Local Politics

'She will not be attending the university this fall' The widespread pursuit of finding those guilty of past thought or deed transgression is ever present in modern society. Part of the “cancel culture” wars, this theme saw the…
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Stimulus plans have strings attached to all taxpayers “A billion here and a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” – the late Rep. U.S. Sen. Everett M. Dirksen Sen. Dirksen was so 20th century: The federal…
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Politicians notice the rare letter that lands on their desk “Mr. Postman,” (said the politician), “look and see, is there a letter (from a constituent) in your bag for me?” Politicians may not sing it like the 1960s group the…
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COVID highlights leadership challenges during health emergency The county mayor is responsible for the operations of Knox County government—unless a health emergency prioritizes the ideas of a group of unelected individuals responsible…
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Spangler protects citizens, enforces law by renewing agreement Some months ago, I was in a social media conversation with a then-city government official on the topic of illegal immigration. Liberal politically, he complained about…
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Mayor Kincannon’s focus on gun legislation ignores another threat Safety is city government’s fundamental responsibility. That was Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon’s battle cry as she sighted Gov. Bill Lee’s permit-less handgun carry…
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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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