Ragsdale picks a fight
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale talks with WATE’s Gene Patterson this Sunday on the political talk show “Tennessee This Week”. The program will air at 12:00 noon.
WATE broadcast a teaser last night and it is interesting to watch the Mayor’s body language. Watch this Sunday and see if you can spot the “tell”.
Ragsdale would have made a decent magician as he is skilled in the art of misdirection. His summary of the entire Tyler Harber saga can be distilled as he, “believes the stories were generated out of a personal vendetta by Betty Bean and Halls Shopper editor Sandra Clark.”
Betty calls the Mayor on that balderdash here. An invitation to the parking lot behind Eddie’s Auto Parts may be imminent.
The County Mayor has a very simple political philosophy, you are either with him or you are against him. By the way, he wants to be Governor.
September 29th, 2006 at 10:01 am
The Tyler Harber may matter wind up being a lie perpetuated by a terminated employee with an axe to grind, or it may be entirely or mostly true.
Time will tell.
Nonetheless, the media exposure for Ragsdale has revealed some character issues which may (and probably should) be problematic if he decides to run for higher office.
If he really instructed employees to not expect per diem reimbursement if they eat at a Mike Chase restaurant, he should ride off into the sunset.
Referring to Mike Chase as “some guy who sells barbecue” was an incredibly petty insult.
I have always thought that Ragsdale did an okay job as County Mayor, and that may still be true.
However, he seems to be looking a lot less like our City Mayor, who does a great job, and more like our autocratic Sheriff.
September 29th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Ragsdale’s problem is Ragsdale. Live by the sword die by the sword. He thinks this was the best time to confront the problem. The Midway Industrial Park has been approved, the Hardin Valley High School pushed back to the School Board, and all the TIF’s have been rubber stamped. There was no vote last Monday for a Grand Jury.
In his myopic world of arrogance and avarice this was the perfect time to confront the problem. Unfortunately he is not a skilled liar. If you listen to just the sound of his voice he does pretty well. When you watch him on TV you want to play high stakes poker with him. Few politicians of his caliber have so many obvious “tells”. Without Mike Arms it is doubtful Ragsdale could have gone very far. Remove Arms and this political machine will collapse like a house of cards.
The biggest problem you have when you run a political machine by intimidation is that you have an armies of enemies waiting for you to slip up and these days the sixth floor is slicker than greased owl shit.
September 30th, 2006 at 1:12 am
Tennessee This Week can also be viewed here: http://www.wate.com/Global/category.asp?C=76572