Mon
Jan 3 2011
02:46 pm
Victor Ashe in the Halls Shopper: "It is not clear when they will meet and how."
By: R. Neal

Maybe he should read KnoxViews. Or the official City Council meeting notice.

Or is he saying there is some kind of procedural error with the announced meeting to appoint a new mayor? It's hard to tell from this rambling piece, which also lays out issues the next mayor will have to address and takes a few shots at a couple of local officials.

ALSO: Betty Bean explains why not many people are stepping up to fill the City Council seat being vacated by Bob Becker (after wondering if recent Knox Co. teacher suspensions represent age discrimination and/or cost cutting measures).

BONUS: Sandra Clark hints of a new Halls Shopper website coming next week. Hallelujah!

Topics:
OhWell1942's picture

Ah Victor...how we long for

Submitted by OhWell1942 (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 3:18pm.

Ah Victor...how we long for those days of violating the civil rights of employees, always posturing politically and applying painted plywood over much of Gay St. to avoid the appearance of its decay during his tenure. At least his multiple terms created the outcry for term limits. He did however do a great job advocating parks and greenways----a truly great job.

Not sure he accomplished as much as Dave Hill though in those 16 years.

Bbeanster's picture

What are Dave Hill's

Submitted by Bbeanster on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 3:38pm.

What are Dave Hill's contributions?

Just a nobody's picture

Not boarding up south Knox

Submitted by Just a nobody (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 10:40pm.

Not boarding up south Knox and painting surreal "Our Town" cartoons on said plywood ala' Gay St. during the Victor era?

Not be convicted of violating the rights of underpaid City employees?

Not taking as much in salary as Victor did?

Dave Hill is a Saint compared to Victor...unfortunately, doing no wrong is an cause for celebration in this case.

Rachel's picture

Pot, spoon, Victor.

Submitted by Rachel on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 4:03pm.

Pot, spoon, Victor.

MemphisSlim's picture

Maybe we could get a federal injunction again him enjoining him

Submitted by MemphisSlim (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 4:04pm.

from writing about such obscure topics and generally bringing up vivid reminders of the malaise of his irrelevant administrations as city mayor.

He doesn't include his tenure of the Board of Directors at Fannie Mae (2001-2004) on his C.V. like he used to, maybe he'll enlighten us on the wonderful things he did at Fannie Mae (he used to brag he was the only city mayor on the board) but I'm not holding my breath until the statute of limitations runs out.

Anonymous6789's picture

No sense

Submitted by Anonymous6789 (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 6:08pm.

Bean makes no sense.
"neither Hammond nor Pinkston could have run in the city"
Why not?
Teague was allowed to run. She went from district to at-large.
She got beat but she was allowed to run.
Why does Bean think they would not be allowed to run?

Bbeanster's picture

Teague was not an incumbent

Submitted by Bbeanster on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 6:23pm.

Teague was not an incumbent and did not run while she was in office.

Rachel's picture

"neither Hammond nor Pinkston

Submitted by Rachel on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 6:21pm.

"neither Hammond nor Pinkston could have run in the city"
Why not?

Because they lived outside the city limits. Duh.

Bbeanster's picture

Because they lived outside

Submitted by Bbeanster on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 6:40pm.

Because they lived outside the city limits. Duh.

Well, there's that, for sure.
I worded that poorly in attempting to make the point that the city and county charters are being interpreted differently re term limits.

Anonymous6789's picture

Term limits

Submitted by Anonymous6789 (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 9:24pm.

"interpreted differently" by whom?
Besides you?

rikki's picture

By different judges, one of

Submitted by rikki on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 9:34pm.

By different judges, one of which is wrong. That would be the one who interpreted the county charter, whose reasoning was clearly specious and begged for an appeal.

Anonymous6789's picture

Different Judges

Submitted by Anonymous6789 (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 9:43pm.

Fansler and . . .?

rikki's picture

Maybe Fansler and nobody. Has

Submitted by rikki on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 11:11pm.

Maybe Fansler and nobody. Has the City term-limits law been challenged in court? It might be that city politicians have simply had more respect for citizens and the clear interpretation of the term-limits language.

You get to run once as an incumbent. This keeps officeholders from passing along their office to a chosen successor by retiring just shy of their full term, and it's clearly working in Becker's case. Those who find this restraint prohibitive don't want the seat, and we're probably better off for it. Politicians who do not want to merely serve but to serve as long as possible probably have just the sort of motives that have made the job so despised and lobbyists so wealthy.

Bbeanster's picture

"interpreted differently" By

Submitted by Bbeanster on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 10:02pm.

"interpreted differently"

By the candidates and officeholders themselves. What's Anon. 6789 (not verified)'s explanation for why no sitting, term-limited Council member has run as an incumbent?

Anonymous6789's picture

Staggered terms

Submitted by Anonymous6789 (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 10:21pm.

The at-large seats and district seats are staggered terms.
Except for the Fifth District it is impossible for a District seat holder who has been term limited to run for an at-large seat as their term expires.
Becker ain't running. He is leaving town.

j.f.m.'s picture

Also interpreted differently

Submitted by j.f.m. on Tue, 2011/01/04 - 11:21am.

Also interpreted differently by the law departments of the two governments, right? I know the city Law Dept. is pretty clear that the city law means one day more than a single term makes you ineligible to run again. In contrast, obviously, the test case in the county was actually pushed by the law director, arguing that a partial term shouldn't count against him. (Speaking of which, this same issue could come up again with Jarret, couldn't it?)

Anyway, I think there's another interesting wrinkle. What if you were somebody interested in serving on City Council but not necessarily trying to make a lifetime career out of local politics? Getting appointed to fill out a term would put you in a good position to run for re-election (as long as you didn't promise not to on the front end), and then you could serve out a full term without having to worry about re-election. Five years as a Council member might actually be enough for some people...

Up Goose Creek's picture

Residency

Submitted by Up Goose Creek on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 6:23pm.

Ditto

Bbeanster's picture

And Larry Cox, who loved

Submitted by Bbeanster on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 10:32pm.

And Larry Cox, who loved public office, didn't leave town and flirted with a school board race before going on J. Duncan's payroll didn't run at-large because??

Anonymous6789's picture

Larry Cox

Submitted by Anonymous6789 (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/03 - 10:52pm.

Political considerations???
He may have been afraid the voters would not accept it.
Remember Pavlis thought about it, too.
I really don't know for sure.

But I do not remember anyone saying he was not "allowed" to run.

Bbeanster's picture

Odd how you (or some other

Submitted by Bbeanster on Tue, 2011/01/04 - 12:23am.

Odd how you (or some other anonymotard with the identical opinion) always chime in on this. Really makes you sound like you have a motive that you don't want attached to your name.

Which is why I hate arguing with people who are too chickenshit to reveal themselves.

political leverage's picture

what about chuck

Submitted by political leverage (not verified) on Tue, 2011/01/04 - 2:22pm.

my blog politicalleverage.com reported weeks ago that Chuck Williams is actively and publically seeking interm position.

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