Remembering Phil Hamby and the Power of Public-Record Journalism

My friend Phil Hamby — Philip W. Hamby (1944–2013) — was a Knoxville businessman, builder, publisher, editor, and, above all, someone who believed local journalism should ask questions that mattered to the community.

Around 1995, through Premiere Publishing, Hamby helped purchase and resurrect the Knoxville Journal, one of Knoxville’s oldest newspaper names. He served as publisher and editor for nearly a decade, operating the publication as a local weekly willing to dig into the issues affecting Knox County and its citizens.

One of Phil’s most notable projects was a detailed, year-long examination of the salaries of Knox County school employees.

It was not complicated journalism. It was public information, presented to the public.

But sometimes the most powerful journalism is simply putting the numbers on the table and allowing taxpayers to see where their money is going.

That spirit is one of the reasons I launched the Transparency Series for The Mega Bullhorn of Truth.

September Transparency Series: The Knox County Property Assessor’s Office

This month, we turn our attention to the Knox County Property Assessor’s Office, an office that has recently been the subject of significant scrutiny.

On August 7, 2025, Property Assessor William Phillip Ballard turned himself in following the announcement the previous day that a Knox County Grand Jury had indicted him in connection with allegations involving a travel per diem and use of a Knox County vehicle.

Those allegations and the resulting court proceedings are matters of public record and will ultimately be addressed through the legal process.

But the purpose of this Transparency Series is broader than any one case.

The question is simple:

Who works in the Property Assessor’s Office, and how much are Knox County taxpayers paying for those positions?

Below is the employee compensation information for the office as of the week of August 24, 2026.

Knox County Property Assessor’s Office — Fifty-Two Employee’s Compensation

• Property Assessor William Phillip Ballard: $200,463.64
• Chief Deputy Property Assessor James Weaver: $128,613.42
• Assessments Director: $86,889.40
• Assessment Systems Coordinator: $85,705.10
• Assessment Systems Coordinator: $79,147.90
• Assessment Systems Coordinator: $70,239.52
• Admin Services Officer 2: $56,671.42
• Admin Services Officer 2: $48,330.88
• Appraiser 4: $86,714.94
• Appraiser 4: $79,286.74
• Appraiser 4: $79,286.74
• Appraiser 4: $56,529.98
• Appraiser 3: $71,375.46
• Appraiser 3: $62,714.86
• Appraiser 3: $53,484.34
• Appraiser 2: $57,671.38
• Appraiser 2: $53,258.40
• Appraiser 2: $53,258.40
• Appraiser 2: $58,830.72
• Appraiser 2: $48,214.14
• Appraiser 2: $48,214.14
• Appraiser 2: $48,214.14
• Appraiser 2: $55,975.14
• Appraiser 2: $50,171.68
• Appraiser 2: $53,258.40
• Appraiser 1: $54,568.02
• Appraiser 1: $45,168.24
• Appraiser 1: $59,089.68
• Appraiser 1: $55,114.02
• Appraiser 1: $53,492.92
• Appraiser 1: $49,893.74
• Appraiser 1: $50,392.68
• Appraiser 1: $55,665.22
• Appraiser 1: $55,114.02
• Appraiser 1: $52,963.30
• Appraiser 1: $48,910.68
• Mapping Technician 1: $53,163.76
• Mapping Technician 2: $43,919.20
• Mapping Technician 3: $48,426.82
• CW Data Entry Clerk: $46,713.16
• Customer Support Rep 1: $52,013.78
• Customer Support Rep 1: $37,455.60
• Customer Service Rep 1: $43,919.20
• Temporary PT (Part-time): $18,720.00
• EQ Board Member: $4,503.20
• EQ Board Member: $2,801.76
• EQ Board Member: $2,798.38
• EQ Board Member: $2,798.38
• EQ Board Member: $2,751.58
• EQ Board Member: $2,751.58
• EQ Board Member: $2,751.58
• EQ Board Member: $1,402.70

Some Familiar Names

There are also several personnel connections worth noting for readers examining the makeup of the office.

For purposes of full disclosure, a daughter of Knox County Register of Deeds Sherry Witt is employed as an Appraiser in the Property Assessor’s Office. She previously worked for several years in one of the court clerk’s offices before moving to the Property Assessor’s Office in 2024, when the office was dealing with vacancies.

Former Knox County Commissioner Craig Leuthold is also an employee of the Property Assessor’s Office.

Former two-time Knox County Trustee candidate Barry Hawkins is employed by the office as well. Hawkins has worked under both former Property Assessor Whitehead and Ballard.

Also employed by the Property Assessor’s Office is Michael Covington, a former 2016 Knox County Commission and 2017 Knoxville City Council candidate and weekly WATE television pundit.

These personnel connections are included because transparency is not simply about looking at a payroll number. It is also about understanding the people who make up taxpayer-funded offices and the professional and political histories that may be relevant to the public.

That does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing or impropriety by any employee or elected official. Those determinations require evidence.

Why the Numbers Matter

Phil Hamby understood something that remains just as important today:

Public records belong to the public.

Government employees deserve to be paid fairly for the work they perform. At the same time, taxpayers have every right to examine compensation, staffing levels, hiring decisions, and the operation of the offices supported by their tax dollars.

The goal of this series is not to tell readers what conclusion to reach.

The goal is to give readers the information and ask the questions.

Who is being paid?

How much are they being paid?

How has the payroll changed?

Who was hired, and when?

What qualifications were considered?

And perhaps most importantly:

Are Knox County taxpayers getting the government they are paying for?

Those are questions worth asking.

And, in the spirit of my friend Phil Hamby, they are questions worth putting on the public record.

Previous Transparency Series Reports

• August 13, 2026 — Knox County Clerk Sherry Witt’s Office: “Transparency Series August 2026: The Knox County Clerk’s Office Salaries — A Look at Growth From August 30, 2024 to April 29, 2026”
• July 20, 2026 — Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ Office: “Transparency Series July 2026: The Knox County Mayor’s Office Salaries — A Look at Growth From 2018 to April 29, 2026”
• June 22, 2026 — Knox County Trustee’s Office: “Transparency Series Spotlight on Knox County Fee Office Salaries: June 2026 — Knox County Trustee Office”
• May 21, 2026 — Register of Deeds Nick McBride’s Office: “Let’s Travel Back in Time: Honoring Phil Hamby and Launching a New Monthly Transparency Series”

The Transparency Series will continue examining Knox County government, its employees, its payroll, and the public records that allow citizens to see how their government operates.

Transparency is not an accusation. Transparency is accountability.