Jackie Raley says Phil Ballard's reelection signs are misleading | Georgiana Vines

Incumbents more often than not can be expected to be reelected, so Phil Ballard has signs throughout Knox County asking voters to reelect him for property assessor in the March 5 Republican primary. Whoever wins the Republican primary would face the only Democrat running, Drew A. Harper, in the August general election

However, he hasn’t held the position, which is responsible for appraising residential and commercial property, since 2016.

“I think it’s misleading,” said Jackie Raley, his opponent in the GOP primary. “I hope the voters are smarter than that.”

Ballard is seeking to return to his old job, a position now held by John R. Whitehead, a longtime rival. Whitehead is supporting Raley, who has over nine years of experience in the assessor’s office and has been Whitehead’s chief deputy assessor since 2016.

Whitehead is term limited a second time, the only elected official in Knox County who has served two terms, stayed out of office and then got reelected to the same position. Other elected officials who were term limited were successful in getting elected to other countywide offices.Term limits have been in effect for most Knox County positions as a result of a state Supreme Court ruling in 2006. Whitehead got caught up in that period, having served in 2000-2008, when Ballard was elected. He served until 2016, when Whitehead was elected again and then reelected in 2020.

Financial disclosures filed this past week show Ballard and Raley have similar amounts of money for the campaign, with a closer look revealing that Ballard has invested substantially with loans.

In the report covering July 1, 2023-Jan. 15, 2024, Ballard reported he received $115,264, spending $32,126 and having $85,138 on hand. The receipts include a $96,595 loan. Raley reported for the same period that a balance on hand from a previous report was $101,436, total receipts for the current period of $16,685, disbursements of $52,512 with a new balance of $65,610. (Figures are rounded off from change.) She has a $5,000 loan outstanding.

An earlier financial report for Raley showed that several former county officials have contributed, including former County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, who gave $250, and former County Commissioner Scott Davis, $1,000. Business and professional people, either active or retired, who have contributed $1,000 are F. Rodney Lawler, Stanley Griffin, Doug White, Oliver Smith and Jeff Hagood. In the current financial period, state Sen. Richard Briggs was reported as giving $250.

Briggs also contributed $250 to Ballard’s campaign in the current report. Others contributing included state Rep. Dave Wright, $1,000; former Knox County Commissioner Bob Thomas, $1,500; former commissioner Frank Leuthold, $250; and former Trustee Craig Leuthold, $200.

Raley said Friday she is doing everything she can to win the primary. “I’m ready for it to get here,” she said. She said she had been “blessed” to have worked for Whitehead and “I’m going to take the high road (in the campaign).”

Ballard said he feels comfortable about where he is in the campaign, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anxieties. He said he “took a lot of pressure off the finances” by making the loan to the campaign. He also said that besides the signs that say to reelect him, he has billboards and other signs that say “vote.”

Major Republicans speaking in Knoxville

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana will speak at an invitation-only fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Knoxville at noon Feb. 9 at the Press Room, 730 N. Broadway. The lunch cost is $250 per person; a host reception at 11:30 a.m. is $1,000 per couple/person.

Burchett is in his third term in Congress after serving in the Tennessee General Assembly and as Knox County mayor.

Candidates seeking federal office have until noon April 4 to qualify. So far, Burchett is running unopposed for the GOP nomination, although former state Rep. Jimmy Matlock of Lenoir City, who ran in the primary against Burchett in 2018, is “strongly” considering another run, he said Friday.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who’s seeking her second six-year term this year, will be the featured speaker at the Knox County Lincoln Day dinner at 7 p.m. March 8 at Rothchild’s, 8807 Kingston Pike. Individual tickets are $100 and can be obtained on the party’s website, Knoxcountyrepublicanparty.com.

Buddy Burkhardt, party chairman, said Burchett, U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty and Gov. Bill Lee also have been invited.

“I tried to get Nikki Haley,” the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. “I couldn’t get anyone from the campaign to call me back."

Haley remains in the race, although Trump is looking like the presumptive nominee with caucus and primary elections held to date.

Burkhardt said “Marsha’s staff responded immediately” to be the main speaker.

It's official for Dr. Jane George

Jane George, a Democrat running to represent the 2nd Congressional District and who is a small-business owner in the health and wellness field, drew a full house at the launch of her campaign at the Bistro by the Bijou.She pledged to work with Republicans, Democrats and Independents and said she wanted to make history as the first Democrat and first woman to represent the seven-county district touching the Kentucky and North Carolina borders with Knoxville as the largest city.

“Let’s break the cycle of dysfunction,” she said regarding her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Knoxville. George also is a Knoxvillian.

George has an uphill battle particularly in raising money. Burchett had $963,649 on hand in his reelection campaign on Dec. 31, according to financial disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission. George reported $12,651 on Dec. 31.

George declined to say how many registered at the Bijou or how much was money was raised afterward.

“We had a full house and the event was beyond what we were hoping it would be. We release our numbers when we file at the end of the quarter. … District 2 is ready for change. The support continues to grow every day!” she said in a statement to this columnist on Thursday.

George is a functional medicine chiropractor and owns a health and wellness shop.

Other political notes

A 100th birthday reception for retired state Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Joe D. Duncan will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Bridgewater events center, 205 Bridgewater Road.

“Party like it’s 1924!” his son, Phil, said in announcing the reception. He said there will be light nibbles and refreshments and birthday cake for the first 125 people who show up at 2 p.m. sharp. He said his dad is the first-ever centenarian in the F.B. and Cassie Duncan family of Scott County. Phil Duncan requests those who want to attend to respond to him on Facebook. The judge’s birthday is Feb. 11.

Voting deadline is Feb. 5

The deadline to vote in the March 5 presidential preference primary and Knox County primary elections is Monday, Feb. 5. Voters can register online at https://ovr.govote.tn.gov/; in person at election commission offices between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; or by downloading a voter registration form at https://knoxcounty.org/election/pdfs/VRF.pdf and having it postmarked by Feb. 5.

National Black Caucus of State Legislators honors McKenzie

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, a Democrat representing the 15th District in Knoxville, was honored with the 2023 Crystal Gavel Award of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators at its 47th Convention in Nashville in December. A spokesman for McKenzie said it was for his leadership of the Tennessee Black Caucus; leadership on the Tennessee Three issue during the last session, involving the expulsion of two Black legislators and near-expulsion of Knox County Rep. Gloria Johnson; and for helping bring the National Black Caucus of State Legislators to Nashville for its convention. The Caucus has more than 700 members.

Georgiana Vines is retired News Sentinel associate editor. She may be reached at gvpolitics@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Georgiana Vines: Raley says Ballard's reelection signs are misleading