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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Mayoral Money Chase

Or, Steve Brown raises money from citizens, Foster, Elsten raise money at the kitchen table.  Yep, Both Elsten and Foster have given their campaigns substantial loans ... while Brown has nearly matched them dollar-for-dollar and not loaned his campaign any funds.  That means more donors for him -- which could be a sign of a broader base of support.

Late entrant Garry Forsythe hasn't raised much and has a long way to go to get to the $35-$40,000 believed to be needed to wage a competitive campaign. 

Monday, July 30, 2012

That's Quite a Group

The host committee for Alderman candidate Darrell Woodcock includes:


And he's running for ALDERMAN.  Wondering how his opponent, Kee Bryant McCormick is doing with fundraising?

Surely Not...

... The Courtney Rogers campaign accuses Rep. Debra Maggart of using her legislative office for political purposes...

From the Nashville Post

State House District 45 candidate Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers (Ret.) asked Speaker Beth Harwell today whether Debra Maggart’s use of her State House office phone number, taxpayer-paid employees and office space as a campaign headquarters. Maggart released her official state number at the bottom of an email asking voters to call Rogers’ unlisted home number to complain about her supposed “lying” about Maggart.







“If Maggart’s use of her official office number, space and people is not an ethics violation, it should be,” said Rogers. “Having someone else pay for your campaign staff seems to be an unfair advantage granted to incumbents.”






Campaign Manager Jeff Hartline commented, “As soon as I saw the number at the bottom of the email, I knew it was a Capitol Hill number. But I called it anyway and her Legislative Assistant, Brittany, answered the phone with an official response. Perhaps we should ask for equal access.”






Hartline continued, “This situation reminds me of her COMPASS relationship in Sumner County. Maggart uses the County Board of Education building and personnel to office and answer her phones. That’s a pretty sweet deal to have people helping you run for office that you do not have to pay for while you “earn” an income. Maggart has spent the entire campaign railing against a distinguished veteran for manufactured ethics violations when, in reality, Maggart, by her silence, supports “Ghost Voting” in the House, takes $173 per day for hotel expenses she does not incur when her colleagues from East and West Tennessee actually do incur those expenses, and uses her taypayer-supported office to run for re-election. Once Sumner County voters have heard the facts, they have been drawn to Rogers in droves. Stay tuned for a more negative campaign in these closing days.”






“The Courtney Rogers campaign has stuck to the facts in its mail, radio, and door-to-door work. We have talked about Courtney’s resume and her experience. That is our pledge and we will keep it. We call upon our opponent to pledge to do the same in these closing days of the campaign.”




Maggart vs. Rogers

It's the Final Countdown!  Incumbent state representative Debra Maggart is facing a stiff challenge from Courtney Rogers -- a challenge that will come to an end on Thursday. 

Bankruptcies, gun rights, and "conservative credentials" are the fighting issues. 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

$1 Million More, Please

Because the School Board followed bad legal advice, they now will pay $1 million this year to teachers whose pay was retroactively seized in 2011 when the Board unilaterally violated the existing contract with the Sumner County Education Association.  The contract called for the Board to pay 85% of health insurance benefits for that year, but the Board decided to fund a budget that only paid 80% without negotiating the proposal.  Teachers had pay taken from their checks starting in February of 2011 to "make-up" for the difference.  Now, that violation is costing the Board at a time when it is seeking at least $7.6 million in additional funds from the County Commission. 

Quashed!!

The Silkwood Proposal was quashed on Tuesday night -- not even getting a second.

The proposal would have cut medical and other benefits to teachers and denied pay raises to over 600 employees who haven't seen a raise in four years now.

The Board will now resubmit their proposed budget to the County Commission.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Teachers Win Lawsuit Over Health Insurance

The School Board lost a lawsuit filed by the system's teachers over the issue of health insurance.  The suit originated when the Board unilaterally reduced its insurance match for teachers and retroactively seized teacher pay in 2011.  They did so under advice from their legal counsel. 

Yesterday, a judge ruled that the Board's action was wrong, violated the contract, and that the money MUST be refunded to teachers this year. 

This will be an added, unplanned expense in a budget that is already $7.6 million out of balance and a County Commission so far unwilling to properly fund local schools.

The legal setback is the second in a row stemming from the Board's fight with the Sumner County Education Association. 

Early in 2011, the Board issued a policy forbidding discussion of the Association on school grounds or during school hours.  This is a clear violation of the First Amendment right of free speech and a court quickly agreed and ordered the Board to pay financial damages to the Association. 

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Phillips and Cox on "the Proposal"

According to the Star News, Director of Schools Del Phillips had this to say about Vanessa Silkwood's impromptu proposal to cut the schools budget:

“I’ve never seen this before,” Phillips said. “I can’t make decisions and manage this system with this type of [proposal] and answer publicly three minutes later. I think that’s a little disingenuous to the staff.”


Board Member Beth Cox also expressed skepticism, saying:


“We’ve already brought up the outsourcing issue,” Cox said. “We’ve already voted that down. I don’t think we want to revisit that. If the board doesn’t really support some of these items, there would be no reason to have staff delve into that issue.”






Indecent Proposal

Above is the proposal presented by Board member Vanessa Silkwood at Tuesday's meeting

Silkwood Takes on Teachers

Continuing her fight against the very individuals who teach Sumner County's children, Vanessa Silkwood on Tuesday unveiled an immediately unpopular plan that would prevent the payment of certain retirement benefits to Sumner County's teachers. 

Silkwood was the lone "no" vote on a retirement proposal presented and recommended by the Director of Schools in November 2011.  The proposal passed 10-1, with many Board members lamenting that it was not adequate in terms of the medical coverage, but was the best the Board could do under current circumstances. 

Nevertheless, as the School Board again faces budget challenges, Silkwood has proposed ending these retirement benefits for teachers. 

She has also proposed decreasing a proposed raise for teachers and eliminating a proposed raise for 666 classified employees who haven't seen a raise in 4 years. 

She further proposed revisiting the recently rejected idea of outsourcing custodial services, a proposal voted down three times in the last four years because of uncertainty about cost reduction projections. 

In all, her proposal would allegedly save the district $1.1 million this year, while surely further eroding teacher and employee morale.

She couched the plan as a "tough decision" necessary to put students first.

The Director of Schools noted he had not seen this proposal prior to the meeting. Silkwood's plan would seem to run contrary to recent statements by Board Chair Don Long and others that the system needs to be moving toward making additional investments in its personnel. 

The Board will address Silkwood's plan and other budget options at an upcoming study session.

County Commission Slams Door on Schools

The County Commission passed its general budget this week -- a plan which includes all but the School Board's proposal.  In doing so, the Commission refused to adopt a modest tax increase that would have helped the School Board fully-fund its proposal. 

Barring a proposal that garner majority support on the Commission, the School Board will now be forced to make $7.6 million in cuts to its 2012-13 budget. 

Another option is to insist that the current proposal be funded and send it back to the Commission. 

The School Board will discuss its options at an upcoming study session. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

School Board Punts

So, the County Commission recently rejected the School Board's budget.  Last night, the School Board met in a brief session.  They didn't consider cuts.  They didn't simply send the budget back to the Commission.  They decided they need a study session to examine the budget.  This likely means that at least some cuts will be proposed OR more options will be discussed. 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

School Board Races Quiet

Compared to the intense, relatively high spending campaigns in 2010, this year's races for School Board are quiet, low-key, low-dollar affairs. 

The leader of all candidates in terms of fundraising is Tony Jackson, challenger to the sometimes-absent Tim Brewer in District 2.  Brewer has done little to address claims that he is not present in the schools of his district.  And it seems he's doing little to communicate any message about his service so far on the Board. 

Meanwhile, Jackson is running an aggressive, if quiet race. 

The other races are much, much calmer.  Incumbents appear to be safe and in some cases, candidates are running unopposed (Beth Cox, Nancy Glover). 

Monday, July 16, 2012

Glaser Calls for Tuition Freeze, Tax Cut

Of course, the Governor has already said no, but... here's the release:

(Portland, TN) – While Gov. Haslam held a “policy summit” on higher education affordability last week, 44th District State House candidate Steve Glaser called on Haslam to take meaningful action by calling a special session of the General Assembly in order to freeze rising college tuition and give working families a tax break on food.



“We’ve collected nearly $500 million in revenue beyond what was projected for this year,” Glaser said. “When the state collects more money than it needs, the taxpayers should get the benefit. I’m calling for that money to be used to freeze tuition at Tennessee colleges and to further reduce the sales tax on groceries.



Glaser said the special session should be called this summer because college starts in late August and Tennessee families need relief now. He said Tennessee families don’t need more summits and studies, they need action.


“We can’t wait until January to act,” Glaser said. “College students and their families need relief now. The state has over-collected from the taxpayers. It’s time for some relief.

 
In addition to freezing college tuition at UT and Tennessee Board of Regents schools and reducing the sales tax on food, Glaser said the plan he’s supporting would put at least an additional $62 million in the state’s rainy day fund.



“This is a responsible, balanced approach to excess revenue,” Glaser said. “It’s a win-win for the state. We can put some money away to strengthen our financial position and we can help Tennessee families still struggling as we come out of the recession.



“Governor Haslam should act and act now to provide needed relief at this critical time.”

School Board Meets Tomorrow

The Sumner County School Board meets tomorrow at 6 PM at the Board Office in Gallatin.  Among the agenda items will be the budget that was rejected by the County Commission's budget committee last week.

Coker Keeps Heat on Haile

From the campaign's press release:

Jeff Coker, the conservative Republican candidate for state senate in the 18th District, was pleased to hear of Ferrell Haile’s announcement today that he would not accept per diem money if elected to the state senate.
Said Jeff, “I’m glad to see my opponent has finally joined me in pledging not accept per diem money. One has to wonder, though, why he changed his mind. Less than a week ago, he said he was ‘not ashamed’ to have accepted per diem during his time as appointed state senator. Ten days prior, he said he “didn’t even pay attention” to having received money intended for lawmakers from outside the Nashville area to compensate for their hotel and meal costs while the legislature is in session.”

Coker added, “Regardless of his motivation, I’m happy Mr. Haile now realizes it was wrong to accept over $170 per day in travel money simply for commuting to Nashville. I hope this also means he intends to repay the thousands of dollars in taxpayer money he now admits was wrong of him to take. As someone who is committed to ending wasteful spending, I would have never accepted this money in the first place.”

The per diem issue is not new to Ferrell Haile. As a failed candidate for state senate 12 years ago, he attacked his opponent over this very issue, questioning the circumstances under which she received per diem money. Jeff Coker believes it is wrong for any state legislator who lives within one hour of Nashville to accept extra money for commuting when they return to their own home and sleep in their own bed every night.

Maggart's Got the Money

State Representative Debra Maggart has tons of money in her re-election bid - and yet, Courtney Rogers isn't doing too badly in her vigorous challenge to Maggart in the August 2nd Primary. 

In the other Hendersonville House race, William Lamberth has raised over $44,000 while his Democratic opponent has raised just under $7000.  In fairness, Glaser entered the race late while Lamberth has been in since January.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Budget Battle Again

Here's more on the budget battle shaping up between the School Board and County Commission. 

And, here are the basics:

The County Commission's Budget Committee rejected the proposed $198 million school budget

That budget was $7.6 million over available revenue

The County Commission has granted its employees raises for the past couple of years while school system employees haven't seen a raise in 4 years. 

Apparently, Commissioners Paul Decker and Trish LeMarbre are willing to vote for at least a 10 cent property tax increase to fund a portion of the shortfall.

Commissioner Chris Hughes was willing to at least move the discussion to the full County Commission for discussion.

The task now falls to the School Board to resubmit a budget. 

The School Board will make decisions on a new budget at its July 17th meeting.

Can anyone touch Haile?

It seems 18th District Senate candidate Ferrell Haile has a big fundraising lead on all his opponents, Republican and Democrat, and is moving forward with an aggressive campaign. 

The only candidate close to Haile in fundraising so far is Jeff Coker, who trails Haile by about $160,000.  Of course, money is not the same as votes, but Haile's lead gives him a big advantage heading into the August primary. 

Should he win, he'll face Democrat Maria Brewer, who has raised just under $7000 so far. 

The Obama-Maggart Connection

Sure, it seems dubious, but the NRA is linking Debra Maggart with President Obama. 

Interestingly, the NRA billboard correctly features two candidates who have done nothing to curtail gun rights during their respective terms in office. 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

GOP Senate Candidates Hold Forum

Three Republicans held a forum to discuss their qualifications and plans for serving the 18th Senate District.  A fourth Republican, Brock Ewell, was excluded because he is not an "official" party member. 

The biggest fireworks came in a discussion of experience and per diem between Jeff Coker and Ferrell Haile.  Coker essentially implied Haile is too old to gain the seniority needed to be effective and also criticized him for taking his per diem during the 100 days he served as Interim State Senator in 2011. 

Haile highlighted his experience and noted that since he is retired, he can devote his full time and energy to the job. 

Candidates Emerge in Ward 1

Two potential candidates have emerged in the open Ward 1 Alderman race.  Former Alderman Mark Skidmore and Chris Courington have both pulled papers to run and indicated a serious interest in the race. 

The seat is open as Garry Forsythe is running for Mayor.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

DENIED!

As predicted, the Sumner County Commission's Budget Committee met tonight and REJECTED the School Board's proposed budget.  This means there is still no budget and the School Board must resubmit a budget to the committee.  This will likely happen in August and require some action by the Board at their meeting next week.

The Board could resubmit the budget with no cuts, submit with some cuts, or submit with cuts totaling $7.6 million  -- the amount of the current shortfall.

Monday, July 9, 2012

County Budget Committee Takes on Schools

The County Commission's Budget Committee will take a look at the School Board's proposed budget tonight.  Here's the agenda.

The Committee can accept the budget (which shows a $7 million+ shortfall), reject the budget, or simply defer until a later time.

County Commissioners have in recent comments indicated an opposition to raising additional revenue for any purpose, including schools.  If the Budget Committee rejects the budget, it will go back to the School Board for reconsideration. 

Tea With No International Flavor...

...Or, the local Tea Pary (SURG) is taking on the proposed IB focus at one Hendersonville school. Apparently, academic rigor of the sort perfectly acceptable and desired by the U.S. Military is NOT ok with the tea parties.  One wonders if Tea Party-backed school board members Vanessa Silkwood and Don Long will toe the Tea Party line and oppose an IB curriculum at any Sumner County school? 

Of course, Director of Schools Phillips notes that at his previous districts, one in that reknowned bastion of liberal internationalism of Mississippi, the IB curriculum was highly sought after. 

NRA Takes Aim at Maggart

They're not just talking about taking Debra Maggart out of the legislature, they are backing it up with big money.  That's the NRA, by the way. 

Hard to believe that Maggart, who sponsored the NRA's legislation to allow guns in parks, is now a target. 

Goode and Early

County Commissioner Paul Goode is now Alderman Goode, too. 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Senate Candidates Sound Off

Candidates for the State Senate from Sumner County spoke at a lightly-attended forum hosted by Sumner United for Responsible Government, the local Tea Party Group.

Four Republicans are vying for the right to challenge former Sumner County Democratic Party Chair Maria Brewer in the General Election.

Reflecting Tea Party Paranoia, the forum asked questions about illegal immigration and Agenda 21 -- a somewhat obscure UN resolution that was supported by the Bush Administration.

On illegal immigration, Brewer noted that employers should absolutely be held accountable for hiring undocumented workers.

Other questions centered around gun rights and health care.