Kincannon's secrecy could bring big taxpayer tab and a mayoral challenge | Victor Ashe

Knox County Chancellor John Weaver ruled against Mayor Indya Kincannon’s administration Dec. 13 and in favor of Knox News in its lawsuit to force disclosure of records relating to the search for a new city police chief (who eventually was Paul Noel).

Kincannon asserts that disclosure of applicants’ names would reduce the quality of the candidate pool. But that may not be a legal reason to circumvent the open records law.

This whole process was started in secrecy. The city failed to tell the City Council before it approved the search firm contract that no records would be available for public review.

When Knox News sued for access, the city hired a private law firm. The cost of this litigation will run into the many thousands, and if the city loses, the plaintiff can ask for legal fees and costs.

The City Council may question the wisdom of this lawsuit. Councilwoman Seema Singh said, “The city needs to end this litigation and stop the needless expenditure of thousands of tax dollars.”

Former mayoral candidate, architect George Ewart, said he is reconsidering his decision not to oppose Kincannon in 2023 because of “her opposition to full transparency on the police chief search.”

“City voters want all the facts on how their tax dollars are being spent,” Ewart continued. “We should know who applied. If I do run and am elected, I assure you a Ewart administration will be transparent and there never will be a need to sue us for public records.”

While I believe Kincannon is sincere in her views, I think she has made a serious political error in not disclosing the names of applicants. This is generating unanticipated costs and negative media attention at the start of the mayor’s reelection campaign.

She would be smart to end this before the media attention escalates further. Even if she won the lawsuit (which is not the case for now), she loses in terms of negative publicity and possibly a former opponent re-entering the contest.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs declined comment on the probation sentence given to his former chief of staff, Bryan Hair, for official misconduct. Given the mayor's office extensive comments over the past 10 days made about its $150,000 settlement with former county parks director Paul White (whom Hair had recommended), why silence on Hair, who had a county golf cart delivered to his house for his personal use? Jacobs will have to face questions on this in a statewide race for governor in 2026.

The city Greenway Commission Dec. 13 voted to make Jody Mullins, salvage handler at Oak Ridge National Lab, its new chair to replace Sam Flanagan.

Thomas Zacharia, who is retiring as head of ORNL this month, was featured in a Wall Street Journal article Dec. 2 that outlined his impressive career since he moved in 1981 to the USA. Born in India, he has lived in East Tennessee since 1987. He has had a positive impact on ORNL and this area. He is living testimony to how immigrants to the USA make us a better nation.

The celebration of life service for former Tennessee first lady Honey Alexander was held in Nashville Dec. 10. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Transportation and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, attended along with Gov. Bill Lee, former Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, former Sens. Bob Corker and Bill Frist, and Nashville Mayor John Cooper. McConnell and Alexander have been close friends for years.

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, whose term ends Jan. 3, 2023, is the longest serving Democratic member of Congress from Tennessee, reaching 30 years. He has served in two districts. Cooper is the son of the late Gov. Prentice Cooper and brother of Nashville Mayor Cooper.

Birthdays

Dec. 22: Karen Robinson is 62. Avice Evans Reid is 70. Victor J. Jernigan is 72. National TV personality Diane Sawyer is 77. Attorney Jackson Whetsel is 38. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is 52.

Dec. 23: Knox Planning Commissioner Jacqueline Dent is 29. Jeannie Johnson is 73. Engineer and artist Michael Galyon is 72. Kelly Absher is 39.

Dec. 24: Kimberly Peterson is 52. Townsend Collins is 82. Former city law director Michael Kelley is 62. Rev. James Bailes is 73. Dr. Anthony Fauci is 82.

Dec. 25: Former Mayor Daniel Brown is 77. Columnist and former White House assistant Karl Rove is 72. Georgia Varlan Man is 36. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is 51. Greenway Commission member Andrea Schneibel is 37. Dr. Kristen Ploetze is 35.

Dec. 26: Gayle Bustin, Knox Planning Commissioner, is 67. Melissa Peters is 66. Attorney Dale Amburn is 68. Election Commission Administrator Chris Davis is 53. Whitney Bailes James is 46. Businessman Bryan Davis is 60.

Dec. 27: Donald Bowdle is 63.

Dec. 28: County Commissioner Kim Frazier is 50. Jonathan Mayfield is 42. Diana Samples, UT professor Marilyn Kallet and restaurant owner Mike Chase are 76. Todd Samples is 55. Attorney Ruth Ellis is 70. Jackie Lane is 83.

Correction: Jody Mullins' name was incorrect in an earlier version of this column. We regret the error.

Victor Ashe can be reached at vhashe@aol.com.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News. 

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville mayor's secrecy will cost taxpayers, may bring challenger | Ashe