Metro Pulse Online: Ear to the Ground

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In the Zone

County Commission's vote not to rezone property in the Ritta community for H.T. Hackney's wholesale distribution center ended a battle that was as hard-fought as any neighborhood issue since the dispute over Westland Drive several years back. Commissioners were inundated with mail and phone calls as both sides made their best (and worst) arguments, conjuring up "there-goes-the-neighborhood" images of trailer park and landfills. Hackney CEO Bill Sansom rolled out the biggest guns, including Jimmy Naifeh, a West Tennessean who is Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and a business associate of Sansom. Naifeh enlisted the help of Democratic members of the Knox County legislative delegation Harry Tindell and Joe Armstrong, but with little result. Harry's father, Second District Commissioner Billy Tindell, voted against the rezoning, as did First District Commissioners Diane Jordan and Frank Bowden, who are Armstrong constituents. Sansom said he did not consider Naifeh's involvement in a Knox County zoning issue inappropriate:

"He's Speaker of the House of Tennessee, isn't he? And last time I checked that's where we are."

Abe Day No Boon for Bush

The Knox County Republicans' annual Lincoln Day Dinner came off as intended last week. The local GOP faithful roared with enthusiasm during addresses from former Senator Howard Baker and current Congressman Jimmy Duncan. But its lukewarm reception to something said by Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, the night's keynote speaker, may have provided the most telling moment of the night. During his half-hour speech, Bunning made a point of voicing his support for George W. Bush in the upcoming Republican presidential primary. Bunning's voice swelled with enthusiasm, but when the word "Bush" left his lips, the Republican crowd suddenly lost its pep rally punch. Only half the room clapped, leaving the armchair pollster to wonder if John McCain has a foothold in East Tennessee.

Brand New Bag

Harold McKinney has won out against the city in his battle to have brownbagging at the Boiler Room, the beleaguered Underground's sister-club on Jackson Avenue in the Old City.

The city's law forbid brownbagging—or allowing customers to bring their own booze—between 1 and 6 a.m. McKinney, along with a strip club, the Last Chance, sued.

Knox County Chancellor Sharon Bell declared the law unconstitutional, saying it was too vague. McKinney says the Boiler Room will now be open Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 5 a.m. Meanwhile, the city apparently is considering an appeal, or perhaps a new law to restrict the practice.

Media Relations

Sheriff Tim Hutchison could use some help with the media, and new public information officer Mike Evans might be just the guy for the job. Hutchison says he hired Evans for his smarts, which may well be true, but just a week into the new job, the new PIO has made an impression of another sort. "He's got eyes like Paul Newman. Or is it Cary Grant?" one TV-type (female) mused before settling on Mel Gibson. Evans, a 6-year deputy who was president of his class at the training academy and was selected Officer of the Month for saving the life of an inmate who had attempted suicide, is a departure from the usual governmental pattern of hiring TV "face" guys. Sheriff's Department honchos cite Evans' UT degrees in psychology and political science. Suitably impressed, a longtime media type (now more lucratively employed) approached Evans' supervisor Dwight Van de Vate with a demand: "I'd like to ask him some hard questions," she said before collapsing in giggles. Evans, a SWAT team member, appears to be up to the task.