Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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Atchley's Different Tune

State Sen. Ben Atchley has long been downbeat about the prospects for a state income tax passing the Senate, but he's sounding a different note these days. If House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh succeeds in getting his tax reform bill that includes a 4 1/2 percent income tax through the House, Atchley ventures that the Senate will likely follow suit. "If Naifeh pulls it off, I think the Senate will make the extra effort. The situation is getting worse, and we're reaching a critical point where the Legislature has got to raise revenues to balance the budget," Atchley says.

For the past three years an income tax has been one or two votes short of a majority in the 33-member Senate, and Atchley has been a pivotal part of the shortfall. As Senate Republican leader, he's insisted that any income tax be approved by a vote of the people, preferably in the form of a constitutional amendment. He stops short of saying whether he would now support one without provision for such a vote but stresses a preference for Senate adoption of whatever tax reform measure passes the House.

The $1.4 billion question now (representing the projected shortfall in the fiscal year ahead) is whether Naifeh can muster a majority in the 99-member House. On Tuesday, the House Finance Committee approved his plan that couples a 4 1/2 percent income tax with the elimination of sales tax on groceries, non-prescription drugs and clothing. But Naifeh acknowledges that his ongoing one-on-one meetings with every member of the House have yet to produce the 50 votes he needs.

Crossing the Line

Here awhile back, it appeared that old foes Sheriff Tim Hutchison and District Attorney General Randy Nichols had buried the hatchet. Apparently this is not the case. Hutchison's supporters probably wouldn't vote for a lot of Democrats under the best of circumstances, but don't look for any of them to give much thought to helping Nichols in his gubernatorial campaign this summer. The incumbent sheriff didn't have much trouble putting away challenger J.J. Jones in the GOP primary Tuesday night (he beat Jones by 4,000 votes), but the view among the Hutchison crew was that the margin would have been much greater, except for Democrats crossing party lines to vote against Sheriff Tim. One of the things that stuck in the Hutchison posse's collective craw was word that Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Nichols had openly encouraged Democrats to cross over and vote for Jones and said he was considering do so himself. Sheriffian legend, or truth? "I absolutely did say that," says Nichols. "The Democrats didn't have anybody to vote for, so if you wanted to go vote, I thought it would be more appropriate for a number of people who are more independent-minded to go cast a Republican vote. I've not broadcast it, I just told them who I preferred—J.J. Jones." Nichols says he didn't vote Republican.

The Unknown Candidate

Sixth-District school board member-elect Chuck James flew under the radar in his uphill quest to unseat incumbent Diane Jablonski. He didn't show up for TV interviews and was so anonymous that when News-Sentinel political writer Georgiana Vines showed up at GOP election night headquarters Tuesday night, she had to ask Scott Davis how to find the new guy.

Vines: "I understand you know how to get hold of Chuck James."

Davis: "Yeah, you're standing right next to him."

Halls Gets It?

The toughest battle in the August county general election, that is. Seventh District County Commissioner Mary Lou Horner survived her GOP primary, but will be in for a tough battle this summer. All the signs are in place, including some ominous-looking (for Horner) campaign signs that say "Good-bye Mary Lou, Hello Truth," and are likely the work of some unhappy homeowners who came out on the short end of a zoning battle to keep a megaWal-Mart out of their neighborhood. Horner, who voted against the Wal-Mart developers, but whose support for the neighborhood group was perceived to be rather tepid, will be opposed in the general election by Democrat Mary Lou Kanipe, principal of Bearden High School.

Eye on the Square

Nothing's going on on Market Square. Nope, nothin'. For instance, say you happen to be on the Square from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. this Saturday and think you notice that City People and CBID's inaugural Second Saturday Market Days on Market Square (held each second Saturday of the month, natch) is going on, replete with vendors offering cut flowers, plants, arts, crafts and produce (though it's still early in the growing season), or hear WDVX doing a live broadcast, or encounter East Tennessee Historical Museum staffers hosting storytelling events. If you think you see any of this, you're just daydreaming, OK? And maybe in your daydream you look around the Square and seemingly catch a glimpse of a flyer in the window of the old Cafe Max announcing its transformation into a Euro-style coffee shop by Jay Nevans and Randy Toms, possibly opening as early as the end of May. No, it's all in your head.