Rosson faces real challenge after 36 years in office; Parker's strength surprises | Ashe

Mayor Indya Kincannon’s reelection was never in doubt given the late-starting campaign of her principal opponent, Jeff Talman. His comments were often optimistic but lacked specifics. He was not able to distill his remarks into pithy statements that would attract voters.

While an independent PAC claimed he would lower taxes, Talman never put a number on a cut to property taxes. Talman’s best precinct was Deane Hill Recreation Center, where he got 510 votes to Kincannon’s 554. He finished with 29% of the vote overall.

Kincannon’s other two rivals – activist Constance Every and R.C. Lawhorn – combined for 13% of the vote and were eliminated along with Talman because Kincannon captured more than 50% of the vote (57.5%) to end the election at the primary stage. Only 16,394 people voted in the mayor’s race, roughly 20% of registered voters in the city.

Talman had one piece of good news that will last a lifetime: He became a grandfather for the first time with the birth of a baby girl in Brooklyn.

Tyler Caviness, 31, has forced 36-year incumbent John Rosson, 75, into a runoff for municipal judge because none of the four candidates got 50% plus one vote. Rosson led with 37.6% of the vote and Caviness got 36.2%. Both advance to the Nov. 7 general election. Rosson had 5,963 votes to Caviness’s 5,735 votes. Both Rosson and Caviness will be calling Andrew Beamer and Mary Ward – who between them got 26% of the total vote – to seek their endorsement.

There has not been a seriously competitive race for municipal judge in more than 50 years. Rosson barely won his home precinct of West Hills – where Caviness also lives – 324 to 310 votes. This is a major setback for Rosson to fall below 40% of the total city vote after 36 years in office. Sixty-two percent of the 15,837 people voting in this race voted for someone other than Rosson.

Rosson is challenged to win a majority between now and Nov. 7. His 36 years in judicial office have secured name recognition, along with a view by many that it is long past time for a change.

The other surprise was Councilwoman Amelia Parker coming in first over Tim Hill for at-large City Council Seat C. Hill raised more than $150,000. It will be interesting to see who the third candidate, Matthew Best, endorses, if anyone. Parker, who had 41% of the vote to Hill's 37%, has considerable under-the-radar support. Kincannon has donated to Hill. Parker emerges as the favorite here.

More than 2,200 people attended the memorial service Aug. 27 on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus for Ben Kredich, 24, who was killed by an impaired driver while walking on the sidewalk of Kingston Pike. UT President Randy Boyd and UT Chancellor Donde Plowman attended and heard moving remarks from Ben's two brothers, Miles and Coleman, as well as his parents, Kim and Matt.

Ben was an incredibly gifted young man who graduated with a special education diploma from West High School and received a vocational certificate from the UT Future program in 2021. When he started at UT, he was not permitted to live in campus housing. State Sen. Becky Duncan Massey sponsored legislation to overturn this discriminatory rule. She shepherded it through the Senate and then persuaded Plowman and Boyd to change UT’s policy to allow participants of the Future program access to the full college experience.

Massey even arranged for Ben to testify before the Senate and House Education committees. He wrote his own speech, and there is photo of him testifying with his parents beside him. He and Massey both were amazingly effective.

Much more could be written about this remarkable man, such as his skill in music. He was a trailblazer and inspiration for many other children with disabilities. If the Knox County School Board and Law Director David Buuck, whose office is elected, want to honor him they should implement the findings of the special committee created by the school board. All of Knoxville has lost a special, talented young man.

Birthdays

Sept. 6: Brandalyn Breeden is 37. Mary Pom Claiborne is 61. Tyler Roy is 38. Christopher Kelton is 37.

Sept. 7: Louis Moran III is 59. Carlton Long is 66. Isaac Thorne is 43. Frank Venable III is 60. County Commissioner Kyle Ward is 38. Retired UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek is 77. Attorney Bruce Anderson is 73. Courtney Bergmeier is 37. Landscape architect Steve Hackney is 61.

Sept. 8: Cary Slatery is 71. Cowan Rodgers III is 78. Dr. Marek Pienkowski is 78. Emily Abbott is 43. Ed Rottmann is 41.

Sept. 9: Businessman Pete DeBusk is 81. Jennifer Mirtes is 51. Kathy Hawes is 49. Steve Queisser is 59. Bridgett McMahan is 43.

Sept. 10: Mary Spengler is 77. Whitfield Bailey is 45. John Hamilton III is 60. Former mayoral candidate and mortgage banker Jeff Talman is 66. Former City Director Janet Wright is 71. Artist Sarah Pollock is 44. Sabra Tatum is 73. Judge Bill Ailor is 67. Chester Maze is 64.

Sept. 11: Jim Gray is 75. Ramsey Cohen is 35. Elba Marshall is 49. Paul Hotsinpiller is 60.

Sept. 12: City Councilman Charlie Thomas is 69. Madge Cleveland is 67. David Jerrolds is 57. Rick Harrington is 74.

Sept. 13: Attorney Tripp White is 41. Former District Attorney General Randy Nichols is 75.

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

Knox News and Shopper News promptly correct all errors. If you think we have published incorrect information, please email accuracy@knoxnews.com. Describe the error, where you saw it, the date, page number or the URL.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rosson faces real challenge; Parker's strength surprises in primary