If Knox County Charter Amendment #3 passed. It will result in Commission being reduced nearly in half, that could open up considerable interest in the 5 School Board seats that will be open in 2010. It is likely that the NEW Commission districts will mirror the school board districts, because with the current school board districts, the Knox County population is currently divided into nine equal districts. So, Thomas Deakins would have to move into the Sixth district or sit out from 2010 until 2012, when he would challenge Karen Carson for the Fifth District seat.

Why would there be interest in School Board seats. Because the Knox Charter Petition / Accountability people left the school board out of the amendment. That is the likely reason that Jim McClain and his former School Board members endorsed the plan. In addition, Laurens Tullock of Cornerstone Foundation through the foundation funded several junkets for School Board back when Jim McClain was a School Board member, but I digress.

The School Board is exempt from Term Limits. The School Board is exempt from Nepotism. The School Board is exempt from the Conflicts of Interest.

So, the five seats that are open in 2010 and the likely candidates for those seats are as follows.

First District – Former Commissioner Diane Jordan who is a former Knoxville City School Board Member. Current Commissioner Thomas “Tank” Strickland.

Fourth District – Former Commission appointees Elaine Davis and William Daniels, Current Commissioner Ed Shouse, Former Commissioner Bee Deselm and John Schmid.

Sixth District – Current Commissioner Greg “Lumpy” Lambert, Former Commission appointee Sharon Cawood.

Seventh District – Current Commissioner Scott Moore.

Ninth District – Current Commissioner Paul Pinkston, Mike Hammond, Former Commissioner Larry Clark or Former Commission appointee Tim Greene.

In 2012 the four School Board seats open and likely candidates are.

Second District – Current Commissioners Amy Broyles and Mark Harmon whichever loses the Commission seat in 2010.

Third District – Current Commissioner Rex “Tony” Norman, Former Commissioner Wanda Moody.

Fifth District – Current Commissioner Craig Leuthold, former Commission appointee Frank Leuthold, former School Board member Thomas Deakins (due to residency being shifted into the fifth district)

Eighth District – Current School Board member Bill Phillips likely will NOT face opposition.