County mayor gives state of the county message [1]

"There's a mind-set that business here is done by good old boys in dark, smoke-filled back rooms, and it's going to take a while for us to change that, but we're trying to make government as open and transparent as possible.

"Openness drives accountability and we're going to keep it open and look for ways to make it more open."

Mayor Cunningham gave his "state of the county" remarks to 50 members of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce. The guy is tone deaf when it comes to politics, and it overshadows what was an otherwise favorable report.

(I do find it curious that he seems to be satisfied with Blount County school performance as compared to Maryville and Alcoa. But the Mayor appears to measure it in terms of bond ratings rather than achievement, graduation rates, and the like.)