According to the Publisher of several (not just one) weekly throw away newspaper (not the publisher that is referred undeservedly with the Boss Hogg moniker) that Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. is recommending the School Board hire Michael Kelley (former City Mayor during the Victor Ashe regime) as it’s legal counsel. Kelley is the son of longtime serving School Board Member Paul Kelley, who left office on August 31, 2004 and whose name graces the East Town Mall School aka Knoxville Center.
Michael Kelley will reportedly earn $230 an hour.
This is an interesting development in that the School Board and School administration has talked about wanting it’s own counsel dating back to 2000 when I began serving on the school board. The board can always request that the Knox County Law Department appoint outside legal counsel. During the Carter Elementary School / Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett / Partners Development contract discussions, the board asked and were approved with Kelley as their counsel. Now, it appears that they want to hire him full time.
As of this posting, I am unaware if the school system has issued an Request for Qualifications or a Request for Proposal for legal counsel. As a professional service they are not required to. However, being in Knox County and in using tax payer money, they should. Now, the same criticism that has been leveled at Knox County Commission recently for selecting insider Craig Leuthold as Interim Trustee can now be leveled at the School Board should they select the recommendation by enriching the son of one of their former colleagues.
McIntyre has hired a number of retirees (they worked under Lindsey) as “principal coaches.” Part time. At about $50 an hour. You should ask what that is about.