Today March 12, 2011 the Knoxville News Sentinel ran the following notice. “PUBLIC NOTICE Knox County Republican Party will be having their biannual reorganizational meetings. These meeting will at their polling precincts on March 18th, 2011 (unless otherwise scheduled by the precinct chairman.) If you would like to be a delegate be there by 7:00 p.m. We will also be holding our Knox County Republican Party Convention at Central High School on March 26th at 10:00 a.m.”
It is clearly 3 days late of the TN Republican Party bylaws. State Chairman Chris Devaney has referred this item to the bylaws committee. It seems that the spin to Chairman Devaney is that the News Sentinel delayed publishing the notice.
Now, it is widely accepted that I am not a fan of the currently management of the News Sentinel. But I know a few things about the Sentinel, having been the Chairman of the Knox County Republican Party in purchasing an ad in 2007 and from having purchased ads in the Sentinel before for my business interests. They do not intentionally delay publishing ads that they receive payment for in the course of daily business. So, if there is an attempt to stop Chairman Devaney and the TN GOP bylaws committee from a complete review of this incompetence than it is because of personal self interest.
As for the meeting notice, how is someone that wants to get involved supposed to know that their precinct chair has otherwise scheduled a different location? If a Chairman knows that there is a move to replace them as Chair by a group of Constitutional Conservatives, they could arbitrarily schedule the meeting without informing the other folks where the meeting is to be held. The ole’ bait and switch. Of course with the recent happenings where TEA Party members have taken over Roane, Cumberland and Wilson Counties. You can see why Jenkins and Severance are giving the Chairs the opportunity to schedule meetings elsewhere.
