Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

Comment
on this story

Peace in the Valley

So Gloria Ray and Mayor Victor Ashe have kissed and made up?

Not so's you can tell it from reading a recent email exchange between Ashe and the head of the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corp. When Ray complained in an email about the Knoxville Convention Center's management by SMG, the company with the city contract, and said that SMG had done nothing to redeem itself during a recent return visit by the American Bowling Congress, which was looking for a site for its 2011 convention, Ashe chided Ray for conveying her complaints via email: "If the goal is work these things out without public attention, then this is a poor way to go about it...."

At the bottom of Ashe's email admonishing Ray to keep complaints about SMG quiet is the following warning: "This correspondence may be a public record and subject to public inspection pursuant to the Tennessee Public Records Act."

The More They Stay the Same...

Mayor-elect Bill Haslam joined in when the newly-elected members of City Council attended Mayor Victor Ashe's after-election day luncheon last week, but the main event was the incumbent, who spoke of many things, and many more things, and several other things. Sources report that he spoke a lot. They also reported that Ashe staffer Tank Strickland appears ready to step into Jack Sharp's big shoes when he leaves office in December. "But how could this be?" we asked. Strickland, who also serves as a County Commissioner, couldn't possibly be elected vice mayor (the position now held by Sharp).

"Naw," said one source. "Tank dozed off during the meeting, so I figure he's going to take Jack's place as the designated sleeper."

Group Hug

Up on the peaceable end of the sixth floor of the City County building, county Law Director Mike Moyers is working on his re-election campaign. Moyers, whose turn in the barrel comes in next year's county elections, is putting on a fund-raiser at Calhouns on the River this Thursday, Nov. 13. Nothing remarkable about that.

What is unusual, however, is the odd mix of supporters he has assembled for his host committee. He's got political adversaries Lillian and Richard Bean and Cathy Quist. He's got Sheriff Tim Hutchison and his outspoken critic, lawyer Don Bosch. He's got Democrat Margaret Ritchie (wife of former state Rep. Wayne), and Republican Billy Stokes. One notable absence is that of lawyer Herb Moncier, who probably couldn't take the time out from prosecuting lawsuits against Knox County. Moncier will be there in spirit, however, since he has been out beating the bushes to find Moyers an opponent.