Today, the letter from Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero to Former Mayor Victor Ashe saying that she would no longer treat him as a journalist, providing him information that NEVER made it into his weekly “gossip column”. On WATE’s TN This Week, panelist Elaine Davis took exception to Rogero’s position and defended Ashe. Former Failed Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Terry Adams took a strong position defending Rogero. WATE’s Political Analyst George Korda identified himself as a former press spokesman for the city’s administration during the Ashe administration. Although he said they haven’t talked in 8 years. He said he first thought it was ok but after thinking about it he thinks it was far reaching. The show ran out of time before he could explain himself.

I too blogged about it here. Here is what I find interesting, Victor has been defended by the likes of Elaine Davis and even by fellow stringer writer Betty Bean. However, the Journal Media Group’s daily publisher Sandra Clark has remained mum on the issue as has the rest of the Journal Media Group’s management at the Knoxville News Sentinel, the parent publication of the Shopper News. If they are not defending Ashe, why should anyone else? Do they not place a value on the Ashe column? Will his column just fade away after the dust settles? Until any of that is decided, I will remain as a observer of the controversy.

Also unrelated to the controversy, but news about the former Mayor. According to Georgiana Vines Knoxville News Sentinel Saturday column, Ashe, a former classmate of George W. Bush and former Bush appointee to Poland contributed $2,700 to the Jeb Bush campaign and had a petition to run as a Bush delegate, he has a petition to run as a Marco Rubio delegate, having sent $2,700 to the Rubio campaign. It makes one familiar with the delegate process wonder, did Bush campaign adviser Tom Ingram reject Ashe as a Bush delegate candidate? Maybe because of his continual criticism of Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and now Ashe is jumping the Jeb Bush ship. The Bush approved delegates were announced in mid October 2015.

The Rubio approved delegates are to be announced this week. In full disclosure, I have filed a petition as a Rubio delegate myself.