When Knox County Schools closes due to inclement weather, the primary reason is the transportation of the 56,000 students on equipment that the district leases to transport. But, now all county offices apparently view it as an opportunity to take a day off with pay. Why would the property assessor or the county mayors staff need a day off? The Engineering and Public Works employees are working over time to treat and clean roads.

Why the county would spend millions of dollars on public libraries (which in 2001, our county had more libraries per captia than any where else in the United States) and senior centers and the day of inclement weather, the buildings are closed. The very time that families could walk to the library or seniors to the senior center. A couple weeks ago, a 44 year old man in Roane County died of hypothermia. If he lived near a public library or senior center in Knox County, he could have walked there to get and stay warm, thus saving his life.

The current mayor and property assessor have apparently forgotten that government is supposed to be by the people, of the people, for the people.