Commissioner Ownby's battle with school officials over public records

Commissioner Ownby

Here’s a little bit of inside baseball that was partially discussed in public last night, but didn’t really make the main story, which you can find right smack here.

Anyhoo, the Knox County Commission during its Monday work session agreed to audit the school system’s Physical Plan Upgrades account, something that a number of commissioners say is nothing more than a "slush fund."

The move was actually spearheaded by Commissioner Jeff Ownby, who had to wait roughly 17 days for the school system to compile an open records request that he submitted regarding the account.

During Monday’s meeting, Superintendent Jim McIntyre took exception to the “salacious” allegations that the account was a slush fund and noted that “this is the first time I’ve head of some of the complaints.”

He also said if Ownby had a problem or question, then he should have called.

Well, Ownby isn’t too happy that the superintendent claims he wasn’t exactly kept in the loop. So, he sent me over some emails, detailing the records request.

You can find the emails right smack here.

Now, you’ll note, according to these emails, that Ownby on Feb. 24 asked for the records connected to three years’ worth of spending tied to the PPU account.  He submitted the request to schools finance director Rob McPherson.

Superintendent McIntyre

On Feb. 28, McPherson replied back to Ownby, noting that they were “coordinating” and “segregating” and doing all sorts of stuff to get him that information. Note, that McIntyre is copied on this email.

Ownby says McIntyre was well aware of what was going on.

Now, here’s where it gets ridiculous, and this is where the commissioner got upset.

Ownby didn’t receive his records until March 12 or 13. And, man, if you’ve seen what the school system gave him, you’d cry. Or laugh. Ownby called them “barely legible.” He’s being nice.

Thanks to mild mannered reporter, the good Gerald Witt (whose blog you can find right here), for providing copies of those documents.

You can find ‘em right smack here. (Bring a magnifying glass.)

If you can read them, you probably won’t be able to find any information about Northshore Elementary School. I’m told – and I’m not risking my eyesight to find out – that Northshore isn’t on there. Funny. That’s the info Ownby truly wanted.

So, I hear about all this, and kind of chuckle. Because, on Friday, March 14, I asked the county’s finance department for the exact same information, except I asked for it going back eight years – not just three. Do you know how long it took the county’s finance people to compile it?

Less than an hour.

I kid you not. They sent me over more than 400 pages of records, which included information on Northshore, and you can actually read them.

Heh.

Poster to R. Larry: 'Get over it'

Woo-hoo, oh boy, ol R. Larry Smith had another good one in today's News Sentinel.

After last night's meeting, in which the board talked about travel, KNS reporter Gerald Witt asked Smith why he drove to Nashville twice (which cost taxpayers $416 when - presumably - he could have picked up a phone and called).

According to the article (right smack here), Smith "said "he went to the state comptroller on a whistle-blowing trip that led to the ouster of former Trustee John J. Duncan III."

Ummmmm. No.

That office has nothing to do with CTAS payments, which were the cause of Duncan's downfall.

Further, R. Larry got almost all his information from the articles I wrote. Whistle-blower. Sure.

I broke the story, I first reported that someone else took tests for Duncan, and I was the first to write about the TBI investigation into the office.

I am not bragging. That's just what happened.

Along with the way WBIR also did some good reporting. They even had a scoop or two in there. Also, I think WATE reported about a showdown between Smith and Congressman Duncan, which Smith probably blew out of proportion, but whatever.

Anyhoo, I say this because, well, someone has to tell the truth. The investigation originated from the local District Attorney's Office. Not R. Larry Smith.

In the meantime, there were some fireworks from last night. You see, after Commissioner Amy Broyles nominated someone other than R. Larry to lead the board, he got upset. Right around that time he started trying to sell his story to the press that she traveled more than any other commissioner. (Another lie by the way.) A few news outlet bit.

But it didn't work out the way R. Larry anticipated. As noted from the pic below (taken during last night's meting.)

On a side note, Amy had the best line of the night when she told R. Larry: “Since being elected to commission, I have survived a shooting, two brain surgeries, a concussion, five cerebrospinal fluid leaks, viral meningitis, eight kidney stones, a tumor removed from my upper chest, a uterine hemorrhage and the beginning of menopause. I don’t think I’m going to succumb to one of your temper tantrums.” (Thanks for writing all that down, Gerald.)