As abortion becomes an issue in state and local races, candidates must verify claims | Ashe

There will be significant fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court ruling turning abortion decisions over to the states. Much will be made manifest in individual state House and Senate districts where the two major party candidates will differ.

Many people have forgotten that Knox County leans in favor of abortion rights. Voters here in 2014 rejected a state constitutional amendment to outlaw abortions. Amendment 1 passed statewide, but here the vote was 54,124 to 50,635 against.

Abortion is already being raised as an issue by Elaine Davis in her race against Janet Testerman in the Republican primary for District 18 state representative.

Davis has made unverified claims that Testerman voted "to expand Knoxville’s Planned Parenthood to allow on-site surgical abortions," despite Testerman's on the record opposition to abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life. Davis declined to provide any support for her claim about Testerman's vote when I directly asked her to.

(As Davis has requested, I disclose that my wife, Joan, was a host at a reception for Testerman in May. I myself am not participating in Testerman's campaign.)

When I asked Davis whether she favors any exceptions, she simply said she “will consistently vote pro-life, support Tennessee’s pro-life laws.” She did not answer whether she favors or opposes these three exceptions.

Davis, in her first campaign brochure, also said Testerman did not support the Republican candidate for president or governor. Again, no evidence of it; just not true, according to Testerman. Then Davis changed her brochure to say Testerman had not “publicly” backed these GOP candidates. Davis needs to start talking about her goals if elected.

Davis has lost two previous elections. She lost to Finbarr Saunders for County Commission when she was a Democrat and then lost to Democrat Gloria Johnson in 2020 for the legislature when she was a Republican.

City Councilwoman Amelia Parker set a record a few weeks ago by offering eight city charter amendments. All failed either to get a second or failed after securing a second.

Some of the issues Parker raised deal with important topics such as the city budget process, but city charter amendments should be considered at a council workshop, where there is time for in-depth study of the proposals. That did not happen here.

Mayor Indya Kincannon announced a reorganization of city government last week to eliminate one of three deputy mayors. She then created two positions: chief economic development officer and chief housing officer.

Harold Cannon will be paid a salary of $174,187 as chief economic development officer, and Amy Brooks will earn $155,000 as the new chief housing officer. 

Also, Boyce Evans will earn $155,000 as the new chief financial officer. Kittrin Smith will earn $135,000 as acting deputy finance director.

This occurred with the departure of Stephanie Welch from city government as she is moving to Maine.

Raymond Jin, 18, has completed his one-year term as the student member of the Knox County Schools board and enters Yale University this August. He is a graduate of Farragut High School. Grace Deckard, a senior at Hardin Valley, is the new student school board member, having started July 1. Student members do not have a vote but are permitted to speak on any issue facing the school board.  

Jin said he attended two and sometimes three school board meetings every month for a whole year. Jin is Chinese American and fluent in Mandarin as well as English. His father is a professor at the University of Tennessee.

Jin was admitted to Duke, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale. One other Farragut graduate, Rena Liu, also will be a freshman at Yale next month.

Birthdays  

July 16: Businessman Ron Watkins is 80. Fiona McAnally is 54. Mary Stackhouse and former county commissioner Mark Cawood are 68. Tom Bright is 64. Amanda Busby is 51. James R. Stovall is 45. M.D. Dotson is 41.

July 17: Anna Ottaviano is 48. Jeremy Coffey is 46. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Prince Charles, is 75. Former German chancellor Angela Merkel is 68. Christopher Crouch is 74. Alison Driscoll is 32. Bill Sansom is 81. Don Freeman is 75.

July 18: Dr. Ewin Jenkins is 78. James Shastid is 84. Attorney Mack Gentry is 78. Janis Crye is 71. Maria McHale is 32.

July 19: Fran Keith, wife of former police chief Phil Keith, is 71. Libba Wall is 83. Nan Scott is 75. Charles Barker is 64. Adam Brown is 58. City Public Service Director Chad Weth is 46. Constance Paris is 20. Douglas Kose is 47. 

July 20: John Sibley is 74. Attorney John Winemiller is 56. Lisa Carroll is 75. Daniel Steinhoff is 72.

July 21: Former congressman Jim Duncan is 75. Former congressman Phil Roe is 77. City Communications Director Kristin Farley is 50. South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn is 82. Howard Blum is 93.

July 22: Edward Cook is 63. Prince George, son of Prince William and Princess Kate, is 9. Zerconia Davis is 30. Retired physician Max Meredith is 84.

Columnist Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He can be reached at vhashe@aol.com.