Ole Bud Armstrong has been taking credit for the creation and collection of the delinquent tax collections by the Trustee. But something just ain’t right about that claim. Ole Bud went into the law director’s office September 1, 2012 at that time Trustee John Duncan had a staff attorney doing that work, in December 2012 the delinquent tax attorney announced a plea in a two controversy over some course work. If my memory is correct the delinquent tax attorney was still working until February 2013. Through 2013, under Duncan and then Co. Commission appointed interim Craig Leuthold, collections were conducted by Trustee staff.
Current Trustee Ed Shouse did not start work until September 1, 2014 a full half way mark into ole Bud’s term. So the creation of the tax delinquent collection has only been in operation for 18 months.
With Ole Bud taking credit for the creation of the delinquent tax collection. Trustee Ed Shouse will be unable to take credit for his offices collection. Although the Trustees office has always had field auditors, clerical and paralegal staff dating back to Duncan’s 2010 start, all ole Bud did was send a staff attorney down two flights of stairs, and only a a few hours a week. That is the creation ole Bud believes saved the taxpayers, $11 million dollars.
Why would Shouse allow ole Bud to take credit? If you remember in 2010, Shouse beat ole Bud for an at large Co Commission position. During that campaign, Armstrong would go around the east, north and south Knox Co boasting that West Knox Co doesn’t need another Commissioner but Armstrong never said that when talking in West Knoxbills.. Shouse called Armstrong out on that in West Knox amd Armstrong lost, Armstrong is still carrying a campaign loan from his failed 2010 Commission campaign.
Unfortunately for Shouse, he never defends himself until he is shoved in a corner like he was in the 2010 at large Commission campaign. When he came out fighting, he won. Now Armstrong has pulled a bully tactic in taking credit for a staff attorney and all Trustee delinquent tax collection for the past four years (when he had nothing to do with it) but because Shouse isn’t thinking about 2018 or maybe he isn’t planning to run for re-election in 2018 so maybe he doesn’t care. Only Shouse knows the answer to his intention. But ole Bud has stolen Shouse’s and the hard working Trustee employees accomplishments and for that Shouse has nothing to take credit for in 2018 except for a real time time clock to ensure that one or two employees that claim to be working evenings and weekends actually are.
