Senators talk $925M surplus 'myth'

State lawmakers keep talking about a so-called $1 billion surplus, but two key members of the local Legislative delegation say the number is more a myth than a reality.

As it stands, the state might have roughly $925 million in extra money this year, but much of it has already been allocated.

The topic is part of this Sunday’s edition of “Inside Tennessee” on WBIR 10News.

The guests are Knoxville Republican state senators Becky Duncan Massey and Richard Briggs.

The discussion comes as the General Assembly convened on Jan. 10.
 
Briggs said Gov. Bill Haslam’s finance team met with state lawmakers recently to talk about the surplus.

Briggs and Massey didn’t want to get into too much detail, but both agreed that there is roughly “$100 million to $150 million” that hasn’t been allocated.

“I call (it) a little bit the myth of the myth of the one billion dollars,” Briggs said. “At this point, there’s going to be about $200 million – I don’t want to go into some of the details – that’s going into education. We have some of the built-in increases that happen every year due to the TN Care increase and we forget that with this affordable care act, we had about 60,000 or 70,000 people that were in the woodwork who are eligible for TN Care that never signed up for it. They’re forced to do that now or they’ll take a penalty.”

He said money also will go to “completely fund our retirement fund” and paying “back the other half that we borrowed back earlier in the 2000s when we had some deficits from the road fund.”

“We did half of that last year – we’re going to do the other half this year. That’s no secret. That’s about a 120 or $130 million . . . and then we have the investments we need to make on building maintenance that’s been delayed over the years,” Briggs added. “One other thing when we talk about all of this money that’s important – we do have some cash in hand but much of those are projections and we really don’t know what’s going to happen to the economy. If it projects out then we will have more money but it’s all not discretionary that we can spend.”

Massey said the surplus came from a “combination of fiscal responsibility” and revenues from business growth.

“Part of the surplus is in recurring dollars which there is a number of pots that almost take it before we even get to look at it . . . and then about half of it is non-recurring, which can be used more for short-term projects,” she said. “But I can guarantee you there’s a lot of people who have some wonderful ideas and significant needs and we’ll have to look at what’s the best return on the investment.”

The 30-minute political and public affairs program, which was taped Thursday, kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WBIR.

Panelists include WBIR reporter Mike Donila, attorney Don Bosch and governmental relations specialist Susan Williams.

WBIR Anchor John Becker serves as the show’s moderator.

Schoonmaker to serve on commission

John Schoonmaker

The Knox County Commission on Monday picked John Schoonmaker, a sales representative and former vice chair of the local board of zoning appeals, to serve as the board's 5^th District representative.

Schoonmaker, 60, replaces Richard Briggs, who stepped down last fall after winning the 7^th District state Senate seat. He will hold the commission seat until the term expires at the end of August 2016.

The 5^th District consists of the southwest corner of Knox County and includes Farragut and Concord.

The commission unanimously picked Schoonmaker from a pool of seven candidates who interviewed during a specially called public meeting Monday at the City County Building.

For the rest of the story, click RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Nine apply for open commish seat

Nine applicants submitted resumes to fill former Knox County Commissioner Richard Briggs’ remaining two years on the board.

They include an attorney, a realtor, a U.S. Air Force brigadier general, a certified financial planner, sales representatives, and a pastor, among others.

The deadline was noon Monday.

Briggs, a Republican who defeated Cheri Siler in the general election for the 7th District state Senate seat, officially stepped down from the Knox County Board of Commissioners last month.

The interim 5^th District commissioner will hold the seat until its term expires at the end of August 2016. The district represents the southwest corner of Knox County and includes Farragut and Concord. 

PDF: Resumes, cover letters

The commission will publicly interview the candidates at 4 p.m. on Jan. 12 in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building, and then vote during a special called meeting set for 4:30 p.m. that day.

Here’s a snapshot of the candidates:

Tamara Boyer: An attorney, she is vice president of The Private Client Group, which serves as a relationship manager for banking, trust, investment and insurance services. Much of her careers focused on business and financial transaction; commercial and consumer real estate; and civil litigation management. She earned her law degree from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, and also attended laws school in England and Germany.

J. Kelly Clancy: A realtor, who served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, he earned a degree in history from the University of Tennessee. He also served on the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors Governmental Affairs Committee, Grievance Committee, and Ethics Committee.

David Freeman: Since 1999, served as director of Capital Resources Partners, which helps oversee mergers and acquisitions in the transportation and logistics industry. Earned degree in economics from the University of Kansas.

Ken Gross: Spent much of his career working in the areas of environmental, Occupational Safety & Health Engineering, regulatory compliance and construction safety. Served a three-year term as the East Tennessee commissioner on the State of Tennessee Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission in Nashville; served a term on the county’s ethics committee; and also serves as the state’s executive committeeman for the 7^th Senate District.

John H Grueser: Enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1965 and served until 1980 when he began serving in the Air Force Reserve until retiring from the military in 2006. Also worked as a pilot for United Airlines and as an air carrier inspector for the FAA. Currently an airline consultant. Earned engineering degree from the United States Air Force Academy, and a master’s degree in education from Texas Tech University and a master’s in business administration and management from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.

Mike Manning: Financial advisor who has worked in the private sector as a comptroller, chief financial officer and auditor for a number of companies, including Rush Fitness Corporation, Santek Environmental, Radio Systems Corporation and PricewaterCoopers. He earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee.

Ronnie Rochelle: Owned Parkway Galleries Furniture in Knoxville and Bristol from 1977 to 1992. A certified financial planner since 1996, he also is the comptroller for Designsensory, an interactive marketing firm. Also served volunteer stints with the Farragut MPC, the Knox County Chamber of Commerce and the CAC Office on Aging.

John Schoonmaker: Former chair and vice chair and current member of the Knox County Board of Zoning and Appeals; and owner of Schoonmaker Sales. Attended Florida State University.

Grant Standefer: Long-time pastor for churches in New Mexico, Texas and Tennessee, and currently serves with the Compassion Coalition. Served stints with the Rotary Club of Knoxville, Introduction Knoxville, Leadership Knoxville and the community advisory board for the Department of Children’s Services.

Knox Co. Commission taking resumes to fill 5th District seat; Due Dec. 15

The Knox County Commission is accepting resumes from candidates seeking the appointment to replace Richard Briggs as the board's 5th District representative.

Briggs, a Republican who defeated Cheri Siler in the general election for the 7th District state Senate seat, officially stepped down last week.

Resumes should be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 15. They can be mailed, faxed, emailed or hand-delivered to:

Office of the Knox County Commission

Suite 603, City County Building

400 Main St.

Knoxville, TN 37920

Phone: 865-215-2534

Fax: 865-215-2038

email: commission@knoxcounty.org

The County Commission will hold a public hearing to interview candiates on Jan. 12, 2015 at 4 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the County Building.

Commissioners are expected to vote on the matter during a special called meeting that will immediately follow the interviews.

SAT-10 appears dead for school year

On Sunday's Inside Tennessee (9:30 a.m. WBIR 10News), we'll talk with (new) state Sen. Richard Briggs, state Rep. Eddie Smith and school board member Tracey Sanger.

We wanted to check back in one last time with some folks who won their respective races earlier this month.

Anyhoo, as expected the whole SAT-10 thing came up in our conversation with Tracey. She said she would NOT vote to bring it back. (Remember, the school board killed testing for K-2 students - RIGHT SMACK HERE.)

However, she said the point was moot. It's not going to be get brought back any time soon.

There had been some some speculation that BOE member Doug Harris - once Tracey came on board - would try to resurrect it in December.

You see, Doug voted to kill it, but he did that because only someone on the winning side of the vote can ask to revisit a vote.

That's not going to happen. (And if it did, it doesn't look like the votes are there, even if Doug switches.)

In an email, he sent to me this morning, Doug said: "I don't have any plans to bring it back up and have sent a few emails confirming that opinion to concerned teachers/parents over the last couple of weeks."

Whether it comes back next year obviously remains to be seen. I'm guessing it will.

The school system - re: the administration and principals - have been pushing testing results and - behind the scenes - trying to get teachers to speak before the school board about how beneficial it supposedly is.

They've also released some stats that show improvements. I suspect that after one SAT-10 free year, the administration will have number that show drops.

Then it goes back to vote.

We'll see.

Briggs to leave commish on Monday

Richard Briggs

Richard Briggs, who has served on the Knox County Commission for almost seven years, will officially step down Monday as he makes his move over to Tennessee General Assembly.

Briggs defeated incumbent Stacey Campfield in the Republican Primary this summer and then bested Democratic challenger Cheri Siler in Tuesday’s General Election to represent the 7^th District state Senate seat.

A heart surgeon and decorated U.S Army veteran, Briggs was appointed to the Knox County Commission in February 2008. He retained the seat in the August General Election of that year.

Briggs’ seat on the commission oversees the 5^th District, which includes a good chunk of Southwest Knox County.

He said he initially wanted to wait until Jan. 1 to step down, but that on Wednesday morning state officials assigned him an office and sent him the paperwork to take over now.

“It’s been an absolute honor and privilege to serve on the Knox County Commission and I look forward as a state senator to work with the commission for benefit our community and its citizens,” he said.

The new senator said he’s already received calls about forced annexation, something he doesn’t support without the support of the residents.

The Knox County Commission more than likely will talk about the selection process for filling the vacancy when the board holds its Nov. 17 meeting.

Traditionally, the board accepts resumes, and then holds brief interviews with all the applicants during a public forum. The board then generally waits a week before voting on the replacement.

The interim 5^th District commissioner will hold the seat until its term expires at the end of August 2016.

Endorsements in for Siler, Briggs

Couple of endorsements here. Note that I typically don't run these things, but since I've been getting a number of them ...

First, the Cheri Siler for (7th District) State Senate campaign is pleased to announce the endorsement of the Knoxville Fraternal Order of Police,  Volunteer Lodge No. 2.  "It is a great honor to have the support of Knoxville’s police who are responsible for our everyday protection.  We pledge our campaign’s support for Knoxville’s police and will work to advance their interests when we are elected to the legislature."  

Second, the National Federation of Independent Business, Tennessee's leading small business association, has endorsed Dr. Richard Briggs, Republican candidate for State Senate, District 7. "Creating Good jobs is my number one priority. I know the impact government red tape can have on small businesses and I will use my experience (to) ensure that businesses in Tennessee thrive."

As always, send in your election/campaign stuff for publication consideration.

The election is Nov. 4

Sen. race: Siler, Briggs spar over Republican's military 'uniform code'

Siler

In what appears to be one of those "look before you leap" situations, 7th District state Senate candidate Cheri Siler, the race's Democrat, pretty much accused her Republican opponent, Richard Briggs of "playing fast and loose with the ethical rules that should guide campaigns.

In an email that I received while I was sleeping cause I got the day off, Siler noted:

While I have the utmost respect for his service to our country and his personal sacrifice to protect our freedom, I am troubled by his disregard for the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UMCJ) in Briggs’ repetitive use of military photos in his campaign. According to the Department of Defense UCMJ, a candidate must have a disclaimer statement on military photos used for campaign purposes. Alarmingly, we see no such disclaimer on any of my opponent’s photos used in campaign materials.

She then went on to talk about how Briggs won't debate her, which I'm not getting into because it's bull. The

Briggs

two were on or will be on that other news channel and they'll appear in a week or so on Inside Tennessee.

Anyhoo, Briggs fired back:

My opponent has blatantly made false accusations. The rule applies to ACTIVE members of the military. I am a retired Colonel from the Army earning a Bronze Star fighting for this country and community. This shows that my opponent fails to check the facts before she makes an allegation.

My opponent wants to talk about reaching people, she should consider going to them. our campaign has knocked on over 50,000 doors, made thousands of phone calls, and ran an extremely successful campaign against our opponent in the primary. I would encourage our opponent to stop making false statements and get to work to talk to the voters.

He then talked about Obamacare or something, but I'm tired of hearing about that crap, too.

The irony, or is it coincidence, is that both candidates cited the same link in their argument. Find that bad boy, RIGHT SMACK HERE.

The election is Nov. 4.

As always send me your campaign stuff for publication consideration.

'Fast' Cheri releases first TV ad

Ha ha. I enjoyed this one. Democrat Cheri Siler, who is challenging Republican Richard Briggs for the 7th District state Senate seat, has released her first television ad.

She pokes fun at Briggs' ability to raise a ton of coin. Hence, the reason it's "fast."

Check it out below:



The ad is designed to emphasize Siler's role in the community - as a teacher, small business owner and mother of 6 - according to her campaign people.

Her platform focuses on imprving public education and strengthening the local economy.

As always, send over your political stuff for publication consideration.

Briggs, Campfield to appear on Inside TN; third candidate Alford weighs in

Mike Alford

So, this Sunday's edition of Inside Tennessee will feature incumbent 7th District state Senator and his Republican challenger Richard Briggs. (Tune in at 9:30 a.m. on WBIR-TV 10News!)

Good stuff.

In the meantime, the third "candidate" - Mike Alford - was not able to appear, since, he told us, he would be out of town.

He did, however, submit the following statement:

I would like to express my sincere apologies to you and your viewers for not being able to appear on your program. It is important that voters get to see all the candidates and hear their views. I hope to get the opportunity again before this election.

Tenova CEO’s went directly to the state of Tennessee evading our local laws, bypassing MPC, our local government, and with no notice to the public; had a zoned scenic section of Middlebrook Pike re-zoned in order to build a hospital.

Senator Campfield sponsored a bill(SB0655) allowing them to proceed with their plan. Dr. Briggs is an employee of Tenova and if I’m not mistaken served on their board in some capacity.

I am certainly for progress and creating jobs in Tennessee but when the proper process is completely bypassed, it gives the public the impression there was more to gain than jobs for someone.

This very incident is a prime example of the importance of Public Notice. I will work hard to preserve citizen’s access to public information, abide by our Sunshine Laws, and will protect the integrity of public notices by keeping them in print.

My vast experience in the transportation industry has given me the knowledge to provide traffic calming initiatives. I will do my due diligence to help resolve the congestion providing a smoother passageway through Knoxville in the I40 – I75 corridor while reducing the negative environmental impact.

I am the only Republican candidate in the 7th district that is a true Tennessean. I grew up; worked, lived, and raised a family in this great state and my wish is to keep it great. I will not accept any PAC money for my campaign. My promise is to represent the constituents with honesty and integrity. My goal is to limit the intrusion of government on our day to day lives.

Looks, let's face it, Alford is on the ballot to take votes away from Briggs. Campfield's own guy - sporting a "Campfield" T-shirt - picked up the guy's nominating petition and Alford even signed Campfield's own petition. (It also hurts Campfield more than Briggs that Alford appears first on the ballot.)
Anyhoo,  since we'll be featuring the others, I felt it fair to at least give Alford a mention.

It also should be noted that the winner of the Aug. 7 primary will face Democrat Cheri Siler in the November general election, although, let's face it: She has about as much of a shot of winning as Alford does - no matter how the local bloggers and alt-weekly writers attempt to justify a way for her to win.

I'm out.

Briggs's senate campaign now on TV

Colonel, doctor, war hero, county commissioner, nice guy Richard Briggs just released his first commercial, according to his campaign peeps.

Briggs is challenging incumbent Stacey Campfield for his 7th District state Senate seat.

According to the release, the ad:

Specifically targets Briggs’ leadership in the military, where he served for 30 years, receiving the Bronze Star and retired as a Colonel for the U.S. Army.

It also focuses on the trust he has garnered as a heart and lung surgeon for 30 years saving thousands of lives.

Briggs advocates a platform of a strong conservative who wants to create jobs, provide economic growth, improve education and ensure a strong quality of life for all Knoxvillians.

Early voting for the Aug. 7 elections begins July 18.

As always, send me your elections stuff for posting.

Briggs launches new campaign website

Richard Briggs

Briggs for Senate campaign launches new website today, modernizing its look and adding several new features to provide a more campaign friendly site, according to a news release.

“We will provide updates often. This site will give the voter a new and easier way to hear from me,” said Richard Briggs.

Briggs faces incumbent Stacey Campfield and some guy no one has ever heard of in Republican Primary. Cheri Siler has no opposition in the Democratic Primary.

The new website, which you can find RIGHT SMACK HERE, will be updated often during the campaign, according to the release.

“We hope to add new features to it as we go along, and our goal is to make it easy for people to learn about me and our positive conservative message,” said Briggs.

“Recent campaigns have taught us all a lot of about the importance of technology in communicating with the voter directly. We are committed to doing a better job of reaching out to the people of Tennessee’s District 7,” Briggs said.

Early voting begins July 18 with the primary set for August 7.

As always, send me your campaign stuff for posting.

Third candidate plans to enter Briggs vs. Campfield state senate race

Well, if you’re into conspiracy theories – heh – then here’s a good one. Did Stacey Campfield get a third person into his re-election bid in order to split up the “anybody but Stacey” vote? We’ll see.

A Rocky Hill resident today said he plans to turn the 7^th District state Senate race into a three way contest in August.

Mike Alford, who drives a tour bus for entertainers, today had a friend pick him up a nominating petition to challenge incumbent Stacey Campfield and Richard Briggs in the Republican primary.

He has until noon tomorrow to return the petition and secure 25 signatures from residents who live in the district and who are registered to vote.

Alford said he planned to mount a serious campaign but acknowledged that “a mutual friend of his” and Campfield actually picked up the petition for him.

He said he told the senator that he plans to run.

“I want to throw my name out there on the ballot as an option,” Alford said.

He added: “My biggest issue right now is two of them: I disapprove of Stacey’s campaign to take public notices away from the newspapers. The other issue . . .  is that I don’t think the hospital being planned in the backyard of the West Hills neighborhood should be put there.”

Alford unsuccessfully ran for a County Commission seat in 2006 and sought a board position in 2008 when officials were trying to appoint new members in the wake of the Black Wednesday controversy. 

He said at the time he was against red light cameras and the wheel tax. (Right smack here for his note to commissioners back then.)

Campfield, a former state representative, won a special election in 2010 to replace Tim Burchett when he took over as Knox County mayor.

When asked about the potential for another opponent, Campfield said “it’s a free county, so everyone who wants to run can.”

Briggs, a heart surgeon, a retired combat veteran, and Knox County Commissioner, said his campaign anticipated that someone else would get into the race, but declined comment further.

The winner of the Republican primary will take on Cheri Siler, a Democrat, in the November general election.

Announcements, rumors for election

Long-time radio guy Bob Thomas has officially announced his candidacy for (other long-time radio guy) Mike Hammond’s at-large Knox County Commission seat. (Primaries set for next May with general in August.)

Bob worked at WIVK for 20 years, spending 16 of them as host of a midday radio show. You can read his fancy spin release, right smack here.

It should be pointed out that a number of folks are jumping in somewhat early. (Hammond by the way is not going to run for commission again.)

Commissioner Richard Briggs, as you might recall, announced his intentions to seek Stacy Campfield’s state Senate seat awhile ago. At the time, Briggs said he wanted to raise enough money to scare off any other candidates. Smart.

 There’s also rumors that former commissioner Michele Carringer will make a run at R. Larry Smith’s seat, as will someone else. (I’m drawing a blank on her name  - so if someone knows, shoot me an email – I just can’t remember.)

Also, my boy, Big Bad Bo Bennett, is rumored to want a seat, too. (Bo ran for the Knoxville mayoral seat.)

UPDATE: Michele is actually looking at an at-large seat, not Smith's spot.

7 local leaders compete to kiss pig

Oh man, this is brilliant. To raise money for the American Diabetes Association, seven local elected officials have agreed to participate in the "Kiss-a-Pig" online fundraiser.

Names? Of course.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, state Sen. Stacey Campfield, Knox County Commissioner Richard Briggs, commission Chairman Tony Norman, Knoxville Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, Knoxville Councilman Nick Della Volpe and state Rep. Joe Armstrong.

According to a release issued by Moxley Carmichael (hey, they're doing it for free, so they get the plug), whichever participant raises the most money gets to kiss the pig. Yeah, somehow winning doesn't sound like such a great idea. Heh.

The contest is apparently, the first ever citywide event like this and is hosted by the KCDC Wellness Warriors, which will benefit the ADA's "Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes" event on Oct. 20.

So, head on over to - click right smack here - and vote online through July 28. (One dollar donations equals one vote.)

Then, come to the reception from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 29 to see the winning candidate pucker up and kiss the pig.

For more information and to read the entire release, click right smack here.

Knox to become 'Purple Heart County'

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett is looking to make Knox County the first "Purple Heart County" in Tennessee.

And he is asking the County Commission to proclaim the designation at the board's meeting later this month.

In a released statement, the mayor said: "This nation was built on the shoulders of men and women in our Armed Forces, and we owe our freedom and everything that is good in this country to their willingness to fight on our behalf. Many of our veterans were called away to war, and too many of them were in injured or never returned. If approved, this designation will be yet another way that Knox County shows support for those who take up arms in defense of our great country."

The Purple Heart is a combat decoration awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were wounded in combat.

You can find out more about the mayor's efforts, right smack here.

In his released statement, the mayor also noted that three commissioners - Richard Briggs, Dave Wright and Jeff Ownby - served in the forces, as have a number of county employees (including HR head honcho Col. Richard Julian). He also pointed out that Veterans Service Officer Robert "Buzz" Buswell is a Purple Heart recipient.

Briggs readies to challenge Campfield

Richard Briggs

Well, it looks like warrior, surgeon and Knox County Commissioner Richard Briggs will run for the 7^th District Senate seat held by Stacey Campfield. Click right smack here for the story.

The reality is that this wasn't a big secret. Briggs – or those close to him – started the whisper campaign more than a year ago. The timing, however, is interesting.

Just as Campfield introduces more ridiculous legislation (that will fail abjectly) and once again makes national news (for all the wrong reasons), Briggs names his campaign treasurer.

And it certainly draws a nice contrast, particularly since a lot of Campfield's legislation (if not all of it) won't pass.

Stacey Campfield

However, don't count out Campfield (provided he runs, which, I think, most people feel he will).

Because what this will really do is just put him on more front porches. 

So, all the folks out there patting themselves on the back, and whooping it up over thoughts of Stacey's demise should probably keep themselves in check.

The election is still a loooong ways out. (August 2014 primary.)

I did talk briefly with  Briggs (as I was about to post this actually) and he said his announcement was "a long time coming - we started planning last fall - but wanted to wait until after the November election and the first of the year to do anything."

He said the super early announcement also gives him a chance to raise money and show folks he's serious about the run. 

He added that the announcement wasn't intentionally tied to anything Campfield has recently done.

"It wasn't planned but it worked out very well," he said. "He's certainly provided a lot of ammunition."

Billboard regulation gets response

Had a story today about the proposed billboard bans that the Knox County Commission will discuss later today. Essentially, Commissioner Richard Briggs, who is leading the change against the outdoor advertising industry, opted to pull two of the ordinances (ones dealing with traditional billboards and electronic messaging centers), saying folks have mostly told him that they'd like regulation rather than an all out ban.

Note that the good commissioner, doctor, warrior does not want to pull the ordinance detailing a ban on digital billboards. Naw, he hates those suckers.

Soooooo, the folks in Briggs' corner were fairly quiet over the weekend. But this morning I got their response. You can click right smack here for it.

The letter is from Margot Kline, president of the Council of West Knox County Homeowners. She says a ban will not result in lost jobs or lower tax revenues for the county, but, rather, allowing billboards or digital billboards will result in lower property values “and a lot of very unhappy taxpayers.”

Obviously she goes into further detail in the letter.

Again, the issue is supposed to be put to rest today.

Supposed to be, anyway.

Briggs to pull billboard ordinances

Commissioner Richard Briggs

The Knox County Commission tomorrow was set to talk about an all-out billboard ban, but now it looks like the discussion could turn into something else.

Commissioner Richard Briggs, who was leading the charge, posted the following on the commission's forum on the county website:

Fellow Commissioners:

As you know, the vote to ban conventional billboards, digital billboards, and electronic message center is on the agenda for Monday. We have listened to arguments for, arguments against, and received numerous emails from citizens throughout Knox County. Most of us agree we need to do something yet some commissioners also feel strongly a compromise of some sort is more in order than an outright ban.

I have met with several of the smaller, local billboard and EMC companies that are based in Knox County. Most are small family businesses that would be adversely affected by a total ban of all billboards and EMC’s. The message I receive is “let’s regulate, not ban”. The small company owners are not opposed to sitting down with the MPC, environmental groups, homeowner associations, and local government representatives and working on regulations that everyone can live with.

Consequently, I would like to withdraw the ordinances banning conventional billboards and electronic message centers. The ordinance pertaining to the digital billboards would be left on the agenda to ban both the conversion of conventional billboards to digital billboards and a ban on any new digital billboards. The emails we have received from many citizens make it clear that a large number of voters do not want any more digital billboards in our community. Beyond the obtrusive and esthetic objections, the digital billboards are another distraction to already dangerously distracted drivers.

I hope this proposal is the compromise many of you have been looking for. We are listening to both our local small business owners who ask that we “regulate, not ban” and to innumerable citizens who feel passionately that we already have too much outdoor advertising.

Richard Briggs

By the way, I noticed that before Briggs posted (it's had nine page views so far), the last time a commissioner put anything up at the forum was in September. 

UT professor to take on Campfield

The Metro Pulse in this week's edition has a piece on “early starter” Brian Stevens, a 30-year-old UT statistics professor who looks about 12. He's already campaigning for Stacey Campfield's state Senate seat, which isn't up until 2014.

Find the story right smack here.

I'm not sure what the big deal is. Knox County Commissioner Richard Briggs has been running for this seat since last year. Heh.