Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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That On a Curve?

Well, Tuesday's meeting of Knox County Commission's Education Committee wasn't quite the blitzkrieg it could have been, but there were plenty of shots fired across the bow of school Superintendent Charles Lindsey. The meeting followed several days of news stories about Lindsey's Sunshine Law-violating retreat in Gatlinburg (the supe says his failure to notify the media was "an oversight," ha ha), at which he rallied his teachers to build a campaign war chest. His idea is to target commissioners who don't pony up school funding, so there was plenty of retaliatory saber-rattling by committee members. Lindsey deflected most of the commissioners' questions about his plans, inviting them instead to attend the school board workshop meeting later that afternoon. "Well, we're here now," Commish John Schmid said. "This isn't really the forum..." Lindsey began. "Maybe I've missed the agenda, but I thought this was the Education Committee," Schmid replied. "This is the Education Committee, and I'm in charge," affirmed Commissioner Mary Lou Horner, who also reminded Lindsey that the Education Committee chairperson (i.e. her) is usually invited to "staff development" sessions like the one in Gatlinburg. Other commissioners niggled and tutted over apparent discrepancies in Lindsey's much-touted "12-month agenda."

"I appreciate you reading it," Lindsey replied dryly. "I'm glad you're looking at it."

"We are checking it, and we are grading it," Horner said.

How About 'War (What Is It Good For?)'

One school employee watching the Education Committee meeting from the rear of the room said with a grin, "We've got a new theme song: 'Rattle the Cage.'" Hmm. Whatever happened to "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

Says the fella, with a shrug, "Wasn't working."

Reshaping the Round Table

Last Sunday afternoon, the hardcore band of junkies who watch locally-produced TV talk shows tuned in to Political Round Table on Channel 6 to catch the familiar panel of Ingram Groupers and friends hash out some issues. What they got was a bunch of tearful, corpulent Americans giving testimonials to the powers of Richard Simmons.

So where did Political Round Table go? The answer lies with WATE's new anchor, Gene Patterson, who says the show is "on hiatus."

"We'd like to make it more local," says Patterson. "We thought they tended to look at national issues way too much. A lot of people always raised their eyebrows about the fact that there were two Ingram Group people (Susan Richardson-Williams and George Korda) on there. That's one of those issues we're going to be dealing with."

Patterson says he favors "...a rotating group of journalists to ask questions. There is room for a commentary block, and that is where some former members of the Round Table might have a role."

The new show, as yet unnamed, will be moderated by Patterson, who says the half-hour "should be about the news, not the panel members. And we won't be opening up with 'By the time you see this, the whole conversation may be moot.'"

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

All that speculation about Mayor Victor Ashe jockeying for a role in the new Bush administration got some cold water thrown on it when we realized that hizzoner isn't even going to the dang inauguration. When G.W. Bush assumes power this Saturday, our Vic will be literally half a world away on one of his world-beating jaunts to India (with his son J. Victor and city Law Director Michael Kelly and Kelly's son Lucas). So why is he currying chicken rather than favor? We can only guess. Could it be that, what with having to find comfy cabinet seats for all of his dad's golfing buddies, Dubya Doofus just doesn't have any room for his own college pals? Or maybe that Victor's recent federally-reprimanded peccadilloes with firefighters made him a potential Linda Chavez? Of course, the real thing we want to know is: if Victor's out of town, does that mean Frank Cagle is now in charge?

Church Avenue Viaduct Falling Down?

The Tennessee Department of Transportation's offhand announcement that they're going to tear down the Church Avenue viaduct, which runs across James White Parkway from the Civic Coliseum to the First Presbyterian Church, apparently took the city by surprise. Though we attempted to confirm rumors about it two weeks ago, as of last week, members of the city's Development Department as well as the Metropolitan Planning Commission were unaware of the project, which promises to be a major traffic issue downtown. The viaduct, built in 1937, is characterized by an unusual angular art-deco design in the concrete railings. Though it's not one of Knoxville's oldest bridges (and by European standards, it's practically brand new), engineers say it has become unsafe.

Coincidentally, Metro Pulse had just run a photograph of a design detail from the bridge in our "Knoxville Found" feature. The design is apparently one many people notice; within hours of publication, several readers had called to correctly identify it.

Marshaling Forces

One of the favorite insider "spoils" of the presidential election is up for grabs, and maneuvering is in full swing. The job of U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee was most recently filled by former Knox County Sheriff Joe Fowler, a Democrat. His successor might just be Jay Witt, a longtime local lawman with strong GOP credentials. Witt, an employee of the Knox County Sheriff's Department, has formally applied for the marshal's job. Other names being floated are Sterling Owen IV, a retired FBI agent who has been flirting with the possibility of running against Sheriff Tim Hutchison; Wayne Simms, a deputy marshal stationed in Oklahoma whose father, David Simms, is an active local Republican; and Bob Waggoner, a member of the highly political Waggoner family whose grandfather was a sheriff and whose sister is a judge.

Paying the Bills to Save

The fight against demolition of historic houses and unplanned development isn't cheap. The Historic Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association, which led the way for the City Council's unanimous approval of the protective NC-1 overlay zoning for Knox County's most historic neighborhood, currently owes more than $10,000 in legal bills due to that fight which, thanks to a few disgruntled landowners, is still underway. The debt has delayed some of the lively organization's historical and arts projects. They're hoping to host a musical fundraiser at the Laurel Theatre this year, but those who want to help defray their costs can send checks to the HFSNA at P.O. Box 783, Knoxville, 37901.

Youthful Indiscretion?

Preservationists are always unearthing provocative historical documents, and the one that has made the rounds recently dates back to 1988. It's a Knoxville Journal article about the now-embattled DeArmond house, and about the preservationist responsible for renovating it, a handsome 20-year-old UT business major named Robert Shagan.

Of course, fast-forward 12-plus years, and someone of the same name was suing the city over his right to demolish that same house, a large 1890s Victorian at Clinch and James Agee. Then came a proposal to move the house, or portions of it, across Clinch Ave. to a space where Shagan demolished another house several years ago.

As of this writing, the DeArmond house still stands with its chimneys gone and large holes punched into its brick foundation.

Shagan has demolished many other Victorian and early 20th century houses in the neighborhood. Back in 1988, though, Shagan seemed earnest in his plea to save the DeArmond house, which he had recently inherited from his father. A photograph in that 1988 article depicts him lovingly realigning decorative wooden dowels over a doorway. Shagan said he saw his renovation of the DeArmond house as "a bit of a memorial" to his father. In the article, he told the reporter he had spent $35,000 in renovating the house.

"I renovated it because of the beauty of the old house and how much effort it took for people in those days to put something like this together, as compared to the houses they slap up now," said Shagan. (In 2001, Shagan's representatives have recently stated that they want to see a motel on the site.)

Journal reporter Roberta Niederjohn wrote that Shagan looked around the neighborhood and added, "This is history. This is our heritage."

Today there's not as much of a neighborhood as there was then. Shagan has demolished more than a dozen of the historic houses then visible from the DeArmond house. Most of the lots remain unimproved and little used except for game-day parking.

However, in a move that surprised many last week, Shagan applied for a restrictive H-1 historic overlay for another one of his Fort Sanders properties, a house he fixed up at 1213 Laurel; that designation, which can only be applied voluntarily by a landowner, is permanent and protects the house regardless of who owns it in the future. Whether it's a new leaf or a desperate gesture by a young businessman with a colossally bad public-relations problem remains to be seen.