Friday, April 1, 2011

More on election commission mess

On Monday, the State Election Commission is expected to rubber stamp the nominations the local Legislative delegation made to the Knox County Election Commission.

That means the panel won’t change except for Rob McNutt taking over for Paul Crilly because the Republicans couldn’t stomach one of their own jumping ship and voting to keep county Elections Administrator Greg Mackay, a Democrat.

Late last week I wrote a story about McNutt forgetting seven times that he voted in the wrong precinct, and word was going around that he might step down.

You know, because the election commission kind of defines elections around here, and he kind of forgot how, where and when how to vote.

I never believed he’d step down, and News Sentinel staff writer Tom Humphrey (the most kick-ass state government reporter in all of Tennessee) pretty much confirmed it earlier this week.

(I don’t think Tom wrote about it, since it’s pretty much a non-issue now, but I might as well throw it up here, since I mentioned it earlier in the week.)

Humphrey said that the state senators and representatives he spoke to about the issue said the matter is over, so far as they are concerned, barring anything further.

Republican state Sen. and (McNutt's good pal) Stacey Campfield, for example, said the election is finished and “the time for yelling is before the election, not after.”

(On a side note, I have no idea what he’s talking about. What election? The nominations the delegation made last week without bothering to research the candidates? That election? Nooooooo. There’s always time to yell. Or scream. Heh.)

State Rep. Ryan Haynes, also a Republican and the chairman of the Knox County delegation, says if there’s anything problematic, it would be left to the state commission to decide against the delegation recommendations.

Of course, that’s not going to happen.

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