Knox County Commission Elects Chair And Vice Chair
Last week the Knox County Commission met and elected Terry Hill as chair and Adam Thompson as vice chairman. Six commissioners supported Hill while five others backed Angela Russell. As pointed out by the daily newspaper, Hill, a Republican, was elected by two Republicans and four Democrats on the commission. Democrats Damon Rawls, Courtney Durrett, Brandon Huckaby and Shane Jackson voted for Hill, as well as Hill herself and Republican Garrett Holt. Russell received the votes of four of her Republican colleagues – – – Barry Beeler, Adam Thompson, Andy Fox and Justin Cofer, along with her own vote.
Terry Hill had served as chair of the Knox County Commission previously and is generally considered to be very pro-development. Adam Thompson, on the other hand, has been a steady voice for questioning over-development in Knox County, as has Angela Russell.
Hill has also gone out of her way to be openly critical of then-school board member Betsy Henderson, who was strongly supportive of school vouchers and parental choice. Henderson had been elected to fill Hill’s seat on the Knox County Board of Education. If you will remember, Terry Hill was part of all the hubbub concerning Henderson’s highly publicized appearance before a legislative committee in Nashville. Betsy Henderson won the GOP primary decisively and won the general election. It remains to be seen whether or not Terry Hill can effectively work with Mayor Henderson on behalf of the people of Knox County or prefers to try and form a coalition with the minority Democrats on the county commission to thwart the mayor’s agenda. Hopefully, Hill can work with our new mayor on behalf of the people of Knox County.
Thank You, Governor Lee
Governor Bill Lee is leading an effort to rename Nashville’s airport for the late Dolly Parton, the universally loved entertainer. It is a wonderful idea and would be a fitting tribute to a woman who gifted the world with happiness through her music and gave back in full measure the love her fans and the people of Tennessee showered on Dolly. There is no argument about the fact that Dolly Parton was a living legend and the greatest natural resource in the state of Tennessee. The idea of visitors to Nashville and Tennessee being welcomed to a facility named for Dolly Parton should warm the hearts of visitors and the hospitable people of Tennessee.
Great Job And Thank You, Mayor Jacobs
The August meeting of the Knox County Commission was also the last for outgoing Mayor Glenn Jacobs. It is easy to forget that when the towering man with the big grin first began running for county mayor eight years ago, most political-minded people gave him little chance of beating County Commissioners Bob Thomas and Brad Anders. Thomas had kicked off his campaign two years before the election, following the precedent set by Mike Ragsdale, who faced no opposition in the Republican primary. The idea of announcing so early for an office is to start filling up the campaign war chest and hoping to bluff everybody else out of running. Thomas, as a radio personality, was well known locally, and Brad Anders was young and very ambitious. When Glenn Jacobs entered the GOP primary contest, he was not at all well known, though Kane, his wrestling persona was very recognizable. Jacobs meticulously went from house to house and person to person, meeting people, most of whom were struck by his humble personality and his sincerity. There were those, mostly the usual smugly self-righteous elitists, who derided Jacobs as a dumb wrestler, but he proved them to be wrong. Jacobs not only held his own in debates and personal appearances, but he also spoke in language plain enough for anyone to understand and it was readily apparent that he was a highly intelligent man. Jacobs defied conventional political logic and custom and never ran a single television commercial to win an upset victory in the primary.
Jacobs had successfully combined a hometown touch with star power, which proved to be a powerful mix.
Serving in a very demanding job and following an enormously popular predecessor, Tim Burchett, who is now our congressman, Jacobs proved to be equal to the task. Glenn Jacobs was both innovative and an excellent steward of the taxpayers’ money. Jacobs presided over a government that funded its responsibilities without adding to the taxpayers’ financial burdens.
Glenn Jacobs is a good and fine man. I did not agree with him on every issue, but none of us agree with one another all the time. Mayor Jacobs did a good job under oftentimes difficult circumstances.
Glenn Jacobs has many opportunities to serve in the future and has his pick of some fine choices. He has been a guest on Greg Gutfeld’s highly popular show, and Jacobs could likely helm a successful show of his own. Or he may pop up again in another political office.
Jacobs deserves thanks from the people of Knox County for a job well done.
