Mayor: Superintendent needs to go

McIntyre, left, Burchett, right

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett stopped just short of saying the school board should fire Superintendent Jim McIntyre.

But, Burchett said McIntyre needs to go.

During Wednesday evening's taping of WBIR's weekend political show, Inside Tennessee, the mayor blasted the superintendent's leadership style, suggesting that he is an unpopular micromanager who doesn't treat teachers and school employees with respect.

He noted that the decision to get rid of the superintendent "is ultimately up to the school board."
When panelist and Knoxville-based criminal defense attorney Don Bosch asked Burchett whether he felt McIntyre "should be gone," the mayor responded: "Yes, I do. Yes, I do."

The mayor's comments came in the wake of a 20-minute interview focused on what he wants to do during his next four years in office. Burchett, who is in his second and final term due to term limits, was not challenged during the August general election, and was sworn in earlier this month.

You can watch the entire Inside Tennessee interview at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WBIR 10News. You can read the story we did last night RIGHT HERE. The story also includes McIntyre's full interview. (He was not a guest this week on Inside Tennessee.)

State investigating school official

Jon Dickl

The state is investigating Knox County Schools Executive Director of School Nutrition Jon Dickl for allegations connected to the misuse of funds, school officials confirmed.

Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Bob Thomas said officials "opened an investigation and reported this information to the Tennessee Office of the Comptroller."

State officials declined to comment.

School spokesperson Melissa Ogden said Dickl was placed on administrative leave with pay Thursday.

A source told WBIR 10News that the investigation is tied to the possible personal use of two $500 gift cards that were given to food services. In addition, the state is looking into ties that a school vendor has to a car dealership that possible sold Dickl a deeply discount vehicle.

Dickl, who was hired in the fall of 2010, makes $100,800 annually.

'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.

Senior appreciation picnic Oct 3

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett will host the 8th Annual Senior Appreciation Picnic on Friday, Oct. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at John Tarleton Park, according to a county release.

The picnic will include lunch, live music and a vendor expo.

The event is free to all Knox County seniors. Any senior planning to attend is asked to RSVP by Sept. 26 by calling 865-215-4007.

A limited number of event t-shirts are available to seniors registering for the picnic at one of the County’s five senior centers, while supplies last. A list of centers and their locations can be found online RIGHT SMACK HERE.

The Knox County Commission and other elected officials have been invited and may be in attendance.

Partners for the 2014 Senior Appreciation Picnic include Independent Insurance Consultants and the Senior Directory as platinum sponsors, Morning Pointe Assisted Living & Alzheimer’s Memory Care as a gold sponsor, and several others.

New Trustee Ed Shouse sets budget

Ed Shouse

Newly sworn-in Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse has put together his budget and it looks pretty much like the one his predecessor, Craig Leuthold, filed except for one thing: Shouse submitted a letter of agreement – not a salary suit.

Without getting into the details, the fee officers typically submit salary suits, an archaic form of budget-setting paperwork in which the officeholder sues the county mayor.

At this point, I think county Clerk Foster Arnett Jr. is the only other fee officer to do the letter thing, although I’ve heard that the new criminal court clerk, Mike Hammond, also will do one.

There’s really not a lot of difference. I think the salary suit probably costs $1,000 to file, so I suppose there’s some savings there. And the letter of agreement is a little easier to ready.

Anyhoo, Shouse has said at this point he doesn’t want to make too many changes, particularly with tax season right around the corner. The combined salaries in his office aren't expected to exceed $2 million.

We’ll see after that.

Here’s a look at Leuthold’s salary suit RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Shouse’s letter of agreement RIGHT SMACK HERE.

McCroskey, top aide to each get $10,000 in unused sick leave pay

Joy McCroskey

Former Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey will receive $10,000 from the county for unused sick leave she accrued before taking office more than five years ago.

The payment stems from a county policy that took effect in July 2013. So far, 26 employees have been paid a combined $148,850.

McCroskey opted not to seek re-election. Her last day was Aug. 29.

In addition, her chief deputy, Janice Norman, whose last day on the job also was Aug. 29, will get $10,000.

Two other retiring deputy clerks – Judy Yardley and Janice Short – also will receive $1,700 and $567, respectively, under the policy.

County Mayor Tim Burchett and newly sworn-in Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond are not happy about it. Burchett says it's possible officials might revisit the policy, and Hammond says the money will come out of his budget, which means, he'll have to cut something.

The complete story RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Smith cleans out commish account

R. Larry Smith

Well, this is kind of interesting. Knox County commissioners each year get around $5,000 in free money to spend how they wish in their district. (Some people call this grant dollars, others, slush funds.)

Anyhoo, they typically distribute it to school, organizations, etc.

The money is allocated in the budget, which doesn’t take effect until July 1.

That said, no everyone is going to have the coin.

According to Gerald Witt over at that other place we don’t talk about, R. Larry Smith spent all his folding paper, leaving his successor, Charles Busler, with a big fat goose egg.

Heh. Hahahahaha.

OK, it's not funny. Well, sort of.

And let me stress - Larry can do this. He was a commissioner when the money was set aside. 

The money also appears to have gone to some good causes. For example, Gerald reports that it went to schools, the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad and the Heiskell Community Organization.

(Keep in mind that this is all for the 7^th District, which Busler now represents, so it’s not like his district doesn’t benefit.)

Other commissioners also spent a few bucks, but no one cleaned out the account.

You can read the story (provided you have one of those fancy paywall subscriptions) RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Three qualify for school board seat

Three Fountain City area residents, including a community activist, a special education teacher, and a retired schools administrator, qualified on Wednesday to run for the Knox County Board of Education seat vacated by Indya Kincannon.

The non-partisan special election for the 2nd district seat, which represents a major portion of North Knoxville, will be held Nov. 4.

The winner will then serve out the remaining two years of the term.

Kincannon moved to Slovenia with her family after her husband received a Fullbright Scholarship to teach there. The Knox County Commission in late August picked John Fugate, a local banker, to serve as caretaker for the seat until the election.

The three candidates are Jamie Rowe, Tracie Sanger and Charlotte Dorsey.

We'll have a story up shortly with more information.

Anders re-appointed commish chair

From left: Anders, Wright

Opting for continuity instead of change, the Knox County Commission on Monday re-appointed Brad Anders to lead the board for another year.

In a narrow 6-5 vote, members picked Anders over Dave Wright to serve as chairman for the second time.

Officials said they felt Anders's experience in the seat would help maintain the status quo for a board that now has four new members. Others, though, said they wanted to shake up things by bringing in Wright, a move that would give each district a shot of representing the seat.

The board in an 8-2 vote appointed Wright to serve as vice chairman.

Full story RIGHT SMACK HERE.

I meant to put this up yesterday when it happened, but, well, forgot.

In addition, the board picked committee members. Nothing major, really, other than placing Mike Brown on the Audit Committee. Brown is not a big fan of the panel's chairman, Joe Carcello. We'll see how that shakes out in the future.

The commission also re-appointed Richard Briggs to the pension board. I guess that's good because he's got the experience, but he's probably going to be gone in January when he inevitably wins the state Senate race.

Saturday South set for this weekend

The South Knoxville Alliance will host "Saturday South," a free family event in South Knoxville that "will highlight the best that our local businesses have to offer, as well as, our unparalleled parks and green space.," according to a release from the organization.

The first Saturday South will be held on September 13th and will feature Ijams Nature Center with a hike through the Urban Wilderness organized by Trek South.

More daring participants will have the option to participate in K-Town Races, the South Knoxville Alliance’s own version of the “Amazing Race." Contestants will return their game piece at the end of the race, and it will be entered into a drawing for a prize.

In addition, the festival will include local food, craft, and activity vendors will be featured at the park- producing a carnival-like atmosphere. The day will wind down with a free concert in the park where local singers, dancers, and story tellers will warm up the stage for Ryan Sexton, Heart and Soul, and Jamie Cook and the Blue South.

Other Saturday South related activities include: Tea & Treasures Marketplace from 10:00-4:00 and the Candoro Marble Old Time Square Dance at 7:00 pm.

City's 'Accessibility Symposium' registration deadline Sept. 15

The City of Knoxville's third annual Accessibility Symposium is set for Oct. 3, but the deadline to register is Sept. 15.

The symposium aims to help professionals in the design industry - architects, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, facility managers, construction project managers, plans reviewers, inspectors and others - to better understand what true site and facility accessibility means to people with disabilities and senior, according to a city release.

It will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.  For more information, click RIGHT SMACK HERE.

"This is a perfect opportunity to provide some real-life examples on what really good accessible design is," says City ADA Coordinator Stephanie Cook.  "People just think of accessibility issues as affecting those with visually obvious disabilities. But 1 in every 5 Americans has some sort of disability, and there's a lack of recognition or understanding that the majority of those are hidden disabilities.

"Design professionals know that our building codes require accessibility, but they don't always understand the reason behind the requirements. They don't always recognize how the smallest details they add or take away from a design can affect the end user in a big way. I hope these professionals take advantage of this symposium, and I want them to leave with a genuine understanding of how seemingly minor details can make a world of difference for someone with a disability."

One of the experts who will be leading a seminar is architect Bill Hecker of Birmingham, Ala., owner of Hecker Design. He's an accessibility consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice, whose specialty lies in the Standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.

"For those in the design and construction industry, to be able to hear from nationally recognized experts like Bill Hecker on the relationship between the International Building Code and the ADA, that's just icing on the cake," Cook says.

What's a "hidden disability"? With 10,000 Americans hitting their 65th birthday every day, Cook considers mobility issues affecting seniors to be a good example.

"As the population ages and we live longer, our agility and mobility will continue to decrease, and we will all require a more user-friendly environment in order to enjoy the same lifestyle we always have," she says. "When everyone - regardless of their ability level - can participate in the social, recreational, educational, employment and other activities of their choice, then our entire community benefits."

And, Cook argues, it's in the best interest of someone building a house, an apartment building, a restaurant or a shopping center to design it in a way that maximizes accessibility. Such a strategy is smart, because it means more potential customers or buyers.

The Oct. 3 Accessibility Symposium offers something for everyone. Participants will have the opportunity to experience an accessible restroom and kitchen, as well as understand the impact that certain types of flooring or ground surfaces have on one's ability to maneuver into and through a space, whether inside or outdoors.

Accessible vehicles also will be on hand to give attendees a chance to see how the technology works and how a proper form of transportation can mean the difference between being unable to leave one's home and having true independence.

Vendors and agencies that offer products and services specifically intended to improve the lives of people with disabilities, as well as seniors, will be available to showcase their products and services and network with symposium attendees.

Accessibility-improving products and gadgetry will be available to demonstrate to business owners how certain additions or changes can greatly increase their accessibility to all of their potential customers. 

Broyles seeks commish vice chair

Broyles (Photo: KNS)

Later today, the 11-member Knox County Commission will pick a chair to lead the board. In addition, members will pick a vice chair.

At this point, current chairman Brad Anders will more than likely take on Dave Wright for the gig. I expect a close on here, but I think Brad will eek it out with a 6-5 vote.

Also, Amy Broyles has thrown her name in the pot for the vice chair.

She made the official announcement over at the board's online forum:

After serving the past six years on Commission, I feel I am well qualified to serve you in this capacity. I have served on almost every committee of the Commission, and have served as Chair or Vice-Chair of many. I have also represented the Commission on several outside boards and committees. I am well versed in the rules and procedures of the Knox County Commission, and am studying to become a certified parliamentarian.

For those who have worked with me, you know that I am not overly influenced by any individual or group; I take each issue individually and on it's own merits. I also have a reputation for doing extensive research on the matters before us and reaching out to the constituency I serve - regardless of party affiliation or position - as well as to my colleagues on Commission, not only as fellow Commissioners, but also as individuals. My particular skills are in coalition-building and collaborative problem-solving, encouraging fair and open communication and seeking a win-win for all sides in a difficult situation.

I have also spent the past few years delving deeply into the study of leadership (good and bad) and have observed both at close range. I am also a graduate of the highly competitive National Association of Counties Leadership Institute, for which only 5 individuals from Tennessee have ever been accepted. I have served on National Boards as well as local ones. In short, I feel I have a great deal to offer you in this position.

You can read the rest, RIGHT SMACK HERE.