This morning in a 6-5 vote County Commissioners chose renegade Commissioner Tony Norman as their Chairman. The 6 Commissioners favoring Norman were David Wright, Robert Lawrence Smith, Jeff Ownby, Norman, Amy Broyles & Sam McKenzie. Five Commissioners favored Brad Anders, the former Vice Chairman, those Commissioners were Mike Hammond, Ed Shouse, Mike Brown, Dr. Richard Briggs and Anders.
The Commission then selected the Vice Chairman. On motion of Jeff Ownnby the Commission selected Robert Lawrence Smith as Vice Chair.
Both Commissioners Norman and Smith recently wrote letters to the court asking for diversion for Commissioner Ownby. It was reported here a couple weeks ago and addressed in an article by Mike Donila in the News Sentinel. The product produced by the Big Metal Shed on the Hill.
Below Commission Chair Tony Norman answers television news reporters questions.
I would rather have the support of Hammond, Briggs, Anders, Brown, Shouse and lose, then have the support of the other 6 and win!
I only wish that Tony Norman will go after the school board the way he went after people's property on sloped ridges.
In his victory speech he more or less vowed to be a kinder gentler Tony. Promising to be less vitriolic and pledging to allow his crusades to take a back burner for the good of the county.
Well if Karen Carson is re-elected to be charwoman of the BOE, it may take a Crusader. Especially if Fugate is vice chair. I loved the way Fugate represented her constituents in the audience of the Commission debate of the school budget: sitting next to her “constituent” Jim McIntyre.
Fugate is the latest dud coming from the 4th district.
She talks a good game, but when it's time to take a position advocated by her constituency, which may not be popular with the educational establishment, she can't do it. She couldn't take on the Devon Group (Haslam, Clayton, Talbott, etc.) when they wanted to build a Carter Elementary School and she can't articulate that every school in her district is overcrowded.
In my opinion Dan Murphy was a total disappointment and Fugate is following in his footsteps of unaccountability and refusing to follow the wishes of the public school parents in the 4th district.
Karen Carson is the least ethical school board member in history. She will most likely be re-elected Chair. This is the worst school board Knox County has ever had. Nothing but a bunch of rubber stamps and butt kissers.
Not just any type of butt-kissing, but the kind where it takes a crow bar to put a stop to it.