Sat
Apr 8 2006
10:33 am
Knox County write-in candidates
By: R. Neal

As mentioned yesterday, eleven people (so far) are mounting write-in campaigns for the Knox County Commission primary and have filed the necessary certifications.

On the one hand, it's great that the controversy over term-limits has new candidates interested in seeking office. Government can always use fresh ideas.

On the other hand, where were all these people for the last twelve years? For that matter, why weren't Democrats going to put up challengers in some of these districts that they're now scrambling to find write-in candidates for? I'm sure the excuse is that the incumbents were so entrenched there wasn't any point, and that's all changed now thanks to a court ruling.

It's sad that the opposition party isn't even willing to fill out some forms and get a few signatures to get names on a ballot. The candidates don't have to spend money. They don't have to buy signs or bumper stickers or ad spots. They don't even have to campaign. Just get some names on the ballot so voters have a choice. Submissive behavior is how incumbents get so entrenched in the first place, and how power gets consolidated in the hands of a few.

But low voter turnout, general apathy, and dysfunctional tolerance for ignoring term limits the voters themselves enacted twelve years ago tell the real story. Everyone's happy with the status quo, and nobody cares about local government except a few reporters, assorted political junkies, and the usual power broker suspects.

OK, then.

Topics:
Bill Young's picture

Democratic Meeting

Submitted by Bill Young (not verified) on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 12:24pm.

Come to the Democratic Party meeting April 20th(party website has time & place).Is there Netroots in Knox County..or is it just a cool book book to read(Crashing the Gates)?I've been postin' on this thing about how the law is on our side to make sure back room deals don't happen in the Democratic Party if we go to Convention.If the people are silent a deaf man can hear.

Brehd Patchley's picture

Write-in candidates

Submitted by Brehd Patchley (not verified) on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 12:51pm.

It's certainly going to be scary around these here parts.  My alter ego is actually filling out paperwork today, so we'll have at least 12 write-in candidates by Monday.

I would certainly love an opportunity to serve the community.  So why not give it a try?  Not being one of the usual power broker suspects, this could be rather challenging for me.  I do, however, hope to continue seeing bits of humor in this as I go.

Keep up the good fight! 

R. Neal's picture

Good for your, Brehd, and

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 1:30pm.

Good for your, Brehd, and good luck!

Bill, feel free to setup an account (see the link at the bottom of the login box at top left) and start posting news/info re. local Dem party activities. You can use the schedule (create->event) to add events to the calendar. See the "About KnoxViews" for info on how to get started.

Beyond that, it looks like the KnoxDems site ((link...)) could use some help getting organized and keeping updated.

Nobody has a good contact databaase/meetup/e-mail campaign site yet. I had hoped to offer that here, and still intend to but it looks like I will have to wait for another release of the software to have a better foundation in place to hook in or build all the tools.

Bill Young's picture

Democrats

Submitted by Bill Young (not verified) on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 3:05pm.

Thanx,I will...but with what we got now can we "let the word go forth" about how important it is to go to the Democratic meeting April 20th?Time is not on our side.This is the only public meeting before May 2nd. 

Paul Witt's picture

...

Submitted by Paul Witt on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 4:21pm.

Four things: 

1) Putting your name on the ballot against an incumbent also puts your name, address and phone number on a very public list.

2) What's wrong with the knoxdemocrats.org website?

3) Some Democrats do have their websites up and running.

4) We need volunteers for May 2nd.  Feel like helping?

R. Neal's picture

Paul:1. I don't get your

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 4:44pm.

Paul:

1. I don't get your point. Are you suggesting candidates should be able to run anonymously?

2. It's a very nice website, with a lot of potential. It just isn't updated very often. It looks like "KnoxDem" is the only person posting much of anything. Jim Gray hasn't posted anything on the "Chairman's Notes" page since Feb. 6. With everything that's been going on, you'd think he might have more to say. And I don't see anything about the April 20 meeting agenda, the write-in movement, or the overall strategy for what the term-limits mean or how to exploit what possible opportunity there may be. The "Democracy for Knoxville" seems to be more active and have more current information.

3. I just saw links to those websites today on the KnoxDems blog. Note: any registered user can add a link to the blogroll here. Just click on "Create Content --> local link". For that matter, anyone can create an account and post news updates, calls to action, calendar entries with meeting agendas, etc. I might suggest KnoxDems give any local candidates passwords and let them post directly on the blog and the calender about news, statements on issues, chili dinners, or whatever.

4. I will probably be helping out Democrat Joe Gallagher with his bid for County Mayor over here in Blount Co. (Who is it again the Democrats are running against Ragsdale over there in Knox Co.? :)

edens's picture

 Just FYI, Randy, the

Submitted by edens on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 4:50pm.

 

Just FYI, Randy, the longest serving incumbent getting pitched out by the Supreme Court decision is Billy Tindell, a democrat. I'm pretty sure he was originally running unopposed.  

R. Neal's picture

Edens, that's correct.

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 4:58pm.

Edens, that's correct. Tindell is running unopposed. So is Diane Jordan. I don't know how long Tindell has been in office. I would have guessed Mary Lou Horner had been in the longest. But Republicans had no Democratic opposition seeking the nomination in, I believe, twelve districts.

Although, it's not much better over here in Blount Co. See my previous post on the "Blount Co. Election Guide". There are 15 commission seats with no Democrats seeking nomination. By my count there are only 10 democrats running out of 78 candidates.

Bill Young's picture

Democrats

Submitted by Bill Young (not verified) on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 6:50pm.

Paul Witt is on the Democratic Committee.All over this here site I've been talkin' about how the Committee is allowed ,by Tennessee code,to open the Democratic Convention up to more than 82 people(there are 126 slots,only 82 are currently filled;by contrast the GOP has Committee has 1,500 members.)I don't have a vote on the Committee.But all Knox CountyDemocrats have dog in the hunt.

BillYoung's picture

Good Ole Billy

Submitted by BillYoung (not verified) on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 7:55pm.

Good ole Billy Tindell,you may not agree with Billy,but he's a good guy.Ole Billy got elected,the first time, the same day:Millionare,thats right millionare, John Jay Hooker won the Democratic nomination for Governor(lost to Winfield Dunn)...Al Gore ,Sr. barely beat Nashville T.V. guy Hudley Crockett for the U.S.Senate nomination(lost to Bill Brock)..that same year:George Wallace got elected Governor in what many say was the meanest campaign in American history(Nixon gave his opponent 500,000) Down in Georgia:Gov.Lester Maddox got elected Lt.Governor...Jimmy Carter got elected Governor.Vols won the Sugar Bowl & Bridge over Troubled Water was the top tune.For the dirty dozen were humming"turn out the lights...the partys over."

R. Neal's picture

Damn, I wasn't even old

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 8:04pm.

Damn, I wasn't even old enough to vote then!

JustJohnny's picture

amazed

Submitted by JustJohnny on Sat, 2006/04/08 - 10:30pm.

I'm just thrilled something has finally motivated democrats in Knox county to run for something. The local party is known not known for turning out candidates lately.

Bill, if you want netroots, try the yahoo group. While the messages are normally mid-far left, i find that several of the list contributors are very active.

There seems to be two branches of the party here in Knox county --the ones who talk about doing stuff and the ones who do stuff.

I hope that the party can keep the momentum it is gaining and grow stronger and 'keep doing stuff'!

Man, what a way to leave a word out....

Paul Witt's picture

1) My point is that for a

Submitted by Paul Witt on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 2:12pm.

1) My point is that for a lot of people in this area, their job or their ability to find clients might be hurt by challenging a long-term incumbent.  So no, it's not that easy to find a candidate.

2 & 3) I'll make sure to pass along your comments.

4) Good.  Joe's a good guy.  I've gotten no word on a write-in challenger for Ragsdale and I'm not holding my breath.

As to what Bill Young said... There are plenty of places for people to get involved in the Democratic Party and get on the Executive Committee.  I would suggest that if someone wants a say at times like this, then they need to get involved when things are less interesting too.  If anyone wants to get involved just go to the website, find a meeting and show up.  It's not like we're going to turn people away.

Bill Young's picture

Democrats

Submitted by Bill Young (not verified) on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 2:53pm.

I appreciate what Paul said but as a Democratic Party officer, you have a vote on the Committee.Would you vote to allow more than just the Committee(82 folks right now & potentially 126) to be delagates to a convention?Futhermore,are you in favor of holding County Commission District Commission Conventions to nominate County Commission Candidates? 

Paul Witt's picture

I believe I answered that

Submitted by Paul Witt on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 3:33pm.

I believe I answered that already but to clarify, no I don't support that.  The only way to be sure that the people that are voting on such things are actually Democrats, is to leave it up to the Executive Committee.  Conventions of any kind would bring with it the potential for outside influence.

Bill Young's picture

Democrats

Submitted by Bill Young (not verified) on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 4:00pm.

I disagree with Mr.Witt.I believe,if needed, that the in the three county commission districts effected by the court ruling,Democrats should hold District Conventions & that everybody that votes in the county commission district Democratic Primary should be allowed to vote in that county commission district convention.I consider myself a Democrat.However, in 30+years of voting I have voted in two Republican Primarys;in '74 I voted for Ben Hooper for state senator over Z Buda & in'02 I voted for Cathy Quist over Lillian Bean.I believe both those votes were good government votes. 

R. Neal's picture

The only way to be sure that

Submitted by R. Neal on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 4:13pm.

The only way to be sure that the people that are voting on such things are actually Democrats, is to leave it up to the Executive Committee.

You can get a list from the KCEC of who voted in the Democratic Primary and match the names of people voting in a convention as Bill Young suggests.

Paul Witt's picture

Anybody can vote in either

Submitted by Paul Witt on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 5:26pm.

Anybody can vote in either primary.  That is in no way a valid indication of someone's party preference.

R. Neal's picture

Yes, that is correct. And

Submitted by R. Neal on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 5:45pm.

Yes, that is correct. And there is no party designation on voter registration in Tennessee, and that's as it should be. What are the Knox Dems so worried about?

Paul Witt's picture

Not a thing actually. Thanks

Submitted by Paul Witt on Sun, 2006/04/09 - 7:23pm.

Not a thing actually. Thanks for asking.

JustJohnny's picture

road kill

Submitted by JustJohnny on Mon, 2006/04/10 - 1:06am.

Instead of hovering over these seats like road kill now, it would have been better to see candidates run for them outright. While I am certainly not opposed to a strong write in campaign ---where in the heck was all this excitement before? Anyway....when opportunity knocks...

If we always do what we always done we'll always get what we always got.

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