I obtained a bunch of emails through an open records request of the Knox County Reopening Task Force between one another. Apparently Knoxville Chamber Mike Odom has a lot of bad jokes. His response to the meetings being open to the public and media was that he would have a bigger audience for his bad jokes. I guess I will need to get to know him better.
Most revealing to me was the response by top City of Knoxville official Stephanie Welch who is also a former City Councilwoman. Her response was that having the task force meetings open to the public and media would have “a chilling effect“ and also regurgitated what Dr. Buchanan’s objection to the law department was that they were acting in a similar role as the Governor’s Economic Recovery Group. What part of the Sunshine Law doesn’t apply to the state do local yokel officials NOT understand? I mean I served as an elected local school board member on the Knox County School Board for four years, more than a decade ago and I got that loud and clear then.
Dr. Buchanan’s email to Task Force about possible changes
Stephanie Welch, City of Knoxville top official and Former City Councilwoman citing the chilling effect opening the meeting would have
Yea….it was the TN Comptroller’s Office who was one of the ones who gave ME (and/or Knox County) what I considered a bad legal opinion, also.
Still……in MY experience, you MUST carefully and LITERALLY take words in law and define them.
Welch’s email alleges (blah blah)… to a “single individual”. Question: Go back to definitions in that law. What constitutes a “single individual”? Per that law.
Plus, doesn’t the Knox County Law Director say that this pandemic, etc, CHANGES some of those existing laws now? (I have been reminding of that fact all along, so just be careful!)
And aside from all that, WHY would ANYBODY knowing what was going on hurt ANYTHING?
Sheesh.
Oh…btw… using the STATE of Tennessee as an example of following “laws” is kind of risky, if you ask ME. 😂
“Most revealing to me was the response by top City of Knoxville official Stephanie Welch who is also a former City Councilwoman. Her response was that having the task force meetings open to the public and media would have “a chilling effect“.
That is ridiculous. Welch is an authoritarian. Recode proved that.