Sheriff Jones for mayor? Possibly

Word traveling around the City County Building is that Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones is contemplating a run for the county mayoral post.

Jones is term-limited and cannot run for sheriff again. He can, however, run for mayor. Incumbent Mayor Tim Burchett also is term-limited.

As it stands, county commissioners Bob Thomas and Brad Anders, and local GOP Chairman Buddy Burkhardt, who works for the sheriff's office, are set to square off in the May 2018 Republican primary.

If Jones does decide to run, expect an announcement in the next couple of months.

Knox Sheriff: Thanks for the support

In light of the recent police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Knox County Sheriff J. J. Jones issued a statement thanking the community for their support, but protesting recent action he feels takes necessary tools away from law enforcement.

Statement from Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones:

I want to thank all the people who have publicly supported the Knox County Sheriff’s Office through the years and especially during these trying times. We have received numerous letters, emails, and texts showing support for the tireless work of our officers who go about their jobs everyday with diligence and dedication. Many of you have anonymously paid the restaurant tab for officers, prayed for us, and offered hugs and encouragement. We deeply appreciate your support!

The weekend slaying of three more police officers in our country highlights that our officers face even more peril than ever before. We have a president who banned a valuable defense department program called the Military Surplus Program 1033 which provided much needed tactical equipment to law enforcement departments all over the country for free. This reckless action was for political value only with no thought to the safety of our officers and citizens. We ask our police to go in harm’s way but by an executive order deny them the best equipment. Equipment that is now being destroyed or worse, handed over to other countries that are fostering the very violence we are experiencing in our country. We are in a world now where officers are not only fighting lawlessness but terrorism and lack the necessary tools to fight back. The officers of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office will proudly continue to do the job they love, protecting and serving Knox County.

E-911 bd to take up radio contract

The Knox County E-911 Board of Directors is set Tuesday morning to vote in a special meeting on a multimillion-dollar contract with Motorola Solutions for a new radio system.

The meeting is set for 10 a.m. in the multi-purpose room at 605 Bernard Ave.

Board members have pondered for more than a year acquiring a new system, with an estimated cost of more than $8 million.

Harris Communications won a bid for the contract, but the board declined to sign off on it. Some members, led by Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones, said they preferred to stick with Motorola, with whom the communications district has worked for years.

Responders use the 25-year-old radio system to talk to each other. Knox County's is considered old, with parts often hard to replace.

In addition, the area E-911 Center is preparing to join the Tennessee Valley Regional Communications System. Joining the existing system would serve as an alternative to running its own system.

Jones argues joining the existing regional system will save taxpayers money.

The regional communications system, launched in 2010, is based in Chattanooga. It serves a number of emergency providers including the Blount County Sheriff's Office and those in North Georgia.

Knox Sheriff: E-911 radios safe

E-911 Center

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones on Thursday addressed what he said are misleading accusations about the safety and reliability of the county's decades-old emergency radio system.

Twice this year, the Knox County E-911 Board has declined to approve an almost $9 million contract that would replace E-911 communication operations.

The bidding process took nine months and officials expect to restart it in January. Then, it could take another year to get something new in place.

Some officials say they are upset and disappointed about the board’s failure to move on the contract.
Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, an E-911 Board member, said: “Our first responders in the field are relying on increasingly outmoded technology, which puts them and the general public at risk. I hope the board can work quickly to identify our next steps in a way that is transparent and responsive to the needs of our public safety agencies.”

But, the area’s top cop disagrees. He says local emergency personnel and Knox County residents are safe.

“We all know that it needs to be upgraded, and we all know that there needs to be some changes but it isn’t like the public is in jeopardy or any officers are in jeopardy,” said Sheriff Jones. “There are replacement parts – the radio system is not in shambles.”

MORE: Letter from Motorola sent to E-911 Board members

He added: “There’s been so much representation that this radio system is on its last leg, smoking, dying, getting ready to implode, and that’s just in fact not true.”

At issue is the E-911 Board's quest to replace the current emergency broadcasting analog radio system with a 20-channel digital one that would also meet a number of federal recommendations such as allowing multiple responding agencies, such as police, fire and medical, to communicate amongst themselves.

Harris Communications won the bidding process earlier this year, but the board has declined to sign off on a contract.

Jones on Monday was one of five E-911 Board members who voted against supporting Harris. Instead, he and others on the board want to hook onto the state-operated system that uses Motorola Solutions equipment – the same equipment that has served the E-911 Center for more than 25 years.

He called joining the state system – Tennessee Valley Regional Communications System that is based in Chattanooga – “the wave of the future.”

“Criminals don’t know any boundaries,” he said. “If they’re breaking into your house on Alcoa Highway, it could be Blount County, Knox County or inside the city limits, so me being able to communicate with another agency, to me, is ideal and that’s where I want to go when we start talking about this again. I want to be part of a state-wide system where we can talk to any other agency when we need to, to do our jobs on a daily basis."

When asked whether the long wait to put a new system in place would be an issue, the sheriff said he wouldn’t put his personnel on the streets “with a system that didn’t work.”

Jones also turned over a letter from Motorola’s vice president to WBIR 10News that detailed the current system’s performance. The letter was sent to all E-911 Board members and sheds more insight into why some board members don’t appear worried about a breakdown.

“The system performance is measured by a percentage of reliability. Since initial installation in the late 1980s this reliability factor has been measured at 99.99983 percent, which is higher than both the current and proposed contract require,” wrote Motorola’s VP Randy Johnson.

Johnson added that – despite reports to the contrary – the county has a “substantial inventory of spare and replacements costs at no charge (for) Knox County.”

“The system is in no eminent danger of failure,” Johnson told board members in the letter.

On Monday, E-911 Center officials also downplayed several cases in the past couple of months in which radio system circuit boards blew, forcing emergency dispatchers to communicate with emergency personnel via handheld radios.

Again on Thursday, Jackie York, a communications unit supervisor, said it was still “business as usual” for a few hours, except dispatchers used radios rather than hand-free headsets.

“It’s just the matter of doing basically the same thing in a different way,” she said.

She said the overall operation also has enough back up parts, so that the “operations of Knox County continue on without interruption.

“We can still talk to officers and we can still talk to the public,” she added.

E-911 Board members meet again in January to discuss the re-bidding process.

E-911 Board declines radio contract

The Knox County E-911 Board on Monday declined to sign off on an almost $9 million contract to replace the county's antiquated emergency radio system. Again.

The 11-member board voted 5-5. Panel member Brad Anders, who is also a Knox County commissioner, declined to vote, saying he didn't feel the initial bidding process was "clean."

Now, the board is expected to start the whole process over when it meets again in January.

At issue was months of debate that started when a selection committee picked Harris Communications and then the board refused to award the company an almost $9 million contract.

Instead, a number of members suggested the county should stick with Motorola Solutions, which has served the E-911 Center for more than 25 years.

Then members started talking about joining a state-operated system.

The board in mid-September agreed to pay Blue Wing almost $40,000 to determine the best direction to take the system.

The review concluded that the state option is at least $934,467 more costly during the course of the systems’ 11-year life cycles.

Further, the report noted, the county would not charge a radio system user fee of $28 per radio, per month, under the state system.

The lost revenue during the lifecycle adds up to almost $2 million.

Officials with Motorola Solutions - the equipment the state system uses - disputed much of the findings and said Harris actually would cost more money. In a handout provided to board members, Motorola questioned why the county wouldn't charge a user fee, and suggested that the Blue Wing report was tainted because it used "incorrect data and left out additional costs."

In the end, the vote to hire Harris failed.

Board members Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, E-911 Board Chairwoman Linda Murawski, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, and Knoxville Fire Chief Stan Sharp voted in favor of the proposal.

Board members Ken Knight, Russell Frazier, Bill Cole, Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones and Daron Long voted against Harris.

Jones, an advocate of joining the state system, said it is "the wave of the future," and that "if we do this standalone it seems to me we're an island in the middle of the ocean."

He also said he didn't want "a blue light special."

"These men and women are putting their lives on the line every day," he added.

Shortly after the vote, the board quickly adjourned without talking about the next step. Members, though, said they expect some discussion during the next meeting, which is in January. At that point, the board will probably restart the bidding process, Burchett said.

"We'll follow the process and that end result is what we'll have," he said.

Anders, who declined to vote, said he was concerned that prior to the bidding process,  E-911 Center Executive Director Bob Coker met with Harris officials to talk about sole sourcing the project. He questioned the transparency of such a move. He wants what he called a "clean" process the next time.

Knox Sheriff: Jail population hits all-time high; safety center needed

As the Knox County jail population reaches “an all-time high," jailers are left double-bunking inmates, and top officials are again pushing for a public safety center designed to house and treat the mentally ill who are arrested for nonviolent crimes.

The move, according to Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.”Jones, would ease overcrowding at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on Maloneyville Road, and stave off potential lawsuits.
But, he suggested, there’s another option that would work as well: Build a multi-million dollar jail pod.

“As the population grows, we run the risk of extensive and expensive litigation regarding jail conditions,” the sheriff wrote in a Dept. 15 letter to Knox County Commissioner Chairman Dave Wright. “We currently are so close to our rated capacity that our inmate objective classification systems is being compromised. Any classification failure could also expose the county to failure to protect litigation from the injured inmate.”

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Knox County Sheriff offering free handgun carry classes to military

Sheriff Jones

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones is offering free handgun carry classes to Tennessee Military members. Sheriff Jones decided to offer the classes when it was announced on Thursday by Governor Haslam that Tennessee military members with valid Tennessee handgun permits will now be allowed to carry handguns at state military facilities and recruitment centers.

Sheriff Jones had called and offered to bond military personnel the day after the July 2015 shooting at two military installations in Chattanooga, but was told that he could not do so under state and federal regulations.

When Sheriff Jones learned on Thursday that military personnel had been given permission to carry at state military facilities and recruitment centers, he made the decision to offer the free handgun carry classes using the firearms training staff of the Knox County Regional Training Academy. Sheriff Jones said, “I consider the military to be part of our law enforcement family. We all put our lives on the line daily to protect the lives of others and I will always support our military in any way I can.”

Interested military personnel may call the Knox County Sheriff’s Office training Division at (865) 281-0606 for more information or to register for classes.

KCS Board of Ed exploring ways to hold bus drivers more accountable

Knox County School Board members are looking into ways to make bus drivers more accountable.

"This is one time where I think a student reporting something that they have a concern about needs to be heard immediately and dealt with," Karen Carson said. "I would love to see us explore starting a program where a student can take a picture of a driver using a cell phone - a bus driver using a cell phone, have a hotline that they can send it to and that the school system could respond immediately."

Board member Patti Bounds agrees the district needs, "to empower the children, the feeling that they can talk about these things in a safe way with their parents," she said. "For the parents, too-- probably one of the best things to do would, not necessarily a hotline, but a way to report these things to the proper authorities so that they can be addressed and handled."

Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre, Knox County sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones and Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch met on Monday, to discuss possible enhanced safety guidelines when it comes to school bus drivers. McIntyre said details of that plan should be available in August, closer to the start of the school year.

Knox County DA Allen: Working to make texting while driving a felony

Charme Allen

Knox County's top prosecutor wants to make it a felony for anyone - school bus drivers included - to text while driving.

Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch also said he, Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones and Superintendent James McIntyre met on Monday to see how law enforcement can help with school bus safety.

"Some of those could mean contract changes, some of those could mean changes in the way we assist them with assuring safety on our school buses," he said.

District Attorney General Charme Allen and Rausch spoke Wednesday with 10News in the aftermath of the release of the investigative file into a fatal Dec. 2, 2014, bus crash in which two Knox County students and a teacher's aide were killed.

Full exclusive RIGHT HERE.

A look at Memorial Day traffic stats

Sheriff fires back at media critics

Sheriff Jones

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones last night fired back at the local paper's March 17 editorial entitled “Public officials should be clear on sunshine law.”

In the unsigned opinion piece, the writer(s) suggest that Jones and Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch violated the sunshine laws when they discussed in emails an E-911 radio contract.

The editorial stated: “They cannot work out a backroom deal on a proposed communications system contract, as happened in this case.”

Well, the sheriff, who’s never been one to mince words, responded on his department’s official website.

Here ya go:

It’s Sunshine Week and the News Sentinel wants its readers to know that it’s time for “a clearing of the skies.” The editorial in Tuesday’s paper isn’t talking about the weather, but the Sunshine Law. A law that the newspaper trotted out when it failed to cover sixteen months’ worth of E-911 meetings concerning a contract for a new digital emergency communications system. The paper had obviously deemed the meetings not worthy of coverage until it was alerted by lobbyists and politicians who had a stake in the radio system.

The editors at the paper believe a “backroom deal” was brokered between Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch and me. I hardly call it a backroom deal when the Police Chief and Sheriff of the third largest law enforcement agencies in the state cannot talk about the safety and security of their officers and citizens.

I am fully aware of the Sunshine Law and that’s why I contend there was no violation between Chief Rausch and me. The newspaper, however, is clearly hiding behind the Sunshine Law to distract from its failure to report on an issue that affects the entire community. I believe the law does need to be revisited when a major media outlet manipulates it to cover up its own inadequacies.

Email: Police chief concerned about being 'whoodood' with radio contract

Members of the E-911 Board meet

For weeks, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch and Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones have refused to say why they wanted to let a proposed $9 million radio system contract with Harris Corp. die.

Emails released Thursday, however, show Rausch and some other members of the Knox County 911 Board repeatedly and for months privately discussed their concerns about Harris, apparently in violation of the state sunshine law.

Rausch, in fact, sought out fellow board member Jones in a May 2014 email to warn him against supporting Harris, which was being recommended in a formal review process as the best vendor to provide the system for thousands of police officers, deputies, firefighters and emergency responders.

"...I think we are getting ready to get whoodood with this new radio system," the May 7, 2014, Rausch email states. "We need to stop this process and reconsider what is going on. I have major concerns with the way the decision has gone. Plus, it was the highest cost of all three. I think the Board needs to speak up and let the Director know that we need to stop where we are and talk about this before we go any further. Thanks! David."

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero acknowledged Thursday some of those involved in the process who are also board members may have violated the state sunshine law, meant to prohibit two or more members of a public board or body from deliberating outside public scrutiny. The law covers elected officials as well as others who serve on public boards and bodies.

The emails also show communication between Rausch and board member Ken Knight, including one in which they agreed to meet shortly before the January board meeting.

Also, KPD Deputy Chief Gary Holliday traded emails with Scott Tidwell, a former KPD employee who had gone on to work as a senior account manager with Motorola Solutions, one of those firms competing for the radio system contract.

Holliday has acted at times as Rogero's proxy on the board.

For story RIGHT HERE.

Sheriff rips mayors on radio vote

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones said he opposes a move by the city and county mayors that would force officials to vote on a multimillion dollar emergency broadcasting system contract, and added that the two would be better informed if they attended the E-911 Board meetings.

In a letter to the E-911 Board’s attorney, the sheriff called out Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, essentially saying that the safety of local first responders and residents – not politics – is his top priority.

“Officials who never attended in the past are now going to show up at a special called (E-911) Board meeting to force a vote on a radio system that I know has had problems in the past and will ultimately cost the taxpayers $15 to $20 million dollars,” Jones wrote in a letter to Donald Howell that he also posted to the Sheriff’s Office website.

He added: “If these officials and the media had been at the prior meetings, they would be aware of the (dissension) among the group with regard to the inadequacies of the system.”

Read the rest of the story RIGHT HERE.

Read the sheriff's entire letter RIGHT HERE.

Nichols to serve as KCSO counsel

Randy Nichols

We broke some news today, reporting that former long-time Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols will serve as Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones' special counsel for mental illness, drug abuse and domestic violence awareness. He starts Jan. 5.

The two have long tried to get a safety center that would help the mentally ill rather than lock them up.

You can watch the entire interview about that discussion and his appointment RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Nichols, a Democrat, opted not to seek re-election earlier this year. Jones, a Republican, won re-election. I'm not sure at this point what he will earn, but Nichols is a good hire. He genuinely wants to help the mentally ill and has a strong interest in a number of the issue that the sheriff wants him to focus on.

In a released statement, the sheriff said:

He will advise me on these issues and represent my office on all boards and commissions that deal with these most significant matters of concern. We all know that the prescription pill epidemic must be dealt with from many fronts: prevention, enforcement, rehabilitation, incarceration and through our state laws written by the General Assembly. This involves many meetings and some lobbying in Nashville to make sure the legislature is fully aware of the problems and will hopefully listen to law enforcement about our ideas on how to make it better. His 25 years of experience dealing with these matters will be of great use to me and the citizens of Knox County.

Our continued work dealing with domestic violence is critical. Violence in the home means violence outside the home and we must prevent our children from generational family violence.

I have long supported a Safety Center to divert the mentally ill from going to jail to a less costly and more efficient way to deal with the population. We are spending millions of dollars that I believe could go to better use if we implement the Safety Center concept. I am the first to say we need more input, more research in best practices, and looking at other ideas in this area, but we must move forward.

I believe my friend, Randy, will be of great assistance to me and my office and I know that he is a skilled lawyer who will represent me well. He starts on January 5, 2015.

I am glad that he has agreed to serve as my Special Counsel and I look forward to working with him as we make Knox County a safer place to live, work and raise a family.

Also in a released statement, Nichols said:

Thank you, Sheriff, for allowing me the opportunity to continue working in the areas of prescription pill abuse, domestic violence and matters dealing with the mentally ill. I will try my best to represent you in a way to make you proud and help our county move forward on these issues that cause great misery to our people and incur massive costs for the taxpayers. You and I think alike in that there has to be better ways to deal with these problems that can only be achieved with considerable work and the ability to bring people together to make decisions.

I look forward to serving the citizens of Knox County and hopefully help in bringing about positive change.

Randy Tyree joins sheriff's office

Randy Tyree

Well, this is interesting.The Knox County Sheriff's Office has hired former Knoxville Mayor Randy Tyree to serve as assistant coordinator for the Senior Citizens Awareness Network (SCAN) and Project Life Saver, according to a news release.

He'll help recruit and retain volunteers for the two programs.

In the statement, Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones said "Tyree's leadership in the community and his service in many non-profit organizations over the years make him a perfect fit for the job."

Tyree has served on the board of the Senior Citizen Home Assistance Service, Inc., the Clinics of Hope, which provides medical care for the uninsured and working poor, the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association, and has been commended for his leadership in establishing the Veterans Cemetery and the East Tennessee Veterans Nursing Home in Knox County.

The SCAN program, started in 1996, provides special training to volunteers who go out in the community to help the elderly.  They provide personal well-being checks, home security surveys, crime prevention information, victim outreach, and other agency referrals.

Project Life Saver is another volunteer program which provides electronic bracelets to Alzheimer’s patients or others who may have a tendency to wander and get lost. Electronic equipment can then be used to find their location.

What's really going on with the safety center and why no traction

We’ve got a story regarding the safety center, a long talked about proposal that would help take care of the locally mentally ill and maybe help ease the overcrowding problem at the local county clink.

It’s a great idea, but I just don’t see this thing happening. (Actually, I’ve said this plenty of times in the past, but  . . . whatever. And, hey, I hope I’m wrong.)

Anyhoo, here’s the deal.

The county asked for proposals to build and operate the center and in February wrapped up the bidding process. Only Helen Ross McNabb submitted a proposal. I’m pretty sure no one has even looked at it. 

It’s certainly not been vetted.

There’s a public safety task force designed to look into these things. I think they might have met in February. They have nothing scheduled.

In the meantime, Andy Black, who’s run Helen Ross since forever and was a huge proponent of the safety center is retiring.

Randy Nichols, the county’s district attorney general and another huge proponent, also is retiring.

(The third major proponent, Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones, still has his fingers crossed from what I understand and says that the state does have a grant that can help. I’m told the grant is good for about $250K, which isn’t enough)

Then there’s the debate over who is going to pay for this thing.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett says there’s agreement that if the county puts up $1 million (which it has) and the city puts up $1 million (which it hasn’t), then the state will put up $1 million (it hasn’t).

(The center by the way is expected to cost $2 million to build and another $1.7 million annually to operate. However, there’s supposed to be some savings, although it’s hard to pinpoint a number until it’s up and running.)

Now, the city folks say there is no agreement, and were pretty surprised that the mayor said otherwise.

Also, the city isn’t so sure it’s willing to put up $1 million. Don’t get me wrong: Officials there want to help, but they want to see a “viable” plan first.

In the meantime, there’s the issue of whether city residents get double-billed.

The county says the jail is filled mostly with folks from the city. The city, however, points out that the sheriff’s office and jail is a county responsibility. Further, city officials note that city residents pay county taxes.

So, if the city chips in $1 million and they pay county taxes, are they paying double? Well, it does sound like it.

Then there’s the fact that the city has all sorts of social programs and homelessness initiatives that the county doesn’t fund. (They also supply a ton of coin to KCDC.)

Burchett says he’s willing to wait another year and get everyone on the same page. If not, then they’ll have to go to Plan B.

At this point there is no Plan B.

In another year, however, I suspect they’ll have to come up with one.

Anyway, here’s the story.

Waggoner says campaign gaining momentum, touts big turnout at BBQ

Bobby Waggoner

Got this today from the Bobby Waggoner for Sheriff campaign. Waggoner is running against Sam Hammett and incumbent Jimmy "J.J." Jones in May's Republican primary for the seat. No Democrats filed to run, so the winner will be decided next month.

The sheriff earns roughly $140,000 annually and is in charge of about 1,000 employees and a $70.3 million budget. 

As always, send me your campaign stuff for publication.

Here's the release:

This past weekend, nearly a thousand Knox County citizens turned out to attend a BBQ at the Brasfield farm in Karns in support of Candidate for Sheriff Bobby Waggoner. The event provided BBQ, live music, demonstrations from the local K-9 unit training facility, and several activities for children ranging from pony rides, a train ride, and a water walk.

Those in attendance included Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, County Commission Chairman Brad Anders and several candidates running for other elected offices in the upcoming primary. Though parking was provided in a large field that had been cleared for the event, overflow parking had to be accessed to accommodate the large crowds.

Sheriff's race: Candidates Jones, Waggoner spar over patrol numbers

Knox County Sheriff candidate Bobby Waggoner issued a release today that said “at any given time, there are fewer than 30 officers on patrol in Knox County.”

Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones, called it “a lie,” adding that “it shows just how out of touch he is.”

“You’re not supposed to get desperate until the end of the campaign,” Jones said.

Waggoner, Jones and Charles “Sam” Hammett Jr. will square off in the May Republican primary. There are no Democratic candidates.

Waggoner, a retired chief of detectives with the KCSO, in his release said the department “is still working from a patrol map that’s more than two decades old.” He said the department’s patrol division consists of five shifts that cover a 24-hour period, and that 28 officers are assigned to each shift. He said of those officers, as many as five “can be off on vacation or personal leave” or in training, etc.

So, I asked the sheriff about this and he said it’s hogwash. He said the office uses “calls for service statistics” to determine how many patrol cars and officers should be available. He said that during a period from 12:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. “there’s a possibility” that there are 30 officers on patrol, “but any other time there’s 100 to 125 patrol officers, patrolling the neighborhoods.”

He said stats show that during the early morning hours calls for services and accidents drop, so not as many officers are needed. (I guess most people are asleep.)

Jones also said that the department also has 70 detectives and more than 40 folks on the radio, so if something goes wrong, he’s got an army on hand to take care of business.

He added that if Waggoner, who joined the department in 2001, was so concerned about patrol numbers then he should have approached him when he was an employee.

Wiser releases official candidate announcement for register of deeds

Donald Wiser is running as an independent against Knox County Register of Deeds Sherry Witt. He initially picked up a nominating petition to run for the sheriff's post as well. What follows is his official announcement that he is seeking Witt's post.

In it, I think he believes that there's some kind of conspiracy against him to run for sheriff. I'm not sure as the news release makes little sense (at least to me). However, as I've stated before, send me your election stuff and I'll post it.

The general election is set for August. Neither has an opponent in the May primary.

On a side note, Wiser talks about Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones and Witt seeking a third term in office, and says the law doesn't allow this.

No, not true. The voters recently amended the charter to define what a "term" is, and it doesn't include prior appointments. (JJ and Sherry each served roughly two years - as did Clerk Foster Arnett Jr - before winning their respective political races back in 2010.)

So, anyhoo, here ya go:

On 20 February 2014, I was forced to make a decision as to what course I was to travel in an endeavor to bring the honest and efficient government that the citizens of Knox County rightly deserve and to which they are entitled under the Constitutions of the United States, the State of Tennessee and the Knox County Charter.

But the road to the office of Knox County Sheriff is blocked with unconstitutional barriers that cry out for justice as surely as did the poll tax in times gone by.

A small county Peace Officer Standards and Training certified jailor with three years’ service and a GED qualifies as a candidate for sheriff.

The law requiring candidates for sheriff to be POST certifiedfor three of the last 10 years is an unconstitutional, incumbent-protection measure written to exclude qualified opponents. It denies my constitutional right to run for sheriff even though I am a career police officer, had 24 years of POST certification, and served as a POST commissioner.

I am an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Navy and hold a BS in criminal justice from East Tennessee State University and an M.S. plus 40 hours in Health and Safety Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I have also completed 2 years of law school at Nashville School of Law.

I have been a Criminal Justice instructor at Walters State Community College, an administrator at a treatment program at Mountain View Youth Development Center in Dandridge, have taken a course in FBI Instructor Development and attended the Tennessee Correctional Academy along with numerous related police schools and training for Drug and Alcohol Counseling.

But under this unconstitutional and downright unconscionable law, I am not qualified to be a candidate for sheriff.

In addition to my educational background, I have 6 years as a field auditor with the Trustee's Office and private sector experience in land management.

Unlike the incumbent sheriff and register of deeds, who hand out promotions based on the good ol’ boy system, I understand company needs and people needs and the need for accountability and transparency in government.

The Hutchison-Moore Machine conceived both Jimmy “JJ” Jones and Sherry Witt on Black Wednesday. They were appointed, then unappointed by the court, elected for a term, re-elected for a second term and are now running for the third time.

If my math serves me right this will be three terms, not the two that the law allows.

Sheriff remembers assistant chief who passed away Sunday; arrangements set

Roger Wilson

Funeral arrangements are now set for a Knox County Sheriff's Office assistant chief who died over the weekend.

Assistant Chief Roger Wilson passed away Sunday night. He was 55-years-old.

Wilson first started at the sheriff's office in 1992 as a control room clerk and worked his way up. He became assistant chief in 2008.

Sheriff  Jimmy "J.J." Jones says he talked to Wilson everyday and will miss him greatly. He says Wilson can't be replaced.

"He just had such a heart. He was very compassionate. And when you work in corrections and you work around people that sometimes are not pleasant, it's hard to maintain the ability to still care and feel compassion. And he did that always, always," says Sheriff Jones.

Wilson's family will receive friends Wednesday, February 19, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the funeral service immediately after at Marbledale Baptist Church. The church is located at 5935 Thorngrove Pike.

The procession will gather at Bridges Funeral Home on Rutledge Pike at noon Thursday. The graveside service will be at 1 p.m. at Highland South Cemetery in South Knoxville.