I obtained a bunch of emails through an open records request of the Knox County Reopening Task Force between one another. Apparently Knoxville Chamber Mike Odom has a lot of bad jokes. His response to the meetings being open to the public and media was that he would have a bigger audience for his bad jokes. I guess I will need to get to know him better.

Most revealing to me was the response by top City of Knoxville official Stephanie Welch who is also a former City Councilwoman. Her response was  that having the task force meetings open to the public and media would have “a chilling effect“ and also regurgitated what Dr. Buchanan’s objection to the law department was that they were acting in a similar role as the Governor’s Economic Recovery Group. What part of the Sunshine Law doesn’t apply to the state do local yokel officials NOT understand? I mean I served as an elected local school board member on the Knox County School Board for four years, more than a decade ago and I got that loud and clear then.