Kudos to Knox Co Commissioner Sam McKenzie for speaking truth to the Knox Co Commission today. He opted not to run for election in 2016, so he spoke today out of consciousness. Last month seven Commissioners signed a letter to send to the the legislators about the De-annexation bill in the State House and Senate.
Sources have rumored to me that Commissioner John Schoonmaker called Commissioners informing them that a letter was in the Commission office. Including Schoonmaker’s signature, six other Commissioners signed it, Commissioner and Knox Co employee Randy Smith, Commissioner Jeff Ownby, Commissioner Charles Busler, Commission Chairman Dave Wright, Commissioner Mike Brown and Commissioner Ed Brantley. Commissioner McKenzie today confirmed the rumor that he got a phone call, he said that he said I will not sign it. McKenzie did not publicly offer the name of the caller. If that had been all they did, no harm, no foul.
At the next meeting, less than 15 days later the Commission again deliberated and actually voted. They gang of seven picked up Commission Vice Chairman Bob Thomas as a vote in support of the statement. Three Commissioner did not sign the letter and voted no on the resolution, they are Commissioner Sam McKenzie, Commissioner Amy Broyles and Commissioner Brad Anders.
Because McKenzie brought the issue up tonight and no corrective action was taken by the Board of Commissioners, I sincerely hope that a citizen or group of citizens will file a motion in Chancery Court. The Chancery Court has judicial oversight on Commission due to the 2007 order of the Knox County Chancery Court and allow Chancellor Pridemore to sort the facts out with the Commissioners and the Law Director with them all under oath by penalty of perjury.
