What were Commissioners Bob Thomas and Charles Busler thinking when they accepted a free round of golf valued at $1,875 from Bryan Gibson’s Priority Ambulance? This just days before Knox County Commission was voting on the AMR/Rural Metro Ambulance contract, a contract Priority would like to have. A Sponsorship round of golf at the Open Golf Tournament at Fox Den cost $7,500, just ask Lee Tramel who wrote a check for $1,875 for his share of a golf foursome.
Thomas at the Pairing Party as part of the Knoxville Open. Taken from Twitter.
Busler with a caddy at the golf outing provided to him from Priority Ambulance. Why could Busler not carry his own bag? Source: Busler Facebook Page
Priority Ambulance lobbyist John Mills arranged the foursome which included Thomas, Busler, Con Hunley, whose brother Steve Hunley (former Knox County School Board Member) and critic of the recommendation for the ambulance contract aggressively in his paper, The Focus and a cousin of Mills wife.
Thomas is quoted in the paper and wants you to believe that this revelation is payback. Payback for what and from whom? He and Busler are the ones who took the free golf outing plus a $500 gift card and was dumb enough to put it on Twitter and/or Facebook. A $1,875 round of golf, a $500 gift card, access to hospitality tents with food and alcoholic beverages certainly surpasses the $35 daily limit on gifts set by the Knox County Ethics Committee. This calls for a complete and immediate review by the Knox County Ethics Review Committee.
Priority Ambulance Wining and Dining Coordinator
Former Knox County Commissioner John Mills is the Priority employee that meets with Commissioners along with PR Firm Moxley/Carmichael. Sources indicate that the golfing foursome that Priority put together were Busler, Thomas, Hunley and a Cousin of Mills wife. Why did Busler and Thomas NOT sunshine this round of golf? Commissioners Sunshine any gathering where they know that two or more are to gather. The Commissioners sunshine every breakfast, lunch meeting. But did not Sunshine this golf outing?
When Mills was a Knox County Commissioner in the late 1980’s from South Knoxville it was discovered that he received free cable television, this revelation was one of the reasons that Mills was defeated by the late Commissioner Howard Pinkston in 1990. Mills was a County Commissioner in January 2007 when the Commission was found to have violated the Sunshine law in replacing himself and others on the County Commission.
Read the News Sentinel story here
