Tennessee representatives all over the board on aid to Ukraine | Ashe

U.S. Reps. Tim Burchett and Diana Harshbarger oppose aid to Ukraine and have been given a grade of F by Republicans for Ukraine. Neighboring Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, in sharp contrast, was given an A.

A Knox News story reported that Burchett failed to respond to inquiries on why he opposes aid to Ukraine. The rankings were released week of Sept. 18 when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskyy visited the UN, the U.S. and Canada to express appreciation for financial support and urged for more.

In the same busy week, Burchett said he would not accept a salary during a potential government shutdown, but that did not apply to his staff, and a shutdown would mean the military would have gone unpaid. There is now a 45-day delay when this whole issue must be resolved again.

Should Ukraine fall to Russia, then NATO members Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will be next. We are obligated to back any NATO nation attacked by Russia. Costs then will skyrocket. China wins!

Tennessee Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn voted NO on legislation to keep the government open.

Stunning and disappointing news emerged recently that Steve Gill, who grew up in Knoxville and was Student Government Association president as an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee's flagship campus, was a so-called election observer recently for Russian President Vladimir Putin's sham elections recently in the occupied Ukrainian regions.

Gill once was editor of Tennessee Star, a conservative blog, until his August 2019 arrest for not paying child support. Tennessee Star terminated his services when the news became public. Gill once ran a close race for Congress as a Republican against Bart Gordon, but has been on the fringe of mainstream politics since then.

The League of Women Voters hosts a forum at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16 for Knoxville City Council candidates at West High School, 3300 Sutherland Ave. Knox News is a sponsor.

The Knoxville municipal judicial contest is interesting in part because a contested race for this office has happened only once in the past 40 years. Incumbent John Rosson, 76, faces challenger Tyler Caviness, 31. Rosson has secured the backing of the local Knox GOP, which may hurt him as much as it helps him as the city is Democratic. Rosson was master of ceremonies at a Trump rally a few years ago and is seeking his 10th term.

Caviness and Rosson almost tied each other in the Aug. 29 primary. They finished less than 240 votes apart. Caviness advocates modernizing the court and bringing it into this century. Rosson's approach is "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" Caviness says he will start court on time and people will not have to wait an hour for him to appear. Rosson has been criticized for being late starting court leaving the public waiting.

City Council candidate Debbie Helsley will have a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at The Magnolia, 2416 Magnolia Avenue. Historic preservation will be the theme at the business owned by Kim Trent.

Birthdays

October 12: Dennis McClane is 72. Gary Heatherly is 72. Tanner Harris is 44. Holly Moore is 44. UT Economist Bill Fox is 74. Attorney Lewis Foster is 81. City tree expert Kasey Krouse is 40. George Brown Jr is 44. Recently defeated municipal judge candidate Mary Ward is 57. Cheryl Bartley is 63.

October 13: James Corcoran is 44. Andrew S Luttrell is 51. UT's Gretchen Neisler is 52. David Colquit is 37. City council candidate Debbie Helsley is 70. D. Bruce Cole is 56. Attorney Hanson Tipton is 49. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (husband of Vice President Harris) is 59. Jim Klonaris is 62. David Cheban is 41. and Steven Friedlander is 64.

October 14: TVA's Jodie Birdwell is 46. Former state representative Pete Drew is 85. Matthew Keaney is 34. Tracy Polite is 55. Karen Pershing is 60. Townes Osborn is 77. Kay Leibowitz is 77.

October 15: Developer David Dewhirst is 60. Former state representative Steve Buttry is 53. Former state representative Ray Hill is 64. George Kershaw is 78. Former Nashville Mayor John Cooper is 67. Dr. Rocio A. Huet is 68. Bradley Peters is 47. Diane Humphreys Barlow is 75.

October 16: Laurens Tullock is 70. Joe Fielden is 70. Kevin Hardin is 64. Nick Barron is 39. Dino Cartwright is 53. David Jordan is 68.

October 17: John Faris is 61. Conrad Plaut is 61. The Rev. Doug Banister is 62. Sarah Frazier is 64. Susan Brackney is 85. State Sen. Art Swann is 71. Retired state Adj. Gen. Max Haston is 66. Edgar Miller is 89. Nick Arning Jr. is 52.

October 18: UT's Tiffany Capenter is 49. Attorney Adam Russell is 42. Ros Kingery is 45. Steve Koella is 79. Steephen Johnson is 48. Retired UT Chancellor Bill Snyder is 92. Dr. Josh Williams is 71. Laura Bronstad is 47. Eric Lyon is 54.

October 19: Daniel Feller is 73. John W. Coley is 65. Charles R Debevoise is 62. Amy Carter, daughter of former President Jimmy Carter, is 56. Susan Conway is 67. Albert Gore III, son of former Vice President Al Gore, is 41. Jordan C. Wright is 41.

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

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee representatives all over the board on aid to Ukraine