"Shakeup" makes it sound like the board elected a new Chairman. It's a sexual harrassment probe of a school board member and prominent county Democrat.

Randy is right, there's often more to the story, but read the custodian's statements. It doesn't sound good. Not at all.

Made you look! But yeah, it's probably not the best headline.

What I was suggesting is that a seat might be up for grabs in the next election (2010?) or sooner.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the damage may already be done and it could be pretty tough to overcome a front page headline like that.

If the charges are proven to be true, I guess the seat would be open sooner? Would there be an appointment or a special election, or what?

How much of this is backlash from Bratton's outspokenness during the School Rezoning meetings?

I see Cindy Buttry was punished by being forced to sit far away from the rest of the school board despite her position on the board as vice-chair.

Seems to me that Buttry and Bratton performed their duties admirably and served the citizenry as they were elected to do by listening to the public's voice and suggesting alternatives. Since they did not play good ol' boy politics, good ol' boy politics is coming back to haunt them. And that does not does bode well for the future of a democratic government in Knox County. Are we to be ruled by money, relations, and bullies?

In all the rezoning meetings I thought Buttry and Bratton lived up to their duties more than any of the other school board members especially Dan Murphy, Sam Anderson, and Karen Carson. A special award for dereliction of duty should go to that lame excuse of a school superintendent, Roy Mullins, for sleeping through the public hearings. And "living up to their duties" is not a reference to siding with my point of view that the rezoning was flawed but a reference to questioning the issue and researching alternatives but most importantly listening to the public. Bratton took a 45 minute phone call from my wife! That's dedication to the office.

Frankly, I don't care if he sexually harassed someone or not. If he did, punish him somehow for that but don't take him out of office for it because he is performing the duties of the office just fine. We can find dirt on anyone. If all it takes to move our political agendas forward is finding someone to cry "sexual harassment" then getting people out of office will be a breeze.

Doug McCaughan
(link...)

Frankly, I don't care if he sexually harassed someone or not.

I don't think you really mean that.

I don't think he does either. RB is a winky good 'ol boy, but he has meetings with yummy mummies all the time and has never been accused of inappropriate conduct. The accuser comes right out and demands financial compensation for this behavior. I would be demanding his job, not his money.

No. I didn't mean it. I do care greatly if someone is hurt or abused.

That compensation desire struck me as a bit strange as well. I'm going to withhold comment until more information is known.

I can't imagine anyone "taking liberties" in an area where everybody would reasonably expect the presence of surveillance cameras. That's what bothers me about these allegations.

The Hill Online

I want to hear what Robert has to say.

That compensation desire struck me as a bit strange as well. I'm going to withhold comment until more information is known.

My guess is that's coming from her lawyer. He said as much in a TV interview last night.

Tamara,

I based that assumption on this from the KNS article:

The school system's security department began conducting an investigation into the matter last week and also is reviewing video from the school's cameras, school spokesman Russ Oaks said Tuesday.

But, since one incident is alleged to have happened in a staff break room and one in a classroom, it is probably reasonable to assume that there were no cameras present.

The video review is surely just protocol.

The Hill Online

There was some talk about Bratton running for one of the fee offices. Guess that's dead now.

Isn't it unusual for an attorney to be advancing his "client's" allegations so publicly in advance of filing any lawsuit? Is the attorney culpable of any breach of ethics in doing this?

Geez, isn't Greg Issacs is above the fold or on the TV at least once a week or does it just seem like it?

I almost hate to bring it up, but I believe there is a recently appointed County Commissioner who was involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit. But it was a long time ago and did not involve county employees or county business.

However this may be resolved, I think the way the schoolboard handles (or mishandles, as it has been known to do) this is going to be the main story.

With the unanimous vote to remove Kallenberg from her administrative duties, and the issue of who started those allegations of sexual misconduct within the school system yet to be resolved, many eyes will be watching how the school system handles this issue.

I don't see how this suit would involve zoning as Bratton's school, South Doyle was the only one that did not get rezoned. As for Bratton being a Democrat,some in the party love him and some in the party wouldn't mind so much seeing him gone because of his heckling of Charles Lindsey and close friendship with Brian Hornback etc over the years.

Robert took time yesterday despite all the brouhaha to keep a commitment he had made previously to meet with the Shopper-News interns. He sat through 2 hours of "stuff" from the kids and offered several helpful comments. Robert is a conscientious school board member who deserves his day in court before anybody starts jumping to conclusions. -- s.

I am not sure that the county law department should be involved in this, since Robert was at the school as a parent, not as a school board member.

This is not to contradict what you are saying, and I assume that this would be a legal issue, but since school employees work for the school board, would there be a question of sexual harrassment as it relates to employer/employee relationships?

And I don't think his reputation is necessarily ruined if the accusations are false. Bratton presents himself as a serious public servant who gives a darn, and that goes a long way.

Politics allows for many second and third chances. People who hold things like this, if they turn out to be false, against someone are just looking for something anyway.

If Bratton was perceived as someone who's only out for himself, then something like this, true or not, would probably be nails in the proverbial coffin. However, I don't believe Bratton is perceived that way, even by his opponents.