All candidates are welcome to send any/all of their press releases, op-eds. I will do my best to publish everything sent to me. This is a forum where I strive to share everything in order for voters to make their best decision when voting. Many candidates have advertisements here as they do in other print publications and websites, with those ads, candidates that utilize this cost effective, high traffic website are promoted. This is an op-ed from an August 4, 2022 General Election candidate.
The most pro-developer County Commission in Knox County’s history
Once again, I find myself in a state of utter disappointment and disgust over the behavior of the Knox County Commission. With each passing month, each workshop or zoning meeting, the County Commission continues to take steps towards a county government that is completely subservient to the whims of developers. It began with Commissioner Larsen Jay’s tenure as chairman of the Knox County Commission, as he oversaw some of the most irresponsible zoning decisions in this county’s history. The echoes of his “leadership” have since spilled over into today’s commission. Make no mistake: Developers are fighting to run this town and they are winning.
At May 16th’s County Commission work session, where I was in attendance, commissioners heard agenda item R-22-5-903, a resolution that requests “the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission to recommend amendments to the Knox County Zoning Ordinance to provide for use on review appeals to a court of competent jurisdiction.” In laymen’s terms, this resolution would effectively eliminate the Board of Zoning Appeal’s (BZA) ability to hear and rule on citizen appeals regarding issues of use on review decisions made by the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission. The resolution was brought before the commission at the 11th hour by District 3 Commissioner Randy Smith and County Mayor Glen Jacobs.
To the untrained eye this resolution seems harmless but to folks in Knox County who have been fighting irresponsible developments for over a decade, it is yet another attempt to remove public opposition to the county’s reckless development practices. You see, bringing a use on review appeal before the BZA is a simple and cheap process, costing only $250. Since the BZA’s creation in 2009, it has provided Knox Countians with their “day in court” with respect to zoning issues. Under the proposed resolution, citizens of Knox County would have to take their use on review appeals directly to Chancery Court. It doesn’t take a great legal mind to understand that this would cost people thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars to move forward with the appellate process. How many of our rural communities have this kind of money? Who among us can truly afford to pay $10,000 for an attorney to represent us in Chancery Court? This resolution is nothing short of an attempt to remove the public from the development process.
The most abhorrent comments of the evening came from Commissioner Smith who claimed, “people don’t have to come to Chancery Court with attorneys,” and went further in saying that legal representation was unnecessary since those hearing were really just “summary judgements.” The resolution moved forward on a vote of 10-1 with District 5 Commissioner John Schoonmaker being the lone “no” vote. At this point, the County Commission is saying the quiet part out loud: “We represent the greed of developers over the need of the people.”
I applaud Commissioner Schoonmaker for having the courage to stand up against another attack on the right of Knox Countians to have their voices heard in the zoning and development process. For the other 10 commissioners, including my opponent Larsen Jay, I am beginning to wonder where their allegiances truly lie.
Dylan Earley, Candidate for Knox County Commission At-Large, Seat 10
5/16/2022
