Yesterday, Commissioner Robert Lawrence Smith sponsored a Resolution giving himself $4,325.00 to reimburse himself for attorney fees in defending himself before the Knox County Ethics Commission. While he authored and sponsored the resolution, he recused himself from actually voting. Had he not authored it, sponsored it and had it added to the agenda, there would not have been a vote. Smith’s annual slary is $38,700.14 as a Commissioner. With his reimbursement his FY 2011/2012 salary will be $43,025.14.
The photo below is Smith at that Ethics Committee meeting. Smith is whispering to Ralph Harwell, one of his two lawyers. The other lawyer is sitting behind Smith and Harwell. The Ethics Committee did not require legal representation, Smith made that decision on his own. Little did the taxpayers know that they were paying the bill for the two lawyers and for Smith himself through his commission salary as well. Well, yesterday the County Commission allowed the taxpayers to get screwed again.
