KIm Frazier, Knox County Commissioner at Large Seat 11 has been hosting Educational Series, this evening was Knox County Merit Council for Sheriff’s employees.
Present this evening were Frazier, Knox Commission Vice Chair Terry Hill, Merit Board Chair Chris Manning, Merit Board Vice Chair John Valliant, Merit Board Members Brock Goetz and John Marshall. Merit Council Executive Director Paula Taylor and Council Staff Tori McMurray. Knox County Human Resources Stephanie Candler. Knox County Law Director David Buuck and Attorney Myers Morton and of course myself.
A couple items discussed nearly 10 months after the Commission repurposed the Council/Board.
One is increasing the items that can be grievances. Merit Chair Manning mentioned a suspension for three days as an example, that is a loss in pay and should be eligible for grievance.
Manning also doesn’t agree with the hearings being public. Manning has been here in Knox County for four years, after a career in California and as a police labor union leader, it seemed from his inflections that wasn’t the way they did it in California.
Additionally, they discussed lifting the political activity prohibition for Merit Board members and employees, stipulating that Knox Sheriff employees should not be prohibited from running for political office. Law Director Buuck said they can not be prohibited, however, the past practice of the Sheriff has been to tell employees they must take a leave.
Less than a year ago, a citizen was selected to be a Merit Board Member but at Large Seat 10 (not Frazier) and Carson Dailey pitched a fit (watch it here) and Steve Weiner was not seated, after a second meeting a month later, watch it here.
Knox County Law Director David Buuck said tonight he was not sure about the Constitutional aspect of prohibiting political involvement of volunteer Merit Board Members. Weiner was not mentioned, in fact Weiner has since relocated to Middle Tennessee where he is Assistant Law Director for a County in Tennessee.
Obviously, at Large Seat 10 and Dailey were (in many observers opinion) motivated because Weiner had run a very competitive Republican primary challenge to at large Seat 10 earlier in May of 2022.
How will at Large Seat 10 (not Frazier) and Dailey react to removing the political activity prohibition? Will they flip in nearlt ten months from one position to another? How will this flip flop or the Commission reversing it’s position in less than 10 months affect at large Seat 10 Mayoral run to replace Mayor Jacobs in 2026? After all the repurposed Merit Board/Council was a nearly two year effort by at Large Seat 10. Now in less than ten months, the Merit Board and Commission are identifying flaws with its repurpose.
