Daily Dose for May 09, 2007

Cooper to Host Obama Fundraiser

Cooper to Host Obama Fundraiser -- Congressman Jim Cooper will be the first politican to sign on board with the Barack Obama campaign - and bring in Sen. Obama for a Nashville fundraiser. Co-chairs for the event include prominent Nashville attorney Charles Robert Bone and former Tennessee Democratic Party director Bob Tuke. Former state Commissioner for the Department of Commerce and Insurance Paula Flowers will co-host.

Thompson Has K-Street Support -- From today's Roll Call - it appears Thompson has some old friends on K-Street, who are reluctant to jump onto other campaigns, but face no real encouragement Fred Thompson to form a traditional national political or fundraising apparatus. Tim Locke, a lobbyist at the Smith-Free Group and former aide to ex-Sen. Howard Baker leads the list which includes A.B. Culvahouse, who chairs O’Melveny & Myers, a sprawling international law firm; Ken Rietz, a Republican strategist and top public relations executive; Mike Madigan, a partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; and Tom Daffron, chief operating officer of the Jefferson Consulting Group, a local lobbying outfit.

Local Round-up -- Here's some local governmental issues around the state:

• Chattanooga - The City of Chattanooga is considering banning the selling of items within 10 feet of any public right-of-way intersection. Councilman Jack Benson: "We're concerned about the ramps coming off the interstate, where you see cars stopping at the traffic light, and there's always someone there soliciting money, holding up cars behind." Some oppose the bill on the grounds that it doesn't exempt newspapers.
• Knoxville - Reeling on how to present a balanced budget without raising taxes Knox Co. Mayor Mike Ragsdale may present a employee hiring freeze for all county offices as a part of this year's budget. The major budget concern is a pension plan for the Knox Co. Sheriff's Department, which the county may fund - for the first time in state history - through bonds.
• Memphis - A Memphis City Council committee has agreed to accept a four-page ethics code instead of the 46-page document previously drafted at their behest. Additionally, council members stipulated their own range of penalties for ethics violations -- from fines and censure up to requesting an official's resignation or referring the matter to law enforcement. Other sanctions could be considered later in a public referendum.
• Clarksville - The Clarksville-Montgomery Co School System adopted new rules which that would allow students to bring cell phones to school, but require that they turn them off while riding the bus and leave them in their lockers during school hours. Under the proposed new policy in Clarksville, if a cell phone does ring in class, discipline would be left up to the principal.

Workman Executed -- Tennessee performed its first lethal injection since Gov. Bredesen had the state Department of Corrections revise the state's lethal injection formula. Phillip Workman was executed early this morning after both futher appeals were denied and Gov. Bredesen denied a clemency request.

Posted by Adam Groves | Email This |