Local Politics

Will the blue wash over Knoxville’s traditional red political landscape. On a WATE-TV show in 2003, after Bill Haslam was elected Knoxville mayor, I concluded that he might be the “last overtly Republican mayor of Knoxville.” That could…
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Out of both sides of its mouth—too much or not enough? The American public, news media, and political candidates themselves have something in common when it comes to money’s influence in politics: they’re consistently inconsistent. …
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Knoxville's new zoning map may have unintended consequences In politics, there are telltale signs that tell a tale of signs the fix might be in.Those signs were all around Recode Knoxville, which affects every city property owner and is…
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Influencing politics in 140 characters or less His appearance something like that of an Amish survivalist, Fletcher Burkhardt visually seemed an unusual candidate for Knoxville mayor. Regardless of the outcome, his campaign is onto…
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The stench of a property tax increase can not be ignored There are three reasons why city and county leaders typically flee property taxes like a skunk chasing them down the street: property owners hate them, voters hate them, and they…
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How far left can Tennessee Democrats lean without falling down? The Super Tuesday presidential primary, which includes Tennessee, is only 10 months away, March 3, 2020. What a dreary thought. Americans in the last decade entered into…
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Rising from the Dead? The idea of metro, or unified, government is akin to the character of Jason in the Friday the 13th movies: regardless of how many times or in what exotic ways he’s killed off, it just won’t die. In 1959, 1978,…
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The Choices of Incoming State Rep. Gloria Johnson It’s liable to get noisy in Nashville. Gloria Johnson has three options as she returns to Nashville to represent the 13th District in the state House of Representatives: 1) Be…
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Transitions between election and taking office are similar to decorating the stage for a theatrical production: do it badly and your play is going to cost more, take longer, require re-staging, and cause a cascading set of other headaches.…
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Voters are motivated by many things, but among them two principal factors drive people to the polls: anger over something someone has done or fear of something someone might do. That’s why a political candidate running against the…
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