Tomorrow morning, Administrator of Elections Cliff Rodgers would like to hand out a wheelbarrow full of nominating petitions for 5 Knoxville City Council positions. The seats held by Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, Council Members Nick Della Volpe, Brenda Palmer, Duane Grieve and Dan Brown are up for grabs in September and November 2013.

Vice Mayor Pavlis had a campaign kickoff / fundraiser tonight. According, to my friend and media colleague Hubert Smith of the Hubert Smith Radio Show informed me that Mayor Madeline Rogero and many current and former council members attended. Current council members not present were Duane Grieve, Nick Della Volpe and Mark Campen.

Mayor Rogero in speaking at the event, endorsed Pavlis for re-election and encouraged everyone to get out and work to re-elect him. I can not recall a Mayor openly endorsing a council candidate. Some Mayors like former Mayor Victor Ashe certainly had his favorites. But endorsing them publicly, I can’t recall even him doing that. On a side note, Ashe presently a weekly columnist with the E.W. Scripps owned community throw away paper Shopper News was in attendance at the Pavlis event.

With Rogero becoming an activist in endorsing Pavlis for re-election. Will she follow suit with endorsing Grieve, Palmer, Della Volpe and Brown for re-election? Will she recruit and endorse any of their opponents for election?

Is this an indication of front runner status for Pavlis as a Mayoral Contender in 6 years, assuming Rogero is re-elected in two years for another four year term?