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Daily Dose for September 11, 2007
State Rep. Arrested After Crime Spree
State Rep. Arrested After Crime Spree -- House Judiciary Chairman and State Rep. Rob Briley was arrested at gunpoint yesterday on several felon charges, including leaving the scene of an accident, drunk driving and the destruction of a police cruiser. Briley fled the scene of an accident in DeKalb County on Saturday afternoon, then led police in Wilson County on a 100-mph chase before stopping in the middle of the road. After Briley was arrested, he walked back to his car to finish the Makers Mark he was drinking, before refusing a breathalizer. House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada and state Republican Chairman Robin Smith both issued statements Monday declaring that Briley should resign from the Legislature, considering his Judiciary Committee has an overhaul of the state's DUI laws on the agenda next year. House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh criticized calls for Briley's resignation and said he hasn't made a decision about whether to remove Briley from his Chairman post. Briley is currently undergoing divorce proceedings from his wife. More here and here. Volunteer Voters has a round-up of bloggers reaction.
Nashville Mayor's Race Today -- The folks of Nashville will elect a new Mayor today - the race is neck and neck between former Metro Law Director Karl Dean and former Congressman Bob Clement. Analyst Pat Nolan compared the race to the 1987 race between Phil Bredesen and Bill Boner, with Dean, like Bredesen, playing the political newcomer. In total, 43,420 voters cast early-voting ballots between Aug. 22-Sept. 6, the most early-votes ever cast for a run-off election in Davidson County history. The Tennessean has some more details on voting.
Ethics Still in Tailspin in Knox Co. -- The Knox Co. Commission has voted for the first time ever to use their subpoena power to call Knox Co. Mayor Mike Ragsdale and members of his senior staff to testify concerning the auto allowances he received. County Law Director John Owings said the commission has never used subpoena powers and it may never have been used in Tennessee before by such a panel. The Commission has argued that the travel compensation packages offered by the Mayor were not authorized by the County Commission, and therefore violated the Knox Co. charter. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Ethics Commission has cleared Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam putting his own money in an investment of a downtown movie theatre at least partially backed by the city. Haslam has invested his own money in high risk bonds backing the theatre, but the city's investment is limited to the property.
Herenton Still No Show at Debates -- In a debate between the frontrunners in the Memphis Mayor's race, incumbent Willie Herenton was again a no-show. That didn't stop the other candidates from beating up on him or the other candidates on the stage. Candidates Carol Chumney and John Willingham both took shots at Herman Morris over his leadership at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division while Morris questioned whether either of them was qualified to heal the city's racial divide. Carol Chumney, who polled second in earlier polling of the field, criticized Herenton for not showing. Chumney: "You're supposed to be here to answer the questions of the people of Memphis ... [You] can't defend the fact that people are scared to go to their own mailboxes."
