On March 28, the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 3-2 against the plan known as Advance Knox , the signature initiative of Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs to rewrite the county zoning structure.
The two years of planning had cost the county $1.2 million.
On April 11, the Farragut board changed its mind .
It was surprising that Jacobs was not present at the first Farragut meeting but sent staff instead. It turns out also that Jacobs had not personally met with Aldermen Drew Burnette, Scott Meyer or David White, who opposed it. Farragut had voted down a similar plan years ago.
Jacobs not only attended a Farragut special meeting April 3 that set in motion the reconsideration, but also met with Meyer earlier, convincing him the plan did not harm Farragut. Jacobs did his job well this time and showed he can be persuasive in direct meetings. The issue appears concluded.
After his absence from Knox County during the winter ice storm to campaign in Iowa for former president Donald Trump, it was important for Jacobs to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible. An email from me to Mike Donila in Jacobs’ office asking where he was when he missed the first meeting and why he did not attend was never answered.
The U.S. House passed the last spending bill needed to fund the government on a long-term basis, and U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett voted against it.
The bill provided for 2,000 more border guards as well as a pay raise for our military.
Burchett, after voting for the government shutdown, said that if people are upset by Republicans who voted to keep the government open, then “ vote their asses out .”
One of those voting for keeping the government open was House Speaker Mike Johnson, who hosted a fundraiser for Burchett only a few weeks ago. Little did he suspect then Burchett would be urging his ouster.
The legislation Johnson backed was enacted on a bipartisan vote.
One can easily understand how the GOP members who differed with Burchett do not appreciate his opposition to their reelection and may not be there to assist him on projects for East Tennessee should he ever need them.
Burchett’s choice of language does not enhance his standing, either. Unfortunately, Burchett seldom considers the consequences of what he says or does. If he is always going to vote NO on funding then he is better suited to be part of the minority while the majority makes the tough votes. He seems unable to make hard choices.
It is unfortunate Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler has not addressed the fact that two of his appointees, Capt. Eric Edlin and fire investigator Jerry Glenn, do not have required state training to fill the law enforcement roles they've been given. Edlin also has had two orders of protection filed against him by women who allege he threatened to kill them .
Glenn had no experience in law enforcement when Spangler appointed him . He and his wife (Kimberly Glenn, who has been Spangler's spokeswoman since he was elected) donated $5,000 to the 2018 Spangler campaign.
Spangler has been a popular elected officer, so it is sad he harms his reputation with appointments like these. We all wish Spangler a speedy recovery from cancer, which he disclosed some weeks ago. But he is still sheriff and should resolve these issues.
The county commission could amend the sheriff’s budget to prohibit payment of county funds to any deputies who do not have state required training. As Joel Christopher, Knox News editor, wrote in his Your Week in Knoxville email newsletter , "We give police the power to take our freedom and to take our lives, and with that great power comes great obligation to follow the law scrupulously and to welcome scrutiny and oversight."
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of City Councilman Andrew Roberto with the sudden and tragic loss of his daughter Kylie.
Birthdays
April 18: Corky Brooks is 79. Christine C. Chilian is 76. Thad Cox Jr. is 62. Forest Heights neighborhood leader Terry Faulkner is 81. William E. Haslam Jr. is 39. Attorney Rob Quillin is 51.
April 19: Former GOP House leader H.E. Bittle is 87. Shawn Griffith is 35. Retired businessman Gaines Pittenger is 81. Diana Tonn is 69.
April 20: Janet McGaha, key assistant to former Gov. Bill Haslam, is 63. Matthew Pamental is 56.
April 21: Shelby Allmon is 32. Meade C. Edmunds is 63. John Mark Hancock is 67. Lindsay McDonough is 74. William Pittman Jr. is 61. Connie Steele is 96. Forrest Wallace is 44.
April 22: Jerry Bodie is 66. Bailey Foster is 52. David B. Fountain is 57. Nadim Jubran is 36. Jason H. Long is 53. Mohit M. Mankad is 60. Former Knox County trustee Ed Shouse is 74. Michael S. Wilhoit is 42.
April 23: Paul J. Kedrow is 78. Alvin Nance is 67. Sarah Roberto, marketing business partner at CGI and wife of Councilman Andrew Roberto, is 45. Maurice Stucke is 59.
April 24: Architect Bill Andrews is 67. Retired architecture school dean Marleen Davis is 72. Jeanette Kelleher is 63. Former city Parks and Recreation Director Joe Walsh is 69.
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: Glenn Jacobs recovers to rescue Advance Knox from Farragut disaster | Ashe
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