This story was compiled with assistance by Staff
A Knox County Mayor’s recommendation to Knox County Commission has brought together two opposite mudslingers in an attempt to take down the County Mayor’s business decision. Cynthia Moxley and Steve Hunley while usually in opposite political corners do have much in common. Both like a “slash and burn” approach and both are notorious for being ruthless and playing dirty.
The mayor’s recommendation involves the extension of the AMR-Rural Metro ambulance contract based on the recommendation of the Knox County Health Department which has scored the ambulance company’s performance as fully justifying the recommendation. The current contract calls for options for extensions based on good performance. Re-competing such a contract would cost the county thousands of dollars in staff time and resources to put together a new RFP and go through the proposal process.
Moxley wants to stop the recommendation since her client, Priority Ambulance and its CEO Bryan Gibson, want to compete for the contract. Ironically Gibson’s last big contract with his previous company First Med abruptly closed down its medical transportation company without notice to its local government clients. This action left thousands of patients stranded in six states. Gibson gave no reasons why the local governments were not given notice. He simply blamed company finances. A neighboring county in North Carolina officially declared a state of emergency in the county because of First Med and Gibson. Also hundreds of workers were not only out of work but were not given their earned pay only a few days before Christmas.
Hunley has a different motive. He sees an opportunity to garner a power base much like he did when he worked to get Mike McMillan as chairman of the Knox County School Board. Hunley apparently has a bone to pick with County Mayor over what he thinks was a broken promise. He wants to get even and flex his muscles by disrupting the County Mayor’s last year as Mayor. So Hunley has his minions Jack Huddleston and John Mills to offer deals to commissioners who can blow up the Mayor’s recommendation. The first commissioner to take the bait was Charles Busler who was allegedly promised the next Commission Chairmanship which will be voted in September, if he leads the effort to stop the AMR-Rural Metro extension. Last Monday at the Commission workshop Busler made a recommendation to rebid the contract even before any discussion of the Mayor’s recommendation was held. He then read a list of his concerns. Embarrassedly he stumbled over sentences and mispronounced words making it obvious to most observers and Commissioners that someone (allegedly Moxley) had prepared the list of questions and concerns. Other commissioners have been offered the Vice Chairman position if they oppose the recommendation of the County Mayor. Sone have ethically turned down the deal offered by Hunley through Mills and Huddleston. Maybe we can guess by the vote at tomorrow’s (August 28) County Commission meeting which Commissioner has taken the deal offered for the Vice Chairman, Allegedly, Hunley claims to have Commissioners Ed Brantly and Bob Thomas locked up. Both are now focused on next year’s Mayor race. A position Thomas has been seeking for the past 18 months since he made his announcement to run. Hunley has been promoting Thomas in his “Focus” for the past year and will undoubtedly endorse him for Mayor over all opponents.
The ambulance contract is a safety issue for Knox County citizens. The County Mayor is recommending the contract extension. The Director of the Knox County Health Department, Dr. Martha Buchanan, who oversees the contract is recommending the extension. Knox County Sheriff J.J. Jones who deals with emergency transportation daily is recommending the extension. County Commissioner Brad Anders, a City of Knoxville law enforcement officer, is supporting the extension. While Hunley, Huddleston and Mills who have all previously served in elected offices in Knox County in the old days of back-door-deal making are putting politics above the recommendations of professionals who deal with public health and safety every single day. In doing so they are also putting personal politics above the public health and safety of the citizens of Knox County. Shameful!
