Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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And Then There Were 11?

The most oft-heard criticism of Bill Haslam's mayoral bid is opponent Madeline Rogero's contention that local politics have been dominated by too few for too long—i.e. the "12 white guys" trope. So when Haslam campaign manager Bill Lyons heard local attorney Don Bosch telling that he had nearly run over Haslam at a Gay Street crossing last week, Lyons quipped: "It's a good thing you missed him, or there would be even fewer people making decisions in this town."

Lobs and Generals

Democrats are hot under the collar this week after local media pretty much snubbed their annual Truman Day Dinner at the Knoxville Convention Center Saturday night. "Crappy reporting," harrumphed Knox County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Gray.

He has a pretty good point. The scant news coverage was somewhat puzzling, since more than 1,100 turned out to hear the keynote speaker, Gen. Wesley Clark, who may just be the country's hottest new political commodity (he announced his intention to seek the party's presidential nomination a couple of days later). The Clark appearance was wrangled by actor David Keith, who is rapidly becoming a big player on the local political scene (Keith has a cameo appearance in City Council candidate Chris Woodhull's new TV commercial, for example).

A second presidential hopeful, Al Sharpton, brought down the house with a witty reference to Keith's most memorable movie role when he joked that the actor was well-situated on the dais, between "An officer" (with a nod to Clark) "and a gentleman" (meaning himself). There was some squirming when Sharpton, who has waged a long-running feud with the Democratic Leadership Council (he says DLC stands for Democratic Leisure Class) took a swipe at "Elephants in donkey suits." Although many took it as a local reference, Sharpton probably didn't know about the intra-party controversy caused by the raft of Dem dignitaries (several of whom were seated right in front of him at the head tables) who have endorsed Republican Bill Haslam in the non-partisan Knoxville mayor's race.

The squirming continued when Haslam's opponent, Madeline Rogero, was introduced by Democratic House majority Leader Kim McMillan of Clarksville, who is the first woman to hold that position. McMillan gave a stem-winder of a speech about taking the opportunity to make history by electing qualified women to office. The Bethel AME Chancel Choir sang, and outside the convention center, there was a rally for Clark.

No Second Act

Last month, his last bluff called, Harry Gray Smith, the owner of the East Knoxville landmark Park Theater agreed to donate the condemned building at Magnolia and Olive to Tribe One, the worthy inner-city youth group. Tribe One leader (and City Council candidate) Chris Woodhull had admired the 1937 theater; its distinctive stucco art-deco facade made it perhaps the most recognizable commercial building in East Knoxville. Woodhull thought it might be saved as a point of pride on that side of town. Hoping to use the Park as a community center for Tribe One, as well as a performance space for music and theater, Woodhull lined up some high-profile fundraisers for the project, and had discussed it with potential contractors. Theater advocate John Mayer said some contractors were willing to donate work or equipment for the sake of saving the building, and that renovation might be accomplished for less than the estimated $100,000 cost to demolish the cinderblock-based structure.

Advocates attended a City Council meeting last week and spoke up for the Park, insisting that all they needed from the city was time, not money. The city's development office had earlier called the Park a potential safety hazard, but Mayor Victor Ashe assured Mayer that he'd "look into it." On Monday morning, without contacting Woodhull or the other advocates, the city tore the Park Theater down.

A Negative Development

Thompson Photo is making a quiet exit from its downtown location at 421 Clinch Avenue, where it's maintained a photo processing lab for several years, following the decline of its retail business there. Eddie Thompson says it will be the first time since 1920, when his late father, Bert Thompson opened a shop on Gay Street, that Thompson has not had a downtown presence. It was the popularization of digital photography that led to the demise of the downtown store, he says. Eddie is retired, but the family business keeps photography stores with photo labs on University Avenue and in The Commons center on N. Peters Road.

Lady Di, Tank, and Scooby, Too

Diane Jordan is still working to save her job as Knox County Commission's vice chairperson, but she didn't let that get in the way of attending her political rival's wedding last weekend. Jordan, her husband, the Rev. John Jordan and her 1st District seatmate Tank Strickland all trekked out to Halls for the wedding of Scott "Scooby" Moore at Halls Christian Church. Afterward, they attended the reception at the swank farm of Jane Chedester, where newlyweds Scott and Lori had been helicoptered in from the church. Lynn Duncan was probably not the only guest to do a double take when she spotted the helicopter landing on the yard: "Oh, no! The sheriff knows better than this."

Her fears were assuaged when pilot Jim Clayton debarked.

Jordan says she RSVP'd long before Moore decided to challenge her for the Commission leadership position, but she decided to attend after he made a personal appeal for her presence.

"I told him that I'd already thrown away the invitation, but since he asked me, I'd be a bigger woman than he is a man," Jordan said, with a broad smile.