Driving down the road the other day I hear a radio commercial with Benny Atchley and Democrat Tommy Schumpert telling us why we should vote YES for Charter Amendment 3 & 4. It made me laugh. Let’s review. Benny Atchley served 28 long years in the State Senate. He promised Lt. Governor John Wilder that he would be the seventeenth vote for a State Income Tax in the 1990’s.

If Benny had any influence within the elective process in Knox County it hasn’t proven to be a majority voting block. In May of 2006, he flooded the radio airwaves with commercials endorsing Chad Tindell for Knox County General Sessions Judge. It resulted in Tindell receiving less than 25% of the Republican primary vote. In August of 2006 he appeared in direct mail pieces for Gary Drinnen in challenging State Representative Stacey Campfield. Drinnen too received less than 25% of the Republican primary votes in Campfield’s legislative district.

So when I hear Benny Atchley endorsing something or someone. It just makes me laugh.