Andrew and Trish Graybeal attended the Halls Republican Club meeting. Gerald Turner a former Knox County Republican Party Chairman challenged Andrew with the fact that he ran as a Democrat in the last county election against a Knox County Republican. Turner said this is a Republican club and unless you were going to take a loyalty oath than he had some explaining to do. Graybeal stood and stated that on 1/26 he resigned from the Democrat party and that his wife has always been a Republican and he only voted the other way one time and that he intended to be here and work for the Republican Party if they would have him and that he will take any oath necessary. With that Graybeal received one of the largest and loudest rounds of applause ever hear in Halls. It was overheard as some were leaving that Halls Really Does Have It Now. One more loyal Republican. Here’s hoping he eyes a run for office and in the event that there are still two Commissioners in each district that Andrew will take on R.Larry Smith.

I (the Immediate Past Chairman of the Knox County Republican Party) reminded Mr. Turner in a conversation after the meeting with several witnesses standing around that that the party has a Republican Commissioner for District Seven that passed up three Republicans for appointment to the Fourth District County Commission seat to appoint a Democrat. R. Larry Smith voted against Mike Alford, Logan Brummitt and Walter Wojnar. I hoped that he would discuss this with Smith. He agreed with the several witnesses standing by that Smith was wrong for doing so.