In a front page article, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports this morning:

Having won the Republican primary, Overbey will win the office because there is no Democratic opposition.

I guess Independent Ira Lapides dropped out and I didn't hear about it.

I emailed KNS Editor Jack McElroy to ask about it, and now the online version of the story has been altered:

Having won the Republican primary, Overbey will face Independent Ira Lapides of Gatlinburg in the general election in November.

So are they going to send someone out to 150,000 homes with Sharpies to correct the print edition?

They really shouldn't do this. They should put an editor's note at the bottom explaining that the original article had an error that was corrected online and that the print edition still contains the error. I don't think it helps their credibility when the print edition doesn't agree with the online version and there's no explanation as to why.

(But yeah, Overbey will "probably" win.)

Here.

Stopped by the Alcoa precinct at lunchtime. Business was slow. A poll worker said it had been slow all day, as slow as he recalls ever seeing it.

Just as I arrived, a couple of Meares campaign workers were being asked to move their post a little further away from the polling place door. It was the second time. Poll workers were measuring it off with what looked like a sewing tape or something.

Here's Meares campaign worker Zack Nyein manning his station in its final resting place.

They had first set up to the left of the dumpster, closer to the polling place entrance near the orange cones. The boundary was not clearly marked, so they were guessing. A poll worker came out and asked them to move a little further away, pointing to the sign across the parking lot near the street, which you can see next to the entrance near the phone poles (the short white sign).

Their second setup appeared to be outside the boundary, but someone complained anyway so they moved again to this spot. Hope they're still there, and not forced to moved over to Springbrook Park or something.

Local races to watch:

• Mike Meares v. David Duggan, Circuit Court Judge Div. II

• Patrica Bell v. Brad Long, School Board District 6

State primaries of interest:

• Jim Bishop v. Raymond Finney v. Doug Overbey, R TN SEN 08

• Steve Hargis v. Jim Melton v. Tona Monroe-Ball v. Bob Ramsey, R TN REP 20

More state races of interest at TennViews...

It has come to our attention that some voters may be receiving misleading phone calls regarding the vote tomorrow.

Here are the facts. There are three elections tomorrow: A state Democratic primary, a state Republican primary, and a Blount County general election.

Regardless of which party primary you vote in, all Blount County voters can vote in the Blount County general election, and your ballot will have ALL the Blount County general election candidates including Judge Mike Meares.

In other words, even if you vote in the Republican primary, you can vote for Judge Mike Meares in the Blount County general election.

If anyone calls you saying otherwise or someone from the local Republican establishment tries to confuse you on this, you should ask yourself a simple question: who is for legitimate elected government by the people and who is fighting democracy by way of misinformation and voter disenfranchisement? Then vote accordingly.

(You should also ask yourself why the local Republican establishment would insult your intelligence by suggesting you are stupid enough to believe such nonsense.)

Tomorrow (Thursday) is an important day in Blount County. It's when we vote. Voting is a right paid for in blood and a duty we must honor.

Voting is the only say we have in government. Wealthy businessman and lawyers seem to believe government is for sale to the highest bidder. Don't let them get away with it. All the money in Blount County can't buy your vote unless you let it by sitting idly by. Your vote is yours and yours alone. Use it, and use it wisely.

This is your chance to have your voice heard. Send a message: Government by the People, for the People.

Thursday Aug. 7th is election day. Don't forget to vote.

Here are the precincts by district.

Here are the precinct locations.

Here's the Democratic Primary sample ballot.

Here's the Republican Primary sample ballot.

Here are E-slate voting machine instructions.

UPDATE: There are three elections tomorrow. A Democratic state primary, a Republican state primary, and a county general election. Regardless of which primary you choose to vote in, the county general election candidates will be on your ballot and you can vote for them.

Early voting totals for Blount County:

Total early votes: 4976 (7.9%)
Democratic Primary: 1003
Republican Primary: 3936

Feb. 08 Primary early votes: 4577 (6.5%)
Aug. 06 General early votes: 3852 (5.1%)

Early voting turnout for Thursday's Aug. 7th 2008 county general and state primary election was 7.9% of active registered voters, significantly higher than the state average of 6.1%.

UPDATE: Here's a puzzler. Active registered voters:

June 2004: 64,396
June 2005: 71,992
June 2006: 75,065
June 2007: 67,238
June 2008: 62,702

Note the decline from 2006 to 2008. This makes the 7.9% turnout figure suspect. What happened to the 12,000+ registered voters who disappeared between June 2006 and June 2008? Did ol' Jerry run off all those people who weren't from around here?

(Source)

UPDATE: For comparison:

UPDATE: Blount Co. Administrator of Elections Libby Breeding explains. She took over in 2007. Previously, the count of active registered voters was being maintained by hand. When she compared it to the computerized records, there was a huge discrepancy. She did not want to file a certified report based on suspect numbers, so she asked the Tennessee Division of Elections for guidance. They approved "starting over" using the more accurate computer counts.

Maryville Daily Times, quoting Doug Overbey:

"...I have been called names in this campaign that I never imagined would occur in a Republican primary. That's unfortunate. The public deserves better. What the public wants is candidates and office-holders to engage in a discussion of the issues -- not name calling."

What happened, did someone call him a "monkey?"

Overbey has criticized Finney for voting to change the state's BEP education funding formula, sending "$13 million to Memphis."

One ad about eduction funding reportedly featured African-American elected officials in Memphis. So what's the message there, Mr. Overbey?

He also forgot to mention that our next-door neighbors in Knox Co. got extra funding under the new formula, too, thanks to the efforts of the Republican Knox Co. Mayor. So why pick on Memphis?

UPDATE: Finney lowers the bar even further, suggesting in a giant, full page ad in today's Maryville Daily Times that "Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels" would approve of Overbey's campaign tactics. Godwin's law at work.

Maryville Daily Times

A Taxpayer Bill of Rights would keep state spending under control, Melton said.

"That provides for controlling spending and controlling increases in taxes ... (after) two years of surpluses, the surplus would be refunded to the taxpayers. Right now it's spent, which increases spending for the next cycle. We need to get some kind of controls on spending. Taxes are not the issue. Spending is the issue."

I used to think this was an idea worth at least discussing.

But then I recalled the words of conservative idiot Grover Norquist, who said "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

Here's the truth about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

TABOR shrinks the scope of what government can accomplish and creates conditions that each year pit programs and services against each other for survival. And once such limits are embedded in a state constitution, they usually cannot be removed or modified. They undermine existing services for children, youth, and families and make any new initiatives virtually impossible to undertake.

In Colorado- the only state with a TABOR, voters decided in November 2005 to suspend their TABOR amendment for five years so that the state could begin restoring cuts in public services and avoid making even more drastic cuts.

That's what this is really all about. We're not satisfied being near last in education, health care, etc. We're clawing our way to the bottom, and these "no tax" conservatives pander to low-information voters who haven't figured that out yet.

The Maryville Daily Times profiles the race between Judge Mike Meares and Judge David Duggan for Circuit Court District II.

I found this part particularly amusing:

Duggan again emphasized his philosophy, when asked about his qualifications.

"I believe in judicial restraint," he said. "I believe that a judge needs to understand, and I do understand, that a courtroom does not provide political balance. Politics should never come into the equation. Once you go through those doors and the witnesses are put under oath, it should not matter ... I understand that."

This doesn't square with Duggan's campaign rhetoric. His yard signs say "Republican Candidate." His website features a page called "Why I'm a Republican," with a photo of Ronald Reagan. Another section touts Duggan's work for the Republican party and how he worked on Reagan's first (losing) presidential campaign. Another section includes a long essay about how Duggan came to be a Republican and how he embraces the conservative movement.

This is so typical of modern conservatives. Just like the Bush Administration's "Clear Skies" and "Clean Water" and "Healthy Forests," they tell you down is up and black is white and pretty soon voters are so confused they don't know what to believe or worse start believing the spin.

In sharp contrast, there is no mention at all of Judge Mike Meares' political affiliations on his campaign signs, in his literature, or on his website.

Furthermore, if Judge Mike Meares tells you something, you can believe it. You don't have to read between the lines or look behind the curtain and you don't have to check with the party bosses or local political establishment to figure out what he's really saying or whether it's true. It just is. And he doesn't hide behind surrogates sent out to attack his opponent. He is open, accessible, and stands up in public to say what he thinks is best for the future of Blount County.

Whatever happens in this election, the citizens of Blount County owe Judge Meares a debt of gratitude for doing his job (working unfortunately in a hostile environment), draining the swamp, and straightening out some problems with the operation of the local courts -- all for the benefit of Blount County citizens instead of the political party bosses who have a pathological need to maintain heavy-handed control over every aspect of Blount County government, including the courts.

Blount Today had excerpts of a public letter from Judge Mike Meares to David Black in response to a personal letter Black previously sent to Meares and also copied to Blount Today.

The full text of Judge Meares' letter is attached.

Another excerpt:

I believe in the principles and ideals of our Constitution and our legal system and I will do more than anyone else to bring those high ideas into practice. Almost every day now I read and re-read Canon 2 of the Judicial Code of Conduct and question myself about whether my actions will promote "public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."

These are the values Blount County citizens and voters should seek in our judges.

Blount Today covers last Saturday's BBQ rally for Judge Meares. They estimate turnout at 350. The article includes some quotes from attendees.

Judge Mike Meares sits down with BlountViews.com this morning at his campaign headquarters to talk about the election:

Early voting is underway, and election day is a little less than three weeks away. Here are our endorsements.

County General:

Circuit Court Judge, Division II: Judge Mike Meares
School Board, 6th District: Patricia Ann Bell

Primaries:

U.S. House 2nd District: Bob Scott (D)
U.S. Senate: Bob Tuke

A short clip of Judge Mike Meares speaking at today's campaign rally. This pretty much sums up what this election is all about:

(Click image to enlarge...)

Early voting for the August 7th state primary and county general elections starts tomorrow, July 18th and continues through August 2nd. There are three early voting locations. Any registered voter can vote at any location. First time voters who registered by mail should bring your voter registration card or photo ID. The locations and hours are:

Election Commission Office
383 Court Street
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Everett Gym
3185 Everett High Road
Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
No Saturday voting

Pellissippi State Technical Community College
1010 Middlesettlements Road
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
No Saturday voting

Sample ballots:

County local and Democratic state primary

County local and Republican state primary

The meeting is tomorrow, Thursday, July 17th, at 5:30PM.

Here is the agenda.

UPDATE:

• Maryville Daily Times

• Knoxville News Sentinel

• Blount Today

Previously...

In case you were wondering what all this "Judge Meares stuff" was about, here is the official finding of fact with regard to statements made to the local media about Blount County court rules and the statistical reporting of case dispositions.

It's some very interesting reading, in terms of all the misinformation being tossed around from another judge, the court clerk, and local lawyers, and I don't have time to summarize it for you right now. Better to read the whole thing and judge for yourself.

You probably won't read about it in the papers, unless the Knoxville paper decides to distort it for the benefit of the local political bosses.

If you're just looking for the bottom line, here it is...

We got an unusual flyer in the mail today. It came with a hand written address to me (with no return address) from a Knoxville post office.

It says that Judge Duggan, as the Alcoa City Attorney, "devised a scheme" in which the city would reduce sentences in drug and alcohol cases in exchange for cash from the defendants. It quotes a Maryville Daily Times article from 1999 to back the claim.

I have no idea if this is true, and I don't know why I received it. But then again, I've had some pretty strange and disturbing correspondence since starting this blog, including some that referenced my home address, which I have never published, my phone number, which is unlisted, and my driver's license number, which isn't public record.

At any rate, a person I trust who is connected with the Judge Meares campaign told me that his campaign was not responsible for the mailing, and that whoever did it may be hoping that Judge Meares gets blamed for it.

That sounds about right to me. Unless it's someone trying to "help" Judge Meares. In which case they should stop trying to "help" and get back on the high road with Judge Meares. Either way, whoever sent this out ought to own up to it and explain their motivation.

Here's the mailer. Judge for yourself.

UPDATE: From comments, the Maryville Daily Times article from 1999.

There was some drama at the City of Alcoa Board of Commissioners meeting last night when a rezoning got postponed due to an apparent sunshine law violation.

The meeting will be held in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building at 223 Associates Blvd., off of Hall Road (off of Alcoa Hwy.).

Location: City of Alcoa Municipal Building – Commission Chambers

The Planning Commission reviews and approves site and concept plans for the development and/or re-development of commercial, office, industrial and planned sites, as well as all minor and major subdivision plats. The Planning Commission also makes recommendations to the Board of Commissioners regarding amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Maps, annexations, zoning assignments and re-designations, amendments to the Zoning and Land Use Control and Standards for Land Subdivision text, as well as any other recommendations which guide the City’s growth and development.

Maryville Daily Times:

Increasing the property tax rate 1-2 cents a year to account for growth — and to pay for things like pay raises for deputies — would go a long way to alleviating funding problems, Cunningham said.

Actually once again I have to agree with Mayor Cunningham on principle (alert the media!), but not necessarily on execution.

How much did that BCSO SWATmobile cost? And didn't they build a fancy new racetrack or something? And a shooting range or something? Is all that really necessary? And what about all these federal prisoners, and wanting to spend money to take in more of them? Shouldn't we be looking out for Blount Co. citizens and getting local criminals off the street instead of babysitting somebody else's problems?

Anyway, yes, Blount Co. Sheriff's Deputies should be paid more and their pay should be in line with other law enforcement agencies in the area.

P.S. Shouldn't growth sort of take care of itself by way of an expanding property tax base? Or is this an admission that property taxes don't cover the cost of infrastructure and local government services for new development?

The Knoxville paper, remarking on a Blount Co. judicial election, says "...once elected, judges are mandated to put aside political alliances and allegiance to campaign contributors as they do their job."

We couldn't agree more.

Which is why we are happy to learn that Judge Mike Meares refuses to accept campaign contributions from lawyers because he believes justice should not be "for sale."

In fact, Judge Meares is part of a growing nationwide movement for judicial campaign finance reform, led by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who is campaigning for massive changes to the way judges get elected.

You can read more about it in a press release after the jump...

The meeting will be held in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building at 223 Associates Blvd., off of Hall Road (off of Alcoa Hwy.).

The Knoxville News Sentinel says plaintiff's attorney did not follow procedures.

The latest roundup at TennViews...

The latest Blount Co. GOP dispatch to the Knoxville News Sentinel is puzzling. Judge Young sounds like he's running for something. I thought the race was between Meares and Duggan?