, but there were flaws that were "cured" by the amendments passed in November.
County Commissioners, mayor and law director are term limited. So are fee officers, except for court clerks, who are protected along with the judiciary.
Sheriff's out.
Effective as soon as the election commission can set a special election.
but I forgot
there's the kink of those people who lost to the possibly term limited office holders, but filed suit contesting whether they could be on the ballot. There was the person out in Holston Hills who took on Diane "This is my Lifestyle" Jordan, and perhaps one other suit.
If the court says these term limited folks shouldn't have been on the ballot, does that mean the person above (and whoever else I forgot), goes into office?
And I forgot, is there a chance this ruling could apply term limits to the school board?
the next prediction
if some offices are term limited, is anyone going to have sour grapes enough to try to appeal to the US Supreme Court in a desperate try to hang on to power? That could be really sad.
I don't think there's a
I don't think there's a federal question in this case.
Removed by author
Discretion is the better part of valor.
Forget predictions
Private closed door meetings, backroom hand jobs and scotch is the only definite here. Everyone gets to finish their term regardless. KY jelly, bend over...repeat.
We ready!
I'm taping my ankles and running my head into the lockerroom wall in preparation for covering the day's events, starting with the commission/school board luncheon.
Should be some interesting happenings around the courthouse -- including a super-secret meeting with the law director at 4:30. They claim it's an "executive session" with their lawyer, but I maintain that, for the six of them who sued to overturn the charter, anyway, that their lawyers are John Valliant and Arthur Seymour Jr. The law director, who is paid by the taxpayers, was their opponent in this lawsuit.
Should the media crash this meeting?
Latest "insider" info I've
Latest "insider" info I've heard is that the SC is going to sustain Weaver's ruling and declare the charter invalid. In that case, there'll be no executive session and all will be peaceful and bright.
But, but, but.... where does this leave Knox County? What about all the actions it's taken under its home rule charter over the past 16-18 years?
I imagine I'll hear 25 more permutations over the course of the day.....
Big wheel keeps on turning.
Latest "insider" info I've
Latest "insider" info I've heard is that the SC is going to sustain Weaver's ruling and declare the charter invalid. In that case, there'll be no executive session and all will be peaceful and bright.
Is this the Mayor and County Commission to bring forward a new Charter? I hope your info is incorrect.
If the SC does uphold Weaver I would be interested to see the case law. I don't see how that is possible, except of course for politics. Politics makes all things possible.
contempt of common
Invalidating the charter would be profoundly antidemocratic, rendering the citizens of Knox County subservient to the competence and/or incompetence of the legal class. I will hold off on enumerating the perversions implicit in such an outcome until it actually happens. It had better not.
here comes Herb
According to the paper's web site, Herb is trying to get the closed door meeting with the commissioners open to the public.
Latest "insider" info I've
Latest "insider" info I've heard is that the SC is going to sustain Weaver's ruling and declare the charter invalid.
If this is the case, wouldn't they be contradicting their own ruling in Shelby County?
live coverage?
anybody got any suggestions for live coverage? somehow I don't see the TV stations breaking into Oprah or other afternoon shows for this but I'd sure like to be a fly on the wall...
If Beanster or somebody
If Beanster or somebody wants to go down there and phone in a play-by-play I'll live blog it.
opinion probably released here:
(link...)
I googled and found the above link.
Email your phone number to me and I'll call
Although you'll find out soon as I do--