County Commission Appointment Meeting One Snafu and One Violation Of It’s Meeting Rules

UPDATE: I have talked with the media person in question. She had difficulty parking and came in the meeting late. Thus, she did not hear the announcement about the stage. She did ask Knox County’s Independent auditor if she could sit there and he said, Yes. However, Thomas Strickland did discover her there and told her she must move. Which she did.

Brian’s Blog was wrong and in the rare occasions that we are we are happy to correct it. After all, there is always a first time for everything. This is our first time to be wrong. darn it.

Original Post 2/20/2008 04:36 P.M. This mornings County Commission meeting resulted in one snafu created by a County Clerk employee and one violation of its “special” meeting rules for only today.

The snafu occurred during the vote tallies of the Fourth District Seat B. On the first vote, the votes were cast and the commission had in place a vote tally process that involved two County Clerk employees, Martha Beeler and Kim recording the votes and Knox County Law Director John Owings keeping score as well. All three vote tally sheets must match. When Martha Beeler counted her sheet she had counted one William Daniels vote incorrectly. After a much embarrassing few moments of silence, Interim Chairman Thomas “Tank” Strickland announced that we must take the vote over. Fortunately, all 11 Commissioners voted exactly the same way, the second time. I know because score was being kept in the back of the room and they did match.

The violation of the rules occurred after the meeting started. At 8:55 a.m. Interim Chairman Thomas “Tank” Strickland announced that if you were not a Commissioner or an employee of the Clerk’s office, you must leave the stage. At 9:00 a.m. he announced that if you were not a Commissioner, an employee of the Commission office, an employee of the County Clerk’s office, an employee of the Knox County Law Director’s office or the Knox County Independent Auditor, you must leave the stage and refrain from coming onto the stage until the meeting adjourned.

Well, the next thing you know a member of the media wanders up on the stage and sits at the table beside the Knox County Independent Auditor and remained there until the meeting concluded. It just so happens that the member of the media is an employee of County Commissioner Mike Hammond. Neither Interim Chairman Strickland or Commissioner Hammond had the individual removed from the stage.

Evidently, rules are only for certain members of the general population, but not for the media elite or those employed by Commissioner Hammond.


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