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Wouldn’t that be three tits?

Knox County Commissioner Mark Cawood, at a committee meeting Monday, proposed a raise for election workers from $120 to $170. Cawood also had a resolution urging the Department of Energy to step up payments to former workers suffering from exposure to beryllium at Oak Ridge plants, this on behalf of one of his constituents who is ill. Commissioner Mike Arms, who doubles as County Mayor Mike Ragsdale’s chief of staff, (and has worked for an Oak Ridge contractor for years) objected to both proposals. The vehemence of the objections may be related to Cawood’s vote against the wheel tax which has angered the Ragsdale administration. Arms said Cawood shouldn’t propose raises for people since he never votes for tax increases.

Cawood responded to Arms by accusing him of not being sympathetic to poor people “since you have three jobs and are on the public tit.”

After the meeting Arms got in Cawood’s face and called him a name which suggests incest with a parent. Cawood estimates that’s about nine commissioners Arms has cussed at various times, including the time he flipped Commissioner John Mills the bird. Arms’ job is keeping the commission in a good humor and supporting his bosses’ proposals.

Just Don’t Call It Sundown

Thursday nights downtown have been uncustomarily tranquil this summer, since the phenomenally popular Sundown In the City series completed its scheduled run in June. All summer we kept hearing that when the threat of intolerable weather was past, Sundown, or something, would return. And, beginning on September 9, here it is: “Autumn On the Square.” Presented by Regal Entertainment Group and a phalanx of sponsors (including, in a rare fit of cooperation, both the News Sentinel and Metro Pulse), Autumn will fall on six Thursdays in a row. AC Entertainment, which launched both series, insists that Autumn’s not the same thing as Sundown, for reasons that may seem esoteric to people outside of the music-promotions biz. “The development of a new music series allows for Autumn On the Square to become a new experience downtown.”

The headliner acts, judging by three of the four announced, show a higher proportion of local heroes than Sundown tended to tolerate; but when the locals in question include Scott Miller, Mindy Smith, and Robinella, all recording artists with national credentials, it’s hardly a step down.

Here’s the lineup so far, to clip and save: Robinella with Jay Clark, on Sept. 9; Scott Miller with (fellow former V-Roy) Mic Harrison on Sept. 16; nationally known horn-driven jazz-funk band Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, with rising English piano-rock band Keane, on Sept. 23; and Mindy Smith on Sept. 30. The two October dates have yet to be announced.

New political force arrives?

The idea of conservative anti-tax fanatics taking over the Knox County Commission is sending a shudder through the political establishment. It is the most significant and under-reported story in town.

Gary Sellers organized the petition drive to get the wheel tax on the ballot and has become a local hero in his East Knox County community. That would be in the County Commission district represented by John Mills, who voted for the wheel tax. Sellers is being bombarded with requests that he run for Mills seat and is said to be considering it.

The anti-wheel tax group is organizing a campaign should the recall be placed on the November ballot. Some of them are taking the time, however, to plan a slate of anti-tax candidates in the next county commission election. This group generated 25,000 signatures to put the wheel tax to a referendum. They have copies of all those names and addresses and can put them into a database for election purposes. If the wheel tax is defeated, the group will be energized to continue the effort.

Meanwhile, petitions have been turned in to force a referendum to repeal the new wheel tax in Williamson County (Franklin, Brentwood), generated by the anti-tax movement and Internet communication and using the Knox County model. Tennessee Tax Revolt, formed during the state income tax fight, played a role in both efforts.

The ramifications for Knox County, if the movement captures county government, are enormous.

Conventional Sports

Knoxville taxpayers spend almost $30,000 a day to subsidize the new convention center and officials are discussing what can be done about it. The big-ticket events thus far have been sports groups. Bowlers. Junior AAU track stars. Indeed, the city tourism group has been combined with the Sports Corp. to form the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corp.

Considering the success with sports, there has been some quiet talk around town about converting the convention center into a sports complex. The reason the talk has been in hushed tones, behind closed doors, is because of uncertainty about how voters will feel about making changes to a brand-new facility. There is also some question about how many sporting events there are out there to recruit. Would the facility be too specialized?

But convention booking has turned brutal and centers around the country are losing tons of money. And Knoxville is known as a sports town rather than a “destination attraction” kind of town. And a town full of cheap (family friendly) hotel rooms.

The bigger question seems to be how long the people will put up with subsidizing a convention center that is costing them $10 million a year. That was almost the exact amount of the budget deficit the city faced this year.

Trooper runs amok

What kind of society have we become when the deputy governor can’t get a speeding ticket fixed without someone launching an investigation?

Former Roane Countian Dave Cooley got a ticket from a State Trooper in Rutherford County for driving 87 miles an hour on Interstate 24; a judge dismissed it. An anonymous letter brought it to the attention of the Tennessean newspaper. Cooley was surprised to learn that the ticket had been dismissed and told the newspaper he would immediately send a check for $208.50.

Public Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips (Chief of the Troopers) said the matter would be investigated. But even without an investigation, officials said the fact that Cooley’s wife is Phillips’ executive assistant played no role in the ticket fixing incident.

Perhaps the real investigation should be into the Trooper that gave the deputy governor a ticket. What was he thinking?

August 19, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 34 © 2004 Metro Pulse