Another County Commission violates open meetings law, says Mayor

The Blount County mayor has accused three members of the County Commission of violating the open meetings law for going with a citizen to Nashville to meet with officials in the State Comptroller's office about financial irregularities in their county government.

A frustrating situation. They probably did violate the law, but in this case it seems to be hampering their ability to provide an effective check on other branches of government. A thousand instances of history provide justification for the sunshine law, but is there a price that we're paying in weakening representative bodies? Then again, there are probably perfectly easy means for dealing with such issues without violating the spirit or letter of the law.

Can we talk?, ask Knox Co Commissioners

Apparently not, according to this article in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Under injunction from a judge regarding the open meetings law, the Commissioners considered asking the judge to come before them and answer questions, but decided they'd better not. They can't even contact one another to set up meetings.

Knox Co Republicans look at future: Family Values?

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/05/local-republicans-discuss-future/

A piece discusses their annual Lincoln event. Health care, energy, and immigration are mentioned. Where's the discussion of the wedge issues? Where's the emphasis on "family values?" To read the article, you might think the GOP has moved past all that. Of course, the topic could have come up and the article failed to mention it.

Perhaps it didn't come up. Maybe someone who was there will post and answer the question. One hopes that Knox County Republicans are realizing that the strategy of using the GLBT community to divide the state is running out of steam. Then again, it may be that they are continuing to refine the rhetoric in a way that makes it publicly tamer.

Also absent in the article is all the controversy over open meetings and secrecy that is raging in Knox County now. Just yesterday, the Knox County law director issued a new report on whether commissioners violated a judge's ruling on the matter: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/05/report-addresses-sunshine-law-issues/

Knox County Commissioners admit non-public meetings/conversatons

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/mar/24/knox-commissioners-admit-more-private-discussions/

Members of the Knox County commission admitted tonight that they had had conversations that run counter to the state's open meetings laws. Courts have apparently put Knox County under rules "more stringent than any other legislative body in the state," according to Commissioner Mike Hammond.