Knox County Commissioner Mike Brown a couple of months ago had brought a resolution to the County Commission about imposing term limits on the Knox County School Board. The resolution was deferred to allow State Representative Ryan Haynes to research the issue with the legislatures legal team and report back. On Monday Rep. Haynes appeared at the Knox County Commission Work Session and gave his report. After giving the report, Commissioner Brown said well we just need to move on and he had inquired of Law Director Bud Armstrong how to proceed with not proceeding. It appeared that the discussion was over. Then you hear Commissioner Robert Lawrence Smith’s voice say to Chairman Tony Norman,
“comment”
Chairman Norman says,
“ok, Mr. Smith,”
Robert Lawrence begins,
“Ryan, just me personally I just think those are sorta lame excuses. For what you’re saying. I think you’re trying to skirt around the issue. I think it can be done, 15 limit on bills, that can be changed. I mean it’s very obvious that the voters in Knox County WANTS term limits.”
Representative Haynes responds,
“I am not giving my opinion, I gave my legal departments opinion. I know you all have an Attorney as well. These are not my opinions, this is what my lawyers drew up and I researched the issue, So I am simply reporting back what they said.”
Robert Lawrence continues,
“and, and I don’t know how much push from the state we are going to get because that you know, Ryan your doing a great job, you’re a first cass class State Representative. But I think when this bill goes to Nashville it brings light to them, oh were term limited too. And we start talking term limits and thinks they may want to term limit us as State Representatives and Senators. So, that’s something we are running into on our end. But ugh I think people here in Knox County really want that. That’s just my opinion.”
Representative Haynes says
“Thank you”
Commissioner Mike Hammond says,
“Thank you, Representative Haynes”
Representative Haynes said,
“yeah Thanks you are a lot easier than the general assembly.”
With that it ended with Representative Haynes leaving and Commission carrying on with the next item of business.
In my more than 30 years of following Knox County Government and I have heard some lame excuses. What Representative Haynes laid out was not lame. In my experience, I am confident that I know lame. Lame was this week when Robert Lawrence here on WBIR with Anchor John Becker and his excuse for not voting to censure his colleague that plead guilty to a crime was
“he had enough of gay issues.”
That my friends and readers is a lame excuse. Lame, Lame, Lame!
