The blind reformer Jack McElroy
Regardless of whether you are a conservative or a liberal, people don’t care for hypocrites. But there are vary degrees of hypocrisy. Every once in a while someone wins the prize and this Sunday was one of those times.
The Editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel Jack McElroy has outdone himself in an Editorial column he wrote Sunday titled, “Ombudsman would help shine light”. In this championship Pot and Kettle column Mr. McElroy makes the case that since the Knox County Commission is so corrupt and untrustworthy that they need an Ombudsman to keep them on the straight and narrow so they won’t violate the Sunshine Law.
Editor McElroy writes, “That’s why the News Sentinel is suing the County Commission over its violations of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act. It’s also why the plan to create an open-government ombudsman is a good idea.”
God help save us from reformers that have blinders on.
Where there violations of the Sunshine Law by the office of the Knox County Mayor during the wheel tax? How about during the Midway Industrial Park fiasco?
Where was the Reformer Jack McElroy then? Surely this is not a one way street is it?
The Pandora’s box of this is that if Reformer McElroy wins his lawsuit against the Knox County Commission a precedent will be set and more lawsuits will follow. Will Gary Sellers sue to have a redo on the Wheel Tax? Will the people of the Thorngrove Community sue to have a redo on the vote for the Midway Industrial Park? Will the Knox County Mayor have to sit through hours of depositions?
There is a need for an Ombudsman, but that need is at the Knoxville News Sentinel. Someone needs to take the blinders off the Reformer McElroy. Maybe a look at the News Sentinel’s Ethics Policy would be a prudent move also.
