On Saturday at the Karns Community Fair, I was told that if in the event Richard Briggs beats State Senator Stacey Campfield that Interim Trustee Craig Leuthold likely would be seeking the Commission appointment to the County Commission seat that Briggs vacates.

I asked what about him going back to the vacant position, that Knox County Property Assessor Philip Ballard left open for him last July when he was appointed Interim Trustee. Apparently, Leuthold wants both.

Jason Zachary keeps talking about career politicians. Leuthold would have to be textbook case of a career politician. Leuthold went to work for Trustee Mike Lowe in 1994, he was elected to County Commission in 2002 (getting a second check), on Black Wednesday 2007, he voted to appoint Fred Sisk to the Trustee position and received a promotion and a significant pay raise. In addition, on Black Wednesday 2007, he voted to appoint his father Frank Leuthold to Commission.

In 2011, Trustee John Duncan discovered that he and another employee’s activity could be combined into one position. So, Leuthold went down to where his former fellow Black Wednesday Commissioner Ballard was now serving as Property Assessor. He began working there. In July 2013 an appointment to be Interim Trustee became available and Leuthold went from the Property Assessors office to Trustee.

Leuthold was soundly rejected by the Republican voters on May 6, 2014. The Republican voters instead chose Republican Ed Shouse to be challenged by Jim Berrier on August 7, 2014. Now, Leuthold is rumored to be lobbying to return to the Property Assessor and County Commission, where he could return to two pay checks, two travel per diems.

For this Jason Zachary fellar, this Leuthold character should be a career politician if there ever was one.