Knox County Commission Chairman Brad Anders this morning asked the law department to look into whether the board’s vice chairman, R. Larry Smith violated any county ethics policy when he asked a county employee to email a release to fellow commissioners and the media Tuesday afternoon to “discuss the upcoming school board race.”
The discussion will take place today at a 10 a.m. “press
conference” at the 640 Building on Greenway Drive.
In the release, which was on county letterhead, Smith noted
that “concerned citizens are encouraged to attend.” He did not go into details.
He asked Jolie Bonavita, who works in the commission’s
office, to email the release to officials and the media. Smith, by virtue of
his position on the board, is technically Bonavita’s boss.
Smith, who is term-limited as a commissioner, is a candidate
in the District 7 Board of Education race and is expected to challenge Andrew
Graybeal and Patti Lou Bounds in the non-partisan May primary.
Other county officials say they do not use county supplies
to discuss their campaigns.
For example, County Mayor Tim Burchett on Monday used his
own personal Facebook page to announce that he would no longer accept campaign
contributions. Burchett will not face a challenger in his re-election bid.
When a reporter called county Communications Manager Michael
Grider to talk about the announcement, Grider forwarded him to the mayor.
Grider said he would not discuss campaign-related issues
during county time.
“We play it safe - we never come close to that line,”
Burchett said.
