The Knox County Commission met Monday for the April meeting and discussed the proposal of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee‘s Order of Protection law that he announced he plans to present to a Special Called Summer Session of the Tennessee General Assembly. The proposal was brought by Commissions Madam Chair Courtney Durrett, however it was mainly brought by several of the recent Junior Commissioner Graduates.
The Junior Commissioners were at last weeks Commission work session presenting the Resolution and answering a few Commissioners question. In one week, a few of the activists from the COVID protests at the Commission meetings a couple years ago, attended the Commission meeting and spoke at Public Forum attempting to discredit the Resolution with Second Amendment arguments.
The young adult Junior Commissioners modified their presentations as they followed the activists. One public forum opponent of the Resolution talked about root cause analysis and the need to ask five why questions. Fifth District Junior Commissioner Anand Patel discussed five incidents and said those are at least five that needed answers.
First District Junior Commissioner Caroline Scoonover was the primary presenter. Third District Junior Commissioner Dain Shelton made a very passionate and articulate points. Second District Junior Commissioner Gabriela Sanchez Benitez also spoke in favor of the Resolution.
Madam Chair Durrett had reworded the Resolution to accommodate some of the concerns of Commissioners at last weeks work session. Vice Chair Terry Hill offered a substitute motion that was very much reduced to only supporting the Governor’s efforts in seeking reforms to and addressing mental illness, that substitute motion failed.
The Commission voted on the original Resolution and it failed. The Commission of NO. Granted the bill is not a decision of the Knox County Commission, but there are a lot of issues that the Commission votes on and recognizes that are not in their purview. Like they can’t control reproductive rights of women, but they approved a Resolution declaring Right to Life Month in January.
I hope the recent Junior Commissioners are not disappointed and feel that that they were used to be make Commissioners feel like they were empowering these young adults and now that the young adults have found their voices, the Commission of NO says oh thank you but go over there and sit in the corner with your honorary Resolution for being our first class of Junior Commissioner.
Why the Secrecy?
At the County Commission meeting Knox County Parks and Recreation Director Joe Mack and Dwight Van de Vate a staffer of Knox County Mayor asked for a vote to name a kayak launch after Beaver Creek Kayak Club founder and pioneer Charlie Austin. A great honor and much deserved.
However, Vandevate and Mack kept making comments about how they were keeping this a secret and holding it close to the vest. Mayor Jacobs campaigned and operated in the exact opposite direction of Vandevate and Mack’s actions and how the Mayor was on board with the secrecy is hard for me to believe. All commissioners signed on to sponsor the Resolution as Seat 10 was the only Commissioner that Vandevate and Mack got to sponsor it initially. Whether Seat 10 knew it was a secret as well is still a secret.
Congrats to Merit System for Sheriff’s Employees Board of Director Brock Goetz
The Knox County Commission had to replace Jim Wright, Jr. on the Knox County Merit System for Sheriffs Employees Board of Directors. The candidates were former Knox County Commissioner Mike Brown, Michael Crichton, Carl Dennis Ford, Brock Goetz, Tina Watts and Gerald Weller.
Watts never appeared last week for the interviews and not on Monday for the meeting. Weller a former Knox Sheriff’s employee and retiree from Oak Ridge. Brown was nominated by Commissioner Carson Dailey who followed Brown in serving on Commission. However, Brown got zero votes including Dailey’s vote.
Ford was nominated by Commissioner John Schoonmaker and received 3 votes, Crichton was nominated by Seat 10 and received 2 votes. Goetz was nominated by Commissioner Gina Oster and received 5 votes. So, on the first vote with no candidate receiving 6 votes. There was a second vote with Brown eliminated. On the second vote, at Large Commissioner Kim Frazier obviously (in my humble opinion) seeing that Crichton would be eliminated on a third vote had all votes remained the same. Changed to Goetz, with Goetz receiving the 6 votes to secure the volunteer position, which serves the employees of the Sheriff’s office.
Commissioner Kyle Ward was absent from the meeting.
Welcome Campbell County Commissioner Tyler King
