The Knox County election season is upon us, and it's an important one. Even though the county executive will go in unopposed, there are lively races for several seats on County Commission, where the power of the purse strings resides. With state funding such a big red question mark, commissioners will be challenged to maintain current service levels and provide adequate money for the school system. There are also contested races for sheriff and clerk of the civil and juvenile courts, plus five seats on the school board. Metro Pulse is endorsing candidates in races where the winner will be determined or probably determined in the May 7 primary election.
For County Commission:
In the 1st District, where Democrats have ruled for decades and will very likely prevail this fall, the primary should be decisive. We think the better of the two Democrat candidates is Thomas (Tank) Strickland. He has the more wide-ranging record in community service, from membership on the Election Commission to the Community Action Committee board to leadership in the Interfaith Health Clinic and Knoxville's Promise organizations. At 49, he's most recently been director of community relations for the city of Knoxville. To allegations that he is the mayor's candidate, he says convincingly that "I'm my own man." Strickland maintains a broad view in both district and county politics and should serve well on Commission.
In District 5, the retirement of Frank Leuthold has produced a race between two Republicans, with no Democrat opponent in the fall election. The better choice in the decisive primary, we believe, is Leuthold's 38-year-old son, Craig Leuthold. The younger Leuthold, who works as supervisor of the Farragut office of the Knox County trustee, has discussed the need for finding the funding for education within the county as the state's education support appears to be falling off the table, and he understands the importance of building up the county's tax base. We expect him to benefit from his father's advice and counsel as well.
In District 6, the incumbent Republican, teacher Larry Stephens, attempted to withdraw from the contest after the qualifying deadline, only to find that his name would remain on the ballot. He has since decided to campaign against the other Republican, Rob Sanders, whose candidacy he earlier supported. The resulting confusion makes it difficult to endorse with confidence, despite Stephens' sound record in his term on Commission. Sanders, 34, the Knoxville branch manager of an Atlanta land surveying firm, seems a capable and personable candidate. The upshot of Stephens' indecisiveness is that we rate the race a toss-up.
In District 7, Commission Chairman Leo Cooper, a retired school principal with four terms under his belt, is opposed by a couple of fellow Republicans. Although the chairman has been contrary to the point of intractability at times in the past, he has lately shown leadership on important issues, and he is the first to state that the county will doubtless have to increase property taxes to meet the predicted shortfall in state revenues ordinarily shared with the county. It is that show of pragmatism in facing the county's certain future problems that leads us to endorse his re-election.
In District 8, Tommy Everette, the 54-year-old retired principal of Karns High School, is the better of the two Republicans seeking Seat A. An active member of the Gibbs community and an experienced leader in professional associations, Everette has the ability and commitment to serve his district constituency while considering the needs of the whole county as well. He says he'd like to create a "positive" image for the district, which has suffered from inward-focused and negative representation for too long.
For Knox County Sheriff:
Jimmy (J.J.) Jones is running against incumbent Sheriff Tim Hutchison, and he deserves the support of GOP voters in the primary election. Jones was a longtime deputy who rose to become chief of detectives before he resigned in a dispute over how the department was being run. He would return the law enforcement arm of the county to a spirit of cooperation with all other enforcement agencies, including the city's police department. He believes the county's citizens are being deprived of effective crime-fighting by a level of enmity between departments that has become preposterously counter-productive in the present sheriff's reign. There will also be a general election contest in this race, with highly qualified Democrat Jim Andrews, but Jones is the clear choice in the primary.
For Clerk of Circuit, Civil Sessions and Juvenile Courts:
Incumbent Clerk Cathy Quist, just concluding her first term of office, has demonstrated that the duties of the clerkship can be most effectively conducted by an administrator who avoids the political entanglements of her predecessor, Lillian Bean, who is also her current Republican opponent. Quist overcame a series of difficulties she encountered in her first two years in office and has created an air of professionalism appreciated by the judges and the attorneys who practice in the civil and juvenile courts. She has earned a second term.
—Barry Henderson
School Board Endorsements
Five seats are up for election on the Knox County Board of Education, and four of them are contested. Our general belief is that the current school board has conducted itself poorly both in its spats with County Commission and its tendency to hide behind its hired superintendent, Charles Q. Lindsey. A series of problems in the school system's financial department over the past few years has made clear the need for serious, systemic changes in Central Office, yet the board has not sufficiently pressured Lindsey to make those changes. For those reasons, we cannot in good faith endorse any of the incumbents. On the other hand, not all of the challengers give us confidence either.
1st District: No endorsement, although both candidates are worthy men. Incumbent Sam Anderson has proven his political skill and educational commitment in 14 years on the board. Challenger Gary Gordon is something of a maverick, but he is well-informed and has raised good questions about the school system's commitment to its inner-city schools.
4th District: Challenger Dan Murphy is the clear choice. The UT accounting professor combines a hard-nosed skepticism of Central Office financial practices and management with extensive experience as an active parent in the school system and a dedication to public involvement. Murphy makes some people in the school system nervous, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
6th District: No endorsement. Incumbent Diane Jablonski can be abrasive and may be the most disliked board member by county commissioners, but she is well-informed and a stickler for details. In contrast, her challenger, Chuck James, seems to have few ideas beyond improving relations with County Commission.
7th District: Challenger Donnie Ellis promises to bring a community-based voice to the board. Although we'd prefer it if Ellis were a little better grounded in educational issues, he seems intelligent and dedicated and in tune with the concerns of the North Knox communities in the district.
9th District: Robert Bratton is the only candidate to replace retiring board Chairman Jim McClain, but we'd probably endorse him even if he had an opponent. All school board candidates talk about the need for better teacher pay, but Bratton is the only one who makes it sound like the crisis it is. And his tendency to say whatever he thinks, which he previously demonstrated on County Commission, will be a welcome addition to the often platitudinous board.
—Jesse Fox Mayshark
April 18, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 16
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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