Tue
Nov 13 2007
10:08 am
Knox County Law Director rewrites Open Meetings Act
By: R. Neal

Knox County Law Director John Owings has issued a recommendation to the Tennessee Legislature's Open Meetings Subcommittee.

In his petulant response to the recent trial and questions raised, he proposes to basically rewrite the Open Meetings act to make everything that happened on Jan. 31st A-OK.

There's just too much good stuff to single out one best part, but this is pretty good:

Please make it clear that if there is no discussion about a matter at a meeting, but instead, a motion, second, a call for discussion, no discussion, and a vote, that is not a violation of the act.

Why not go ahead and make it "a motion, a second, a recess to go discuss it in the hall and decide you need another vote and get a judge down to swear somebody in and when you get caught doing that give somebody else a copy of the oath and directions to the judge's office to get sworn in and seated and THEN vote" it is not a violation.

(They way it's written, is Owings suggesting that people might think things have already been decided if there's no discussion? Where would they get that idea?)

The whole thing is based on the premise that county business will grind to a halt because commissioners are now afraid to speak to one another. Nobody who has been paying attention is aware of any such prohibition in the Open Meetings Act. Who does The county law director represent -- Knox County and its citizens, or Scooby and Lumpy?

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trobinson's picture

turn the scoundrel out

Submitted by trobinson on Tue, 2007/11/13 - 11:42am.

Advice that leads to lawsuits...
Rolling appointments...
Anti-Sunshine...

I hope everyone realizes that we can vote Mr. Owings out of office.
Bill Lockett looks better, at least his resume looks better. Who else is running?

Rachel's picture

Panel "retreats" from Sunshine proposal

Submitted by Rachel on Tue, 2007/11/13 - 11:33pm.

Because four is just, you know, a good number.

Gee, Commissioner Hammond, if a quorum of nine folks was "too many", why did you support it in the first place?

Note the close vote. Public pressure must be making itself felt.

"The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones." - John Maynard Keynes

Scott Emge's picture

delete

Submitted by Scott Emge on Tue, 2007/11/13 - 5:41pm.

delete

R. Neal's picture

Aw, that was pretty funny.

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 2007/11/13 - 6:28pm.

Aw, that was pretty funny.

Anonymous's picture

County Attorney

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007/11/14 - 7:27am.

The legal advisor for Sevier County, Jerry McCarter has given legal advice to the county on several occassions that was not only wrong but turned out to be against our state laws. And nothing was done about it. No one seems to care that the taxpayers get such lousy, incompotent service from their employees. It is a disgrace.

Canpflier's picture

Open Meetings

Submitted by Canpflier on Thu, 2007/11/15 - 12:48am.

Man, speaking of petulant, and petty, and obnoxious, and misrepresenting Owings statement, and...

Well, to the point, it is very clear that Owings is suggesting clarification of the areas of the law which are ambiguous and therefor engender further litigation. Not a single suggestion in his statement even so much as hints at undercutting the fundamental policies of the Act, and would serve the laudable purpose of clarity and finality.

It's really sad when a subject this serious and essential leads some to engage in hyperbole and ridicule without understanding. And as for the post that suggests Owings is somehow lacking in qualifications, that could only come from someone not paying the slightest bit of attention. But let's not let the facts get in our way when its sooo much more fun to ridicule, eh? By comparison, Lockett has no experience representing a public entity approaching the size and complexity of Knox County. The Commission's violation is not the first matter the Law Department has been engaged in representing the County in over the last year, and the Department's record is outstanding! And we better want experience in that office, else we all pay the price for...well, for petulance.

WhitesCreek's picture

C,

Submitted by WhitesCreek on Thu, 2007/11/15 - 7:16am.

Pardon me, but where exactly is one of the "facts" you say would get in the way"? There doesn't seem to be one in your post.

The Commission's actions broke the law...Owings proposal would appear to make those actions legal in the future.

That would appear to allow the People's business to be conducted in the hallways without the people's knowledge.

It also appears that the only folks who want the law changed to allow this are those who gain by hiding their actions.

rikki's picture

It's really sad when a

Submitted by rikki on Thu, 2007/11/15 - 1:00pm.

It's really sad when a subject this serious and essential leads some to engage in hyperbole and ridicule without understanding

Yeah, I just cried myself a riv...oh, wait, I wet myself laughing. Sorry, never mind.

The only thing clear from Owings' request is that he has grown frustrated trying to teach children how to behave.

You seem to be suggesting that a law which "engenders litigation" must be flawed. Is that your standard?

I doubt I am the only person who feels this lawsuit was triggered not by vagaries in the statute, but by wee-wee breaks, inappropriate swearings in and the general disregard for order evident on Jan. 31.

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