The following remarks were made today by Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale in response to the report published by State Attorney General Robert Cooper:

I’d like to begin by offering my deepest personal thanks to the following:

State Attorney General Bob Cooper and his qualified staff;
Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Bill Bright;
Our own District Attorney General Randy Nichols; and the
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
They have been capable and professional in every respect. They have risen above political hysteria and personal animosity and they have served the citizens of Knox County with distinction.

Three attorneys, seven investigators, 59 witnesses and a review of over 10,000 documents have revealed that there are, and I quote, no “facts to warrant the institution of criminal proceedings against any public official in connection with county purchasing cards, use of the mayor’s hospitality fund, community grants, and the stock ownership of IdleAire.” This investigation also found no evidence that any of the p-card holders intended to deprive Knox County of either property or money.

I was pleased that the examination of the Knox Hospitality fund found that the account was used in an open and public manner and that there was no evidence that contributions were made by donors with the intent to secure some preferential treatment. It has been very difficult during this time to see the motives of many of our community’s non-profit organizations and our staff questioned. This report found that there was no evidence that any benefits were provided to any public officials in exchange for awarding any of the grants that were identified in the audit report.

During all of this, we have kept our priorities. We have continued to focus on the things that matter the most: schools, jobs, economic development, public health and general county services.

Going forward, we are going to continue to keep our priorities and we are going to have our best year ever. By serving our families, our seniors, our students, and our veterans we are going to spend the next year working as hard as we ever have to make Knox County the best it can be.

Dwight Van de Vate
Chief Administrative Officer
Knox County Government