Why did Mike Ragsdale ask HUD to investigate Knox County?

A. He really, really wants to get to the bottom of this mess.

B. He's ready to push Cynthia Finch under the bus but wants somebody else to actually do the deed.

C. He's now able to stonewall media inquiry by saying, "Gee, I can't comment while an investigation is underway."

D. Mark Brezina at the Knoxville Office of HUD has as much reason to shut this down as Ragsdale does and will investigate accordingly.

E. All of the above. --s.

B, and D. I would have taken all of the above except for A. I don't think he wants to get to the bottom of this mess.

I saw a short clip of Tennessee this week. He did not impress me with his whine altitude about John Werner it's my choice and the voters can just be damn.

Or maybe he wants to clear all this up and get out of the line of fire, but he knows at this point he doesn't have much credibility with the media or anyone else so he brings in outside help (i.e. HUD, the TN Comptroller's office, etc.) as impartial observers, and he's confident they will vindicate him.

Either way, there are some who will see this as as a sign of weakness, i.e a perceived lack of control in his office that he now has to bring in outsiders to clear up, and there are others who will see it as proof of his wanting to be open and get to the bottom of it.

He's been maneuvered into a tough spot between a rock and a hard place, partly by the people who work for him, partly by commission, partly by the media, and partly by his own apparent lack of oversight (or his "trust", depending on your point of view) and leadership example.

If HUD and the Comptroller's office do come in, it will certainly be interesting to see what they find.

While he asked HUD to step in to review the grants program, Ragsdale also expressed confidence in Finch’s office, saying staff members “understand the needs of our community, they are knowledgeable about the agencies best equipped to meet those needs, and they are absolutely committed to creating partnerships that make the best possible use of scarce federal resources.”

Anyone care to pick this one apart?

Unlike Sandra, I'll be very surprised if Ragsdale doesn't finish his term. Maybe there's more and that will be 'enough'. Maybe it gets so bad that some business folks ask him to step down. But, that's not likely unless it affects their interests.

Also, think of the practicalities. If it were someone like Bredesen, he's independently wealthy. He doesn't need the job. That's no slam at Ragsdale, but I'm guessing he would need a place to land. He was a PR guy before Mayor and Dean of something at Pellissippi State before that (right?). Any of those jobs around for a Mayor resigning in turmoil?

Same for Cynthia Finch and the rest of the upper level folks in 615, save Mike Arms who's part time job pays him handsomely. None of those will quit (giving up the $130k+) and all will go if Ragsdale quits. So, if he quits he takes all those people with him.

Maybe he limps and deals with the nagging scandals for 3 years. Maybe some new faces get elected next year who are a bit more friendly to Ragsdale. But, it will be more difficult to get those friendly faces with all the improper and illegal conduct in the Mayor's office. Any Commission candidates signing up Ragsdale, Arms, and Finch to host committees?

It will be interesting to see what else comes out. I don't think it's over. Death by a thousand cuts? That's not certain at this point.

Call it what you want... but Ragsdale was paid to play golf and to wine and dine folks to try to get their business...

Sound familar...

Here's WBIR's latest story from tonight's news:

(link...)

at BMI (Barber McMurry) was Vice President of Business Development. Before that he was Dean of Admissions at Pellissipi State. He earned a Dr. in Education. Beanster, what slap can you give him for that?

sorry.

Mayor, Michael R. Ragsdale, why are you hiding behind Cynthia Finch’s skirt?
The race card is no longer the prima facie issue. Something more provocative? Some AKA sisters are concerned. But will the past be successfully covered up? Usually is...
This latest political maneuver with HUD is just that - the mayor and his sidekick are living in a political Disney world. Yet so are many of the commissioners. Will HUD respond?
Though the mayor needs to, he will not clean house -for his political house appears to be from Toonsville and he sees nothing wrong except the angst of being caught. Meanwhile, "Ms. Roger Rabbit" from his Toonsville past, is just around the corner peeking inside. Won’t the Mayor be surprised if and when she knocks on his door?

While he asked HUD to step in to review the grants program, Ragsdale also expressed confidence in Finch’s office, saying staff members “understand the needs of our community, they are knowledgeable about the agencies best equipped to meet those needs, and they are absolutely committed to creating partnerships that make the best possible use of scarce federal resources.”

The above is admittedly a repeat of the quote above. However, after reading the stories in today's KNS concerning Finch, this quote makes Mayor Ragsdale look like a buffoon. It's revealed in today's News-Sentinel that thousands more in taxpayer dollars are going to groups with ties to Finch and her family. Finch claims not to know about what groups are operating in the building she owns and groups which claim to operate under TennCorp, which she operated for nine years prior to being hired by Ragsdale and which Finch's sister now runs. And, compliance officers detail thousands being wasted with no apparent services being provided, but Finch's relatives received thousands in salary.

While it may not be exactly clear, it appears poor Dwight VanDeVate is once again being hung out to dry. VanDeVate states Finch, the county finance director, Ragsdale and Arms discuss the community grants. Yet, Finch is quoted as saying 'she does not review the grant applications or recommend them to Mayor Ragsdale'. So, which is true? Are we parsing words such as 'discuss' v. 'review'?

Kudos to the News-Sentinel (Ansley Haman) for investigative reporting. We know from past stories that Finch lied to a KNS reporter about her ties to TennCorp. Now, this:

A copy of the compliance officer’s memo detailing the May 22 visits was viewed Tuesday by the News Sentinel in Fam-Sec’s file.

“I looked at it because they had a question about it yesterday,” Finch said. “I didn’t pull anything out of there.”

So, according to the News-Sentinel's reporter, she looked at the memo in the file one day, asked Finch to comment, the file was sent to Finch and the next day the incriminating memo was missing.

So, Mayor Ragsdale, these are the people in your office who “understand the needs of our community, are knowledgeable about the agencies best equipped to meet those needs, and are absolutely committed to creating partnerships that make the best possible use of scarce federal resources"?

Maybe Sandra's right.

It's Friday, soon will be another Friday afternoon....

HUD funding is "free" to Knox County in that it does not tap county tax revenues.

Would you think any differently of these pass through federal grants if Knox County had spent thousands of dollars on travel and entertainment to obtain them?

Considering the Federal Government takes a good percentage of my pay checks(among the multitude of other taxes), I don't consider HUD money to be 'free.'

I'm not here to bash fiscal conservatives, having a bit of that tendency myself. But I have to wonder if the recent posters disply a proportional amount of outrage at the money our government is blowing in Iraq, farm subsidies, corporate welfare, etc.

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Less is the new More - Karrie Jacobs

Honestly, I find it infuriating whenever the government (Federal or local) mismanages taxpayer funds. Back O/T, I'm just curious to see the results of the audit. If Camp Ragsdale tries to throw Cynthia under the bus, I'm sure she will try and scorch the earth.

I think that folks who SUPPORT county programs such as public schools, the Sheriff's Office, public health, libraries, codes enforcement & roads, and parks & recreation would be annoyed at the waste and fraud in these insider grant programs and no-bid contracts.

You would hope to have a CEO and senior staff who are resourceful and dedicated to making government better every day. Instead, we've got waste, fraud and a slogan. -- s.

I think that folks who SUPPORT county programs such as public schools, the Sheriff's Office, public health, libraries, codes enforcement & roads, and parks & recreation would be annoyed at the waste and fraud in these insider grant programs and no-bid contracts.

Will the audit tell us if there are former county employees
who are running non-profits and other entities that receive grants and contracts, or is it just going to show us family connections between those who give and those who receive?

HUD's Mark Brezina... why are we letting the local guy head up the investigation... I hear he is a friend of Ragsdale attended fund raisers, events etc...

I think county commission should ask Office of Inspector General in Washington DC to head up the investigation...

I have the same question, then, in regard to your thought about former employees, namely, does HUD make this an issue?

Thanks for your response. My question was also more generally directed to county employees, which I guess would be answered by the charter, are there any rules about former employees receiving grants and contracts from the county, which is like being re-hired by the government?

My knowledge of the specifics of the charter, or other relative regulations, on this is limited.

It seems like that Knox Co., as does Washington, D.C., has a revolving door that for some revolves pretty fast.

Apparently some employees think so! Perhaps Ragsdale could practice review and oversight by asking for a show of hands on this question - except that some former employees, who have not paid in several years (!) may have already left the building...

No wonder the man did not want to be called County Executive - he can't live up to the title.

Why isn't the local Democratic Party making hay out of all this?

Randy,

Finch is a Democrat. Should the Knox Co. Dems call for her to be fired?

be that KnoxDem Chairman Don Daugherty has his hands full with fighting within the KnoxDem party.

Remember, 1/31/07 when Democrat Mark Harmon and Democrat Billy Tindell got into a public fight over Johnathon Wimmer -vs- Amy Broyles.

The appointee? Republican Chuck Bolus.

Political parties don't take stands like that, particularly local parties. Well, seems that I recall Jim Gray did on term limits and ended up not being Chairman for long. Like it or not, political parties are caught in a bind because they have to 'support' the party officials. That applies to Democrats and Republicans. Frankly, none of this stuff with the County Mayor has anything to do with partisan politics.

And Randy, there are plenty of Democrat GOB's in county and city government. Probably not as many as Republicans. But, there's quite a few. Republicans don't have a monolopy on GOB's. In local politics, they all play together, R's and D's. Maybe not the grass roots workers. But, elected officials sure do.

Demo's field a candidate in the Primary or General for County Mayor? If not, why wouldn't the Democrats attend a Ragsdale event?

They evidently endorsed Ragsdale by not fielding a candidate.

Just like the local GOP party should be asking the tough questions and calling for action and resolution. But they, too, are curiously silent (present company past party executives notwithstanding).

As a mere commoner, I tend to agree with Chad and Brian, but I also think that in general, on both sides of the aisle among party supporters, not necessarily party activists, a lot of people are just waiting for more information. If these issues are entangled by racial and legal questions,tough questions and calling for action and resolution may just interfere and complicate what any number of auditors and attorneys may end up resolving.

Gary.

Well, I have a little different take on it... Elected (and some appointed) officials and their staff seem to be doing a pretty good job of self destruction without anyone making hay. Why jump in now? Wait until this winter and drag it all out in the campaigns. If I were a future candidate, I'd already have a seamstress somewhere working on a lobster suit...

And, things are coming too fast and furious. The whole P-card thing seems like it was a long time ago, doesn't it? You barely have time to evaluate one report when here comes another one...

Its not going to end anytime soon and that's sad...

Corruption is everywhere---in our government, our school systems, our churches and our workplaces. Trying to make it look like Finch is somehow unique is absurd. The true lesson to be learned is the same old lesson we all should have learned years ago--power corrupts. Therefore it seems important to work on laws that demand accountability rather than wasting time on partisan politics or expressing shock and awe when one particular person is suspected of possible corruption. Too much focus on personalities detracts from the real issue which is to work hard to create local, state and national laws that help curb abuses of this kind.