We made up 93 treat bags. They're almost gone (and lots more are still coming). I was going to make a hundred, but, uh, some of the contents disappeared during assembly.

Best exchange so far: Are you Donald Trump? No (rolling eyes), I'm Harry Potter!

Best costume so far: A skeleton mask that spurted blood from the skull and trickled down the face when we handed out the treat.

UPDATE: Costume runner-up: The entire Kiss Band.

UPDATE: Exchange runner-up: Kids dressed as warriors, one as a ninja with a sword and the other in camo. Dad dressed as a Rabbi. The Mrs: What's with the weapons and war and a Rabbi for peace? Dad: It's all about the duality.

As some of you have undoubtedly heard, reports from a number of sources indicate an FBI investigation of a few of our Blount County officials is underway.

If you have information about wrongdoing or questionable activities by our county officials or employees, now is the time to talk to the FBI. The phone number for their political corruption hotline at the local office (Knoxville) is 888-678-6720. Make notes before you call. Give the investigator all the information you can. Try to keep it as short as possible, these guys are very busy. If you get a recording, leave a short message. They usually get back to you in less than 48 hours.

This may be the best opportunity in many years to clean up our county. Please act now.

1998.....

Link...

"Some members of the public might well assume a lawyer who had endorsed a particular judge for election may have an advantage in that judge's court over an attorney who endorsed the loser or failed to make any endorsements," Clifford said.

However, Robert Goddard, one of three county attorneys seeking endorsements for Young, said there is nothing improper about his actions.

School board attorney David Duggan and Maryville attorney Jerry Cunningham are also soliciting endorsements for Young.

I don't suppose anyone has a link showing where any of our local papers endorsed certain candidates this past election?

Saturday November 10, Southland Books is having their Art Market from 10 to 3.
What a great chance to see and buy local art from local artists working in pottery, glass, blown glass, photography, painting and many other mediums!

The holidays are coming folks. You can go to the big box and buy crap or you can support our local artists.

While there, don't miss the mega selection of vinyl records they now carry! AWESOME. CDs may be nice but nothing beats album covers for reading while listening.

If you are a local artist, give Lisa at call to see if she has additional space for this Art Market. 984-4847

Map and directions

Did you know you can get home delivery of the Sunday New York Times? We get it. It's informative. It's entertaining. It's sophisticated. It's controversial. It's big. Weighs about five pounds. Lasts all week.

Anyone in Blount County, particularly Alcoa, Rockford, 37803 and parts of Louisville, who is interested in home delivery of the Sunday New York Times, call Times Delivered at 696-8038.

The more folks who sign up, the more cost effective it is for the carriers and the more likely we'll be able to keep this great service going. Ask nicely, and you might get a free copy of the latest Hellbender Press thrown in, too.

Call Times Delivered at 696-8038. Tell a friend and tell a neighbor, too.

Greetings:

I am new to BlountViews-I was directed to this site by someone who thought that your comments may be interesting given the fact that I'm the lawyer representing Kathy Wright in the litigation that was publicized by an article in the DT this past Sunday October 28, 2007.

If you have any comments, then let me know, as I do not know if the parameters of lawyer blogging have been fully "ethicsnasized" in Tennessee.

My best.

TFM

"Two of these things belong together, one of these things does not belong..."

Link...

DT A previous opinion by Tennessee Attorney General Robert E. Cooper Jr. indicated that Lewis could face possible ouster because of holding shares in GreenBank, which provides financial services to the county.

Link...

WBIR Tennessee's attorney general disagrees. In his opinion, he said Lewis made his connections clear from the beginning and does not own stock in the bank.

Link...

DT Shareholder clause
While this would seem to allow Lewis to hold a seat on the Purchasing Commission, Cooper’s opinion didn’t stop there:

“Tenn. Code Ann. § 5-14-114 of the County Purchasing Law of 1957 prohibits a shareholder of a bank that conducts business with the county from serving as a county commissioner, or as a member of the county budget committee or the county purchasing commission,” he wrote. “While the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has concluded that this statute is unconstitutional to the extent it imposes criminal penalties, we think it may still constitutionally serve as the basis for an ouster action under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-47-101, et seq.”

Point goes to Joel Davis!

Couldn't make the reception Friday night to support Wendy Pitts Reeves? Here's another chance. The next Ethics Committee Meeting is tonight. Here's the full agenda, printed below and a link to make things easier to forward: Link... See "New Business" to find reference to Reeves, Proffitt, and Lewis.

AGENDA
Ethics Committee
Monday, October 29, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Room 315, Blount County Courthouse
Members: Betsy Cunningham; Brenda Flowers; Ron French; Joe McCulley; and Wendy Pitts Reeves - Chair.

1. Call To Order.
2. Roll Call.
3. Approval of Minutes of October 2, 2007.
4. Public input on items on the agenda.
5. Old business:
a) Discussion/Possible Action Regarding the Ethics Policies and Procedures and the Committee.
i.) Report from Betsy Cunningham on theMake Up of the Committee.
ii.) Review of Changes in the Ethics Policy and Procedures.
iii.) Report from Betsy Cunningham regarding Open Records and Confidentiality.
b) Discussion and update Regarding Conflict of Interest Statement Form.
c) Discussion/Possible Action Regarding Procedures for Filing Complaints.
i.) Review of form letters for complainants and defendants.
ii.) Review of changes on the Ethics Violation Complaint Form.
d.) Discussion/Possible Action Regarding Employee Communication and Training Concerning Ethics
Policy.
6. New Business:
a) Discussion/Possible Action Regarding CTAS Opinion Concerning Health Care Providers
Concerning Commissioner Proffitt and Commissioner Wendy Pitts Reeves.
b) Discussion/Possible Action Regarding Attorney General Opinion Concerning Commissioner Mike
Lewis.
c) Other.
7. Next Meeting.
8. Public input on items not on the agenda.
9. Adjournment.

Actually there is un-developed land adjacent strategic locations at Clover Hill (20 miles), Mt. Tabor (15 mi.), Mentor (10 mi.--foundation still there), Topside (5 mi.), and Vestal. This would require a coordinated effort with Knoxville, yet there'd be lots of support from weary 129 drivers. Just check out all the red spots on the highway--they're traffic lights. A Light Rail System shared with CSX freight would work, and does work in tandem with Freight in several large metropolis' such as Baltimore, San Diego, and New Jersey.

The Planning Commission will hold a called meeting to begin revision of the Policies Plan and other plans of the County on October 30 at 5:30 P.M. in Room 430 of the Courthouse.

You may have missed the announcement of this very important meeting since it is not listed under the Meetings listing on the county website. It is rather hidden under the Plans listing.

Why are we changing the Blount County Policies Plan? Have the residents of this county changed their opinions as to what they want for Blount County? Do we no longer love the rural beauty or have we made the choice to become the bedroom for Knoxville and Oak Ridge?

Could it be....... 411 South as strip mall city or Pollywood West?

Could it be....... because SBUD is now in the sewer bid'ness?

Could it be....... to offer even more protection to Townsend and The Privileged Side of the Smokies?

Read the documents then come to the meeting.
Link...

My bad. I have not been following the CAPPE issues real closely. Yesterday I watched a news report on local TV regarding the proposed PPE. I was surprised to see two options for the PPE. It was a graphic, not well explained, but appears there is one option with a direct route to 321 and a second option with a curved route. Interesting, I thought. What is this about? Thus, I decided to review the previous BlountViews post regarding the TDOT public meeting held October 25th.

In reading the post I was stopped cold.

CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.) must NOT pit one bad project against another.

From the CAPPE post here at BlountViews:

Alternative (1) is preferred, as there are other higher priorities for transportation improvements in our county. The Alcoa By-Pass will do much more to address safety and Level of Service, as will the Montvale Road improvements.
...
Let’s use our limited highway funds for projects like the Alcoa Highway By-pass that will ensure safety for many, not for a project that will exacerbate our transportation problems.

(Emphasis added by the author.)

The Alcoa Highway By-pass is a horrible idea. It will add a scar to a unique, "planned" community developed nearly a century ago with direction toward community and green space. Has anyone seen what the James White Parkway has done to South Knoxville? I guess it is now time for the citizens of Alcoa to create their own corporation to fight not only TDOT and whatever other government organizations looking to add an Alcoa by-pass, but we appear now be forced to fight an organization that was trying to do good things for the community. I am appalled!

Oh, and by the way. CAPPE's statement regarding the proposed R&D park off Maryville Pike, "The campus-like atmosphere of the Research & Development Park at the Jackson Farm will be disrupted by building an interstate highway through it. Give us a break. The R&D park was plannned with the knowledge of the proposed PPE. If the planners thought it was a bad idea, they should not have invested in it.

More to come.

I am an earlybird this morning. Check out the front page of the DT this morning:
Link...

From today’s Daily Times; Link...

What made the front page of the actual paper ?

Blount County Circuit Court Judge W. Dale Young issued a response to Ana Calixto’s appeal this week, stating that Calixto is in the United States illegally and is not a resident of Tennessee based on state law.

The document, obtained by The Daily Times, then denies her request.

In Young’s response, he states, “They were illegal, non-resident aliens and there were, in the court’s mind, serious legal questions to be answered before the case proceeds further.”

The judge’s statement ends with, “Mrs. Calixto is in the United States of America under the auspices of a “work visa” which has expired. She does not have any appropriate documentation which allows her to remain legally in the United States of America. Mrs. Calixto cannot establish domicile and/or residence in Tennessee because she cannot stay here legally and she must return to her home country.”

What got pushed to page 3?

Ana Calixto says she has been in the United States legally since 1994 when she came here to attend school and work. Her current employment authorization card from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Department — of which The Daily Times has obtained a copy — is valid through Jan. 5, 2009.

What else didn’t make the front page or page three? A picture of the authorization card the DT says it has. What did? A guy getting a shot and a picture of a syringe.

Why is this important? Because we know many people only read the front page. Samples showed he hadn’t got around to the whole story when he last tried to suspend the rules to extol the virtues of Young, why should we believe others do? Very creative DT, but hardly opaque.

The "Long Arm of the Law” appears to extend all the way to 307 Harper Street.

Knox Co. Commissioner Mark Harmon has an outsanding letter to his State Senator regarding the current efforts to undermine Tennessee's Open Meetings Act. It seems appropriate in the current political climate here.

We attended the support rally for Commissioner Wendy Pitts Reeves last night at Green Meadows CC. There was great turnout, with standing room only in the meeting room. Thanks to Linda Hageman for organizing the event for her friend and thanks for the food.

There were tributes to Commissioner Reeves and a show of appreciation for her integrity and willingness to stand up. Many praised her leadership in fighting for ethical government in Blount County. Commissioner Dr. Bob Proffitt was there, too, as he has been caught up in this witch hunt. Ms. Hageman, Linda King, Jim Folts, Joe Gallagher, Commissioner David Ballard, and Judge Mike Meares were among those who came to show their support and speak out on behalf of Commissioner Reeves and Commissioner Proffitt.

Sherri Gardner Howell and Lance Coleman from Blount Today were there, too. Ms. Howell turned it in to a press conference, and both Commissioner Proffitt and Commissioner Reeves tried their best to provide straightforward answers about the facts, which are complicated.

Anyway, two things struck me as interesting...

I'm forwarding this on; I know you all love coffee and a good cause!

The next 24 hours is crucial to the local initiative "World's Biggest Blog Party.": Connecting the Globe for Good. Over the previous weeks we've compiled a long list of charities, sponsors, and bloggers who are going to raise awareness and raise money for some great causes. Some of these are local, like in the instance of Feed Your Faith and the Blount Habitat for Humanity. A good many others are national and international.

It kicked off tonight (Friday night) with some belly dancing, entertainment, food, and interviews at Capital Coffee.

BlogTalkRadio.com is graciously hosting our shows, which will be archived at blogtalkradio.com/wbbp. We are in the process of compiling an interview schedule that highlights our charities and the wonderful people behind them.

We'd like to invite everyone to come on by the Captital Coffee House in downtown Maryville tomorrow.

How you can help:

COME ON BY!!! Hang out with us, blog with us, bring your laptop, camp out, keep us company, bring munchies, etc.

Donate to a charity.

Blog about it!

Like I said, this is 24 HOURS. You can sign up for a time slot on wbbp.spruz.com ...click on "calendar". Or, just come on and hang out (laptop preferred...or else someone will loan you access...whatever..just come!). Drop by, don't feel like you have to stay long.

According to the KNS, Maryville and Alcoa have ended mandatory restrictions on water usage. Can't seem to get my MDT. Hope it starts back up soon.

In addition, the KNS article goes on to say, "A preliminary study estimates that the total reduction of water use by all customers in both cities led to a 30 percent drop in water withdrawals from the Little River." Good job!

Interesting tidbit from the City of Alcoa. We receive a newsletter with our bill. Alcoa included a chart this time outlining who uses City of Alcoa water.

Inside City Residential Customers = 7.4%
Inside City Commercial Customers = 10.3%
Outside City Residential Customers = 12.0%
Outside City Commercial Customers = 7.1%
Aluminum Co. of American= 45.3%
Tuckaleechee Utility District = 17.9%

The Maryville Daily Times files this report.

According to the Daily Times, Judge young says Ms. Calixto is here illegally and that her work visa has expired. The MDT says they have a copy of her employment authorization card and that it is valid through Jan. 5, 2009.

Read the whole thing...

We are pleased to announce the launch of TennViews.com.

TennViews is a virtual town hall for talking about liberal politics, culture, and life in the state of Tennessee, with emphasis on state and national politics and a view towards netroots activism among Tennessee liberals. Some of the top liberal bloggers and writers in Tennessee will be participating.

With important elections coming up, we hope to provide a central information clearing house for Tennessee liberals and help promote liberal bloggers in Tennessee.

Linda Hageman, the newest AAUW member, is hosting a gathering to provide support for Wendy Pitts Reeves as she works through the current challenge she is facing as a Blount County Commissioner.

It will be held at Green Meadows Country Club in Alcoa at 6 pm on this Friday. Wendy and her husband will be in attendance and she appreciates our support. If you can attend, please e mail Linda at hagm04@aol.com. to enable her to order refreshments.

The country club is on Louisville Road, go past the WalMart and it is on the right about a mile after WalMart.

Dear Attorney General,

Once again you are going to be ask to issue an opinion relating to conflicts of interest under TCA 12-4-102 and 5-14-114 with regards to certain Blount County Commissioners.

The 12-4-102 stuff is simply a smoke screen since none of the commissioners in question ever voted on the contract for services.

5-14-114 however has an interesting twist that none of the local media have bothered to cover.

The vote to return Blount County to the Financial Acts of 1957 took place on August 17, 2006 and applied a July 1, 2007 effective date. This act was passed by the outgoing Commission. August 17th is exactly two weeks AFTER the Commissioners in question were first elected to serve on the County Commission and before they took office. They were elected on August 3, 2006

This vote to place Blount County under the Act of 1957 was done AFTER the outgoing Commission knew who the new mayor and the new commissioners would be. This was not done by those who would make up the Commission while under the Acts of 1957.

Sir, is there not some kind of equal protection clause in the Tennessee Constitution which prohibits such actions?

Wendy Pitts Reeves responds to the conflict of interest controversy at her blog. Here's an excerpt:

I will be resigning from the Highlands' Blount County provider panel this week. I have been reluctant to do so previously out of concern for how that might affect the handful of clients I currently see under that plan. However, I'll make sure they receive the care they need either way. This loss of income on my part is not really necessary, as I do not have any conflict of interest with the county (we've never voted on any contract with an insurance company for medical/mental health benefits; I do not receive any funds from Highlands Health Partnership; I have no control over what provider list they choose to use or, for that matter, who employees choose to use for their mental health care). Still, I don't want any of you to worry and I'm trying to keep things as simple and clear cut as possible.

Many of you may remember that I resigned from the Human Resource and Insurance Committee back at the start of this year, just in case I could some day have a conflict.

She will also be submitting the issue to the Ethics Committee since, as she notes, no one else has. And she will be recusing herself from the discussion, since it involves her. Read her statement at her blog.

From what is known so far, it appears that Commissioner Reeves has been aboveboard and acted with the utmost integrity throughout all of this, unlike some of her detractors. It seems like we need more of the former and less of the latter in local government.

“Because I was a stockholder in the bank, I transferred ownership of that stock to my wife,” he said. “... I e-mailed all the commissioners to that effect on Oct. 15, letting them know. Hopefully that will settle any issues that are out there.”

Link...

Does this answer anything?

Link...

In previous opinions
dealing with TENN. CODE ANN. § 12-4-101, this office has opined that when spouses commingle assets,a person has an indirect interest in any contract directly affecting his or her spouse’s employment. Ops.
Tenn. Atty. Gen.88-122 (July 13, 1988); 84-030 (January 27, 1984).

Does McDonald's have stricter rules for playing their version of Monopoly than we have in Blount County government?

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAY. The In-Store Game is open only to residents ..... Persons in any of the following categories are NOT eligible to participate or win prizes in the Game: (a) any person who on..... was or is a McDonald's restaurant franchise owner or employee or a director, officer, employee, agent, or independent contractor of Sponsor, Toys"R"Us, Inc., Foot Locker Retail, Inc., American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., Glu Mobile, Inc., RealNetworks, Inc., Hasbro, Inc., or any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliated companies or service agencies; .......persons who are immediate family members (defined as spouse, IRS dependent, or biological or step- mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son) of, or who reside in the same household as, any person in any of the preceding categors. The transfer of Game materials by an ineligible person to an eligible person is strictly prohibited. For ease of reference, Toys"R"Us, Inc., Foot Locker Retail, Inc., American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., Glu Mobile, Inc., and RealNetworks, Inc., are collectively referred to in these Official Rules as the "Prize Suppliers".

Before we begin you need to assemble the required components.

The state required form SS- 8005
Link...

The very important rules and guidelines to filing such forms Link...

The Blount County Ethics Policy / Code of Ethics found here Link...

Now, let's match these to what was disclosed at the June Blount County Commission Meeting.

It was only magnitude of 2.8, but--with the windows open--I happened to hear and feel this little tremor move through last night/early this morning.

The epicenter was just south of Maryville.

Hey BlountToday, your bias is showing!

Link...

What is it with the County and women? First we have an elected official who apparently does not like women regardless of race or religion. Now we have a County Mayor who circumvents the county's own ethics policy by running to CTAS for a legal opinion just because one women stands up, does her job and asks those hard questions.

Here is just one little old fact that the BT article misses and since it is obvious that at least one of the Commissioners who wants to see Reeves shut up leaked this I feel compelled to point this out. If they really, really think that having an agreement with the County's PPO that creates a situation where these health care providers MAY see county employees is a real conflict of interest then they are willing to sacrifice the Commission Chair as well.

Link...

There is much more to this and I know it will be explored but for now, this just shows that BT is willing to be the mayor's lapdog.

Now we need to ask what the status is of Mr. Commissioner Bankman because he was the subject of the AG Opinion and nothing to date has been publicly discussed regarding his situation.

[Ed. Note: "Mr. Commissioner Bankman" referenced above is Commissioner Mike Lewis, who is an officer and is (was?) a shareholder of Green Bank, which the county does business with.]

Blogger noted update. I have now attached the actual letter Commissioner Reeves gave the Commission when she resigned from the HR/Insurance Committee.

Once you have stood outside your home and watched glowing ambers rain down upon you like some nightmare blizzard... you never forget it. If you have watched a crystal blue sky morph your world into a sepia tone hell, you never forget it.

The same way you all might have prayed for those in NOLA you might consider doing the same for those in Southern Cal.