Here is the link to the photo. Our multiple sources within the WBIR family have informed us that conversations overheard at the station reveal that SRW (Susan Richardson Williams) wants the job of Knox County Election Administrator. A position currently held by Greg Mackay.
With Republican control of the State House and Senate all county election commissions in Tennessee will have 3 Republican Election Commissioners and 2 Democrat Election Commissioners. Currently and for the last hundred or so years, the Democrats have controlled the House and Senate and have held 3 Democrat Election Commissioners and 2 Republican Election Commissioners and these 5 individuals select the Administrator of Elections.
Now, why would Williams need a job? Because she has not reappointed to the TVA board. She is no longer a University of Tennessee Trustee. When her term expired in 2007. She does have a Public Relations firm, SRW and Associates. But our sources in the Oak Ridge area have informed us that her firm has been losing clients rapidly.
Williams is a former Tennessee Republican Party Chair (many, many moons ago), more recently she served as Personnel Commissioner for Tennessee “Income Tax” Governor Don Sundquist. She recently lobbied Knox County Commission on behalf of a second place bidder for the mulch facility in Solway. She was unsuccessful in lobbying Commission on behalf of her client, KnoxAg. She has more recently lobbied Knox County Commission on behalf of Chad Tindell for a vacant General Sessions Judge position. Tindell backed out as a candidate prior to the selection.
Sources close to Williams indicate that her strategy is to get close to the “right” side of the party in order to gain some grassroots support. She has recently been appearing as a weekly co-host of The Voice. The Voice is a daily radio call in talk show hosted by Conservatives Lloyd Daugherty and Kelvin Moxley. Lloyd is Chairman of the Tennessee Conservative Union a group that it is rumored Williams once labeled as “two guys and a fax machine.”
In addition, our sources within the WBIR family indicate that it was Williams, her self that set up the Brian Hornback comment regarding the Becky Ruppe loss on election night. She turned to another panelist and said make a comment about Brian Hornback’s support of Ruppe.
A final note to set the record straight on the Ruppe race. We have been in contact with officials with the Tennessee Republican Party in asking if they have found an endorsement for Becky Ruppe on Brian’s Blog. They say they have NOT. We did endorse Chad Faulkner, the Republican elected to the State House representing Campbell and Union County. We asked them for their thoughts on our coverage. They indicated to us that it was clear and that we disclosed that Becky Ruppe and I have been personal friends for over eight years and that the coverage of Brian’s Blog while slanted were not endorsements and not a violation of party rules. They also concur with us that the position of Brian Hornback in regards to Republican politics and the non-partisan coverage of Brian’s Blog are separate entities. We welcome friends giving constructive suggestions of the coverage of Brian’s Blog. We also appreciate and celebrate our clean bill of health in 2008.
Mackay or SRW? Not much of a choice………both are losers of the first order….Brian, why don’t you lobby for the position?
By the way, SRW was a fox back in the day…but I’m afraid time has taken its toll……
SRW has responded. “Brian, first of all, thanks for that lovely photo from 30 or so years ago! Second, you couldn’t be further from the truth in your speculation about my future! I have never even thought about being the Election Administration in Knox County, much less spoken about it to anyone. I love my job in public relations, I don’t need a job and I have absolutely no plans to make any changes in my life right now. Third, for several months now I have known that I would never get confirmed to the TVA Board by the Senate since Senator Harry Reid had drawn the line in the sand refusing to appoint any Republican that President Bush nominated. And by the way, the UT Trustee is not a “job.” It is a volunteer position. And fourth, I didn’t even know that you had said anything about supporting Becky Ruppe since I don’t read your or anyone else’s blog regularly. This was sent to me by a friend. It certainly wasn’t me who pushed Mike Cohen to bring it up on our election night show.” We had to clean up some of the language in the end as it violates the Rules of Engagement and Commenting.
Williams did not respond to the KnoxAg, Tindell or loss of Oak Ridge clients. So our sources are pretty darn good. It would seem that maybe the feelers were just too cold for Williams to pursue the job. Time will tell.
well, she might not get a salary for being a Trustee, but them tickets to all of them UT events were free, with unlimited parking and seats right up front.
Also, how about her allowing that Tyler Harber kid to use my name when she ran the campaign of that Billy Stokes character that Jamie Hagood Woodson beat 75% – 25%.
She called the term Election Administration. The correct term that you used, Brian is Adminstrator of Elections or Election Administrator. So is she spinning here with Election Administration?