The Knox County Commission on Monday were required to cure some errors and omissions made when they reorganized in September. A majority of Commissioners selected former Knox County teacher Tony Norman as Chairman and Robert Lawrence Smith as it’s Vice Chairman. Norman had created a list of committee members before the Chairman vote and gave the list to Amy Broyles. However, in their not yet ready for primetime anxiousness they did not legally organize the Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee.
Apparently after about six weeks new law director Bud Armstrong informed Norman that he needed to cure the error / omission on creating the Committee on Committee and Rules Committee. Meaning that until a legitimate Committee on Committees legally formed the Commissions Committees no committee or board was legit.
A few days ago,I received a notice about a Knox County Insolvency Board Meeting. I was perplexed how the insolvency board could meet having not been properly seated. Apparently, when the insolvency board attempted to meet they recessed until after the commission work session. They must have assumed their not yet legit board could meet after it is legitimatized.
After the work session adjourned. Norman proceeded to call the Commission together on the Insolvency Board issue. Commissioner Brad Anders pointed out the Commission had adjourned it’s work session. Commissioner Sam Mckenzie made a motion to reconvene the work session. Anders rightfully abstained from voting.
Here in lies the problem. If the Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee had not properly created the boards and committees until today, then the Insolvency Board did NOT properly notice it’s meeting.
When the insolvency board was legitimately formed today. They would have to notice a meeting in the future say in 48-72 hours.
Why Law Director Bud Armstrong did not stop Norman before he created another error/omission is in itself bizarre. Did Armstrong realize at the time that Norman was messing up? Will it take 6 weeks or more to cure another oversight/error/omission by Norman?
On a side note, it is difficult to comprehend that Norman was a classroom teacher in Knox County for many years and had a part in educating and preparing thousands of teenagers that are now “functioning” adults amongst our society.
Norman is Chairman in part because he received the vote of a Commissioner that is seeking judicial diversion (an acknowledgement of guilt) for an act that violated moral turpitude laws. That Commissioner voted for Norman and nominated Smith as Vice Chairman after both (Norman and Smith) wrote letters supporting judicial diversion for the Commissioner.
