Yesterday, the Knox County Commission voted to give $1.5 million to move Regal Entertainment Group into the City of Knoxville. During the brief discussion, Seventh District Commissioner Charles Busler said to Knox County Mayor Timmy Floyd Burchett that this has made him unpopular. Busler represents the Halls community, Busler voted for it.
Apparently, Busler doesn’t understand the concept of representative government. When the halls residents utility (water, electricity, phone, internet) rates raise because of the void left by Regal’s move. The people will really be mad.
Knoxville lawyer Mike Whalen was the one citizen to speak on this corporate welfare giveaway. I suspect Whalen and I don’t agree on a lot but the points he made yesterday were right on target. There is no guarantee that Regal has to maintain the 75 new jobs or the current jobs in receiving this money. In addition to the $12.5 million in corporate welfare giveaway, the city is providing this facility rent free for 30 years. Has Regal paid back the corporate welfare for the Gay Street theater they received? Apparently, Regal has filed finance reorganization in recent years. Whalen simply asked for a delay to allow all the facts out. That would have been a great idea. Instead, the Commission folded like a cheap card table to the County Mayor’s recommendation. Of course, this is how the TN House and Senate gave away money when Burchett was in the House and Senate, just give it away and don’t ask any questions.
