Last night the candidates for Commission at the LWV Knox the question of what Charter Review the candidates would support.
Commissioners John Schoonmaker and Evelyn Gill both spoke about eliminating the two at Large Commissioners and create 11 Commission districts.
When Knox County first established this Charter Government in 1990, voted on November 1988, there were 19 Commissioners, two for each of the 9 Commission districts and an extra in the largest populated area. From 1990-1994 the three Commissioners were from South Knox County’s Ninth District. Beginning in 1994, the third Commissioner came from West Knox County’s Fifth District.
When the idea of reducing Commission came up, the idea of 11 was so that ALL districts would have three votes. The district and two others. The first set of at Large Commissioners Ed Brantley and Bob Thomas were from Hardin Valley and West Knoxville. The current at Large Commissioners Larsen Jay from West Knoxville and Justin Biggs from Halls (North Knox County)
I would personally prefer going back to 19 Commissioners, but that is me. Listen to Schoonmaker and Gill explain their thoughts, here and here
