Fri
Jun 29 2007
10:58 am

For those who might not have seen it, here is the latest in the Deathmania match between Herb Moncier and Tim Hutchison.

My first thought when I read this article was that the chancellor did about what she should have done, given what was presented to her.

My second thought was that the Sheriff Department's moving Hutchison to another position where he would allegedly qualify for his big bucks pension even if he is decertified is more of the same pungent good old boy shinola we've come to expect from Knox County government, in my opinion.

My third thought was that, when Hutchison dies, Herb will seek an injunction preventing burial until Herb can: 1) open the casket, 2) determine by DNA testing that it is indeed the body of Tim Hutchison in the casket, 3) establish by competent expert medical testimony that the body is indeed dead, and 4) drive a silver stake through its heart.

My fourth thought was that, before Herb can file his motion, the Knox County Sheriff Office will have had the body placed in a hermetically sealed titanium ICBM casing, buried in an abandoned nuclear missile silo, and encased in a mile of steel reinforced cement. A referendum on burial of the missile will have been held before this is done, presenting the move in a six figure PR campaign as an anti-terrorist measure necessary to the survival of Knox County, and having no significant financial impact. The day before the referendum, it will come out that Hutchison's body will be buried in the missile, and that it will cost the taxpayers five million dollars. The referendum will nonetheless pass 51% to 49%.

I sometimes get carried away, but it helps to have inspiration.

R. Neal's picture

That's pretty funny. I was

That's pretty funny.

I was wondering if Moncier is able to get Hutchison retroactively de-certified, does that mean everybody who ever spent a night in Knox Count Jail after that date was falsely imprisoned?

What about warrants and all that kind of stuff? Do they have to throw out all the cases since then?

Could be another gold mine for Herb!

CBT's picture

This is ridiculous. Tim

This is ridiculous. Tim Hutchison served in almost every position within the Sheriff's Office from jailor to patrol officer to being elected an unprecedented five terms as Knox County Sheriff. He's been in that office for close to 30 years. He was elected National Sheriff of the Year by his peers.

The hundreds who turned out to say hello a few weeks ago are a testament to his popularity with the citizens in Knox County. He deserves his pension. Herb needs to give it up.

Knoxquerious's picture

He was elected National

He was elected National Sheriff of the Year by his peers.

Primarily because of his ability to squash consolidated government, not because he was a great guy as sheriff. Herb should give it a rest though.

Rachel's picture

Yes, Herb's on a vendetta.

Yes, Herb's on a vendetta. Or he's just plain nuts. I don't know the man but his obession with Shurf Tim is downright creepy.

But yes, Hutchison was convicted of contempt of court. All he had to do was turn over the documents he was required to turn over. He refused.

cafkia's picture

hmmm

If the hundreds who turned out are a testament to his popularity, what are the scores of thousands who did NOT turn out a testament to?

CAFKIA

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo

Johnny Ringo's picture

If the hundreds who turned

If the hundreds who turned out are a testament to his popularity, what are the scores of thousands who did NOT turn out a testament to?

Apathy?

Mark Siegel's picture

I don't have a horse in the race.

Herb's on a vendetta.

Hutchison pulled a fast one on the taxpayers getting an $85,000 a year for life pension out of that "let's do what's right for the guys at risk on the street" campaign they used to approve the new multimillion dollar pension system which wasn't supposed to cost anything.

When assessing Hutchison's belovedness, however, you might want to remember that Randy Tyree spent in the mid-four figure range against him in the last election and got 47 or 48% of the vote. And way more citizens of Knox County didn't turn out to say hello than did.

CBT's picture

When assessing Hutchison's

When assessing Hutchison's belovedness, however, you might want to remember that Randy Tyree spent in the mid-four figure range against him in the last election and got 47 or 48% of the vote. And way more citizens of Knox County didn't turn out to say hello than did.

I encourage you to look at the precinct breakdown. The Sheriff runs in the city and county. The city also has a Democrat majority. Randy had some built-in votes. However, the Sheriff primarily serves the county, at least in the services visible to most citizens. In those county areas Hutchison wins by wide margins. So, where he's known best, he's liked the most. That's what got him elected 5 times.

If the hundreds who turned out are a testament to his popularity, what are the scores of thousands who did NOT turn out a testament to?

Show me any other local elected official who can leave office and draw a few hundred to a reception (many of whom stood in line for more than an hour just to say thanks).

Rachel's picture

However, the Sheriff

However, the Sheriff primarily serves the county, at least in the services visible to most citizens.

Yup. Even tho those of us in the City also pay his salary.

CBT's picture

And that of Mayor Ragsdale,

And that of Mayor Ragsdale, the Register of Deeds, Trustee, court clerks, etc., etc. For good or ill, we have two governments here and pay for same.

Rachel's picture

And that of Mayor Ragsdale,

And that of Mayor Ragsdale, the Register of Deeds, Trustee, court clerks, etc., etc. For good or ill, we have two governments here and pay for same.

Yes, but I get services from these folks. I get zippy from Shurf Tim. As you know.

Bbeanster's picture

Now, Rachel, That's easily

Now, Rachel,
That's easily remedied -- all you have to do is get arrested and spend a night Chez Tim...

James D.'s picture

Sheriff = January 31, 2007

Herb needs to give it up, but Hutch will be known as the ringleader of Black Wednesday...that's his legacy.

I'm open to hearing any reasonable argument to defend his actions in that debacle. Scott Moore was, and still is, nothing but the Shurf's right hand man.

CBT's picture

Yes, but I get services from

Yes, but I get services from these folks. I get zippy from Shurf Tim. As you know.

Uhh...I know you might not personally get the service, but the Sheriff's Office operates the intake center (for city and county), jail (Maloneyville), maximum security jail (which is and always has been right in the CC Building), assists with investigation of crimes inside the City (Metro Unit, you'll note the recent cooperation with the Christian/Newsom murders), provides courthouse security, transports prisoners (caught in the city or county) to court and is in charge of security officers in all schools.

The city does not have these facilities and does not have to provide for them financially. Not the visible stuff, as in patrols by Sheriff's Office cars in county neighborhoods, but 'services' nonetheless to folks inside and outside the city. I suspect you get more day-to-day 'services' from the Sheriff's Office than any other office in the courthouse.

Bbeanster's picture

Chad, give this one

Chad, give this one up.
Unless we avail ourselves of a weekend in jail or get served with a lawsuit, city residents do not get much bang for our buck from the sheriff, and tht's just a fact.

Mark Siegel's picture

Masterful job deflecting the

Masterful job deflecting the thread down dark side alleys, Chad. We wouldn't want people talking about whether the ex-sheriff should be decertified.

I salute you.

CBT's picture

Herb's on a witch hunt. See

Herb's on a witch hunt. See story in today's paper for further proof.

Betty, I understand there are few direct services, but if the city arrests someone, they take 'em to the intake center or jail operated by the Sheriff. The city doesn't have to hire and pay jailers, build and maintain a jail, etc., etc. There are services provided for city residents. These are functions of government which must be provided (at a cost) whether I personally avail myself of a weekend stay in the pokey or not.

bill young's picture

My 2 cents

1.The unending battle between KPD & KCSD.Which split the city Republicans on Hutchison.Some voted against him;others could not bring themselves to vote Democrat & sat it out.But Hutchison won every time.

2.The contra fund battle.
If memory serves me,the contra fund consoldated monies in every county dept that were not in the day to day operating budget into one fund to create a higher yield.To drawn down this fund the dept head,in this case the Sheriff,had to fill out a request form & the Sheriff argued that those funds were funded specifically for the sheriffs dept & he should not have to go through anybody to draw down those funds.This battle peaked with Hutchison saying there was no gas for patrol cars;so he was going to park em.Hutchison won.

3.The Metro Charter committee supporting the top cop being appointed & the Sheriff being reduced to the chief jailer.
When the charter came to a vote Hutchison opposed it.He won,again.

4.Hutchison was appointed,by county commission,to head some sort of jail construction/site committee.Things were going good for Sheriff Hutchison.

However,these battles took their toll,lawsuits piled up,one resulting with a contempt of court ruling & Sheriff Hutchison's vote totals went down & every race was harder than the last.
Hutchison's vote totals

'94-36,443
'98-34,084
'02-30,093
'06-25,777

Rachel's picture

Hutchison was appointed,by

Hutchison was appointed,by county commission,to head some sort of jail construction/site committee.

Commission took the construction manager job away from PBA and gave it to Shurf Tim. That one backfired. That, along with vehement community opposition, killed the downtown jail, giving us the lovely unused parking lot on State Street.

Bbeanster's picture

That was the single biggest

That was the single biggest political mistake TH ever made, IMO.

He and his guys were into it with Mike Edwards of the PBA, who was blaming them (unfairly, IMO) for cost-overruns at the jail -- so by gawd, Tim just up and took the project over. Booted Haslam off the PBA board, too, which the NS editorialized was a "tragedy." Or maybe a travesty. One of those T-words.

Anyhow, the whole justice center deal was doomed from that day on.

CBT's picture

And the county kept the

And the county kept the what...55 cent...tax increase for the justice center, no justice center was built and the maximum security prisoners are still housed in the city-county building (you can hear them on the main level occasionally).

Johnny Ringo's picture

Tommy Schumpert used a part

Tommy Schumpert used a part of that money to build/upgrade some of the county elementary and middle schools, and the rest is currently being put to use building a new pod at the Maloneyville detention facility, something that is long overdue.

Knoxquerious's picture

He didn’t ask permission.

He didn’t ask permission. He didn’t hold meetings. He didn’t hire a consultant.

He just did it.

He is a man of action, doing what he wants, when he wants and how he wants.

Boy, the News Sentinel says a mouthful right there. How are those statements relative lately? Oh yea, the appointment process.

This guy was the director, executive producer and fluffer of what Knox County knows as "Black Wednesday". I am going to borrow a page out of the deciders playbook...Your either with shady backroom deals and good ole boy appointments on Black Wednesday or your against shady backroom deals and good ole boy appointments on Black Wednesday.

CBT's picture

This guy was the director,

This guy was the director, executive producer and fluffer of what Knox County knows as "Black Wednesday".

What proof do you have that Tim Hutchison caused Phil Guthe to repeatedly pass and refuse to vote to put Mayor Ragsdale's candidate (Scott Davis) in the Dist. 4 seat vacated by John Schmid? I mean, generally speaking Guthe has never been a Hutchison supporter. If Guthe had voted to break the tie and put Davis in (which he had, what, 4 or 5 chances to do?), we would have never had the multiple recesses or a Bolus swearing in and vote. And, I suspect we would not have near the media attention and outcry of so-called 'black wednesday'.

I'm sure Phil Guthe had his reasons, but why do so few people, including the news media, fail to acknowledge that it was Guthe's refusal to vote on 4 or 5 votes that caused all the recesses and multiple votes?

Knoxquerious's picture

The proof is in the pudding.

The proof is in the pudding.

Who knows what Guthe's intentions/motives were, I am sure they had a lot to do with self preservation.

My reference had more to do with Trammel, Jordan, Cate, Bolus (etc) and the master plan that worked to perfection (notwithstanding media scrutiny) to consolidate more power on commission through the buddy system. I could care less about who Ragsdale wanted in there, Cate and Davis are both puppets as far as I am concerned.

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