Why the weekly Shopper News continues to allow the former Ambassador to hide his self promoting agenda as a columnist is perplexing. A couple of weeks ago. The column reported that people were upset over the demise of Fort Kid. What he didn’t reveal was that it was him that called and riled the people up and then reported it. When Mayor Rogero called him out on it and that the demise of Fort Kid was a decision by two previous administrations ago. Not Mayor Dan Brown’s administration. But Mayor Bill Haslam’s administration. The “columnist” then only acknowledged a week later that it was a decision that went unnoticed.
Now, he takes multiple shots at respected journalist Angela Starke, the Communications Director for Mayor Rogero that is leaving Knoxville and her position because she rightfully is putting her family first. Her husband Drew has a position in Orlando, Fl. The first stab he takes is to allege that she doesn’t do her job by stating that her assistant Jesse Fox Mayshark (a former Scripps writer) makes $40,00 less and performs most of the heavy lifting.
What is the reason for his nastiness? Is it because Starke is a female? Is it because Starke is an African American? Is it because she is putting her family first?
The “columnist” in typical self promoting style brags on his former Department Director Sam Anderson. Who stayed with the “columnist” his entire term of reign as Mayor. Unlike the “columnist” I will refrain from stating why I think Anderson stayed for the entire reign.
Anderson is the same guy that has a retirement from Knoxville City School System (as a teacher and coach), a retirement from Knox County Schools and the City of Knoxville (where he served on the School Board during the time he was a city Department Director. In essence double dipping from the City taxpayers, the school district taxpayers he “represented” and the city wide taxpayers while department director) Anderson is now a part time paid consultant to Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr.
While the “columnist” will resent someone for being a family person and a professional that is not a permanent leach on the taxpayers. I say kudos to Mayor Rogero for recognizing the gift she found in Angela Starke and kudos to Starke for prioritizing the right things in the right order.
Sandra Clark, the Publisher of the Shopper News needs to pull the column from her paper and quit allowing the irrelevant former Ambassador to possess a learners permit of credibility as a columnist. Just put his contribution of stirring up controversy and then reporting said controversy on the cutting room edit floor. It just makes the paper look trivial and a proper use of lining a bird cage.
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