Today at the Northside Kiwanis Club Knox County Mayor Timmy Floyd Burchett was the Speaker. My friend Walt Wojnar invited me to be his guest. In typical county mayor fashion, he was accompanied by tax payer funded staff, Communication Manager Mike Grider, Finance Director Chris Caldwell and Director of Constituent Services Sarah Fansler.
The first comment he made was being complimentary of Ms. Fansler, (she comes from great parents, btw) The county mayor said, what keeps you in office and or gets you into another office is excellent constituent service. This from a career politician that served 4 years (two 2 year terms 1994-1998) in the TN House of Representatives and 12 years (three 4 year terms 1999-2010) in the State Senate. He was elected County Mayor in 2010 serving a 4 year term, in 2014 he was re-elected to an additional 4 year term that will cease to exist for him on 8/31/2018.
Wojnar asked him if his comment was an indication that he was already running for the next position. The Mayor said that wasn’t what he said. However, in a cursory review of the county mayor’s twitter account he has recently spent multiple occasions in Campbell County accompanied by the man considered by many to be the county mayor’s political body man, Richard Julian an employee of Knox County’s Human Resources Department.
Back in the early 1970’s, Julian’s dad was described in at least one Knoxville news publication as Knoxville Mayor Leonard Rogers “business partner, political partner and his wheeler-dealer”. On 4/28/2015, the County Mayor and Julian were at a South Campbell County Rotary Club. On 4/29/2015, the County Mayor was back in Campbell County with the Senior Class.
County Mayor on the left, Chris Caldwell in the center and Julian on the right. Julian’s father a former City Appointee was nick named “PostHoleToby”
Why Campbell County? As a resident of Knoxville, Campbell County falls into the Second Congressional District which is represented by Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr.
On Monday May 4, 2015, the county mayor was present at the Knox County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner. However, on Thursday May 7, 2015, the Blount County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner had a standing room only crowd for U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina. Blount County also in the Second Congressional District did not warrant a visit by the county mayor. Burchett who proclaims himself as a Conservative, no showed for the ultra Conservative Gowdy and the good people of Blount County.
Back at the Northside Kiwanis club meeting, the county mayor was asked about his relationship with School Superintendent Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. he stated McIntyre is from Boston (which isn’t actually true, that is where McIntyre previously worked before coming to Knoxville) I am from Knoxville, he is appointed and I am elected. He pleases 5 people (on the 9 member school board) that’s all he has to do. What the county mayor left out is that all he (as county mayor) has to have is 6 of 11 County Commissioners to have his way. So, from observers it seems that McIntyre and the County Mayor are very much the same.
The county mayor was asked about his relationship with Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. He said we have different philosophies, I am more libertarian. With this announcement it seems that the county mayor will no longer be on the Republican ballot as his self repudiation of the being a Republican and now leaning more Libertarian.
Lastly, he began talking about how tax statements are mailed and collected separately from the city and the county and how it is all about fiefdoms. The definition of fiefdom is “an area over which a person or organization exerts authority or influence.” Isn’t this the exact description of a county mayor that must be accompanied by four tax payer funded staff persons to a lunch meeting of a community civic organization?
I then asked the Mayor about the recent 911 board meeting controversy and if he agreed that is/was a fiefdom, because they were wishing to purchase a multi-million dollar system without input from all departments using the system. The Mayor immediately said that wasn’t accurate that the UT Police Chief recanted that report. I asked where it was reported about the UTPD Chief recanted the comments of his staff ? The county mayor said he didn’t know and then in a hasty argumentative tone asked where I got my news, from the News Sentinel? I said NO, I get my information from several 911 board members that actually have attended the 911 board meetings for the last 3 years.
It is interesting that in his fit of discomfort the county mayor throws the News Sentinel under the bus. Because all of the news from the Knoxville News Sentinel has been supportive of the county mayor, city mayor and the initially selected respondent in the 911 issue. Remember, the leaning libertarian county mayor and the obama disciple city mayor have never attended a 911 meeting until the controversy erupted with the winning respondent of the RFP.
