My Two Days in Local Government: A Tale of Fluoride, Forums, and Forgotten Coverage

On Monday, June 16, sometime after 4 p.m., I wandered into the Knox County Commission’s Optional Agenda Review meeting. Officially, it had kicked off at 3 p.m., but I stuck around until 4:30 before continuing on my way. One item on the agenda—a resolution from Commissioner Andy Fox about fluoride in the municipal water supply—didn’t seem to capture much attention. In fact, the 24-year-old reporter from the daily paper appeared so disengaged her computer monitor went dark. Literally.

Zoning matters weren’t exactly headline-worthy either, at least not for the daily paper’s “Government Reportette.” Instead of covering the 5 p.m. zoning meeting at the City County Building, she showed up at the Knox County Republican Party’s City Council candidate forum out west at Bridgewater Place—starting at 5:30 p.m. Still no story from her in the paper about that forum (at least that I’ve seen). But not to worry—I’ve got video coverage of 98% of it, and you can check it out [here].

The next day, June 17, I spent a full day—9 a.m. to after 6 p.m.—camped out in the Small Assembly Room at the City County Building. I was there to watch the Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission interview eight attorney applicants vying for the now-vacant Criminal Court Division I Judge seat (a vacancy created by Judge Steven Sword’s recent promotion to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals). By the end of the day, three names were sent to Governor Bill Lee. My full report on that process is available [here].