Vengeance is mine, sayeth the mayor

It’s just good business for a politician to go out on a high note. As Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale’s reign comes to a close, he surely will do everything he can to leave his constituents with fond memories of a dignified exit from office.

That probably explains why he’s sticking it to Commissioner Paul Pinkston.

Pinkston is in the middle of a hotly contested primary race with Commissioner Mike Brown for the 9th District commission seat. Last week, Pinkston heard through the grapevine that the mayor was planning to present $25,000 to South-Doyle High School to go toward construction of a field house for the football team.

The presenters were to include Brown and 9th District school board member Robert Bratton. Due, no doubt, to a clerical oversight, Pinkston had not been invited to the party.

Commissioner Pinkston assured this reporter that South-Doyle High School is in his district. My own exhaustive research later confirmed that finding, so it’s easy to understand his bewilderment at being omitted from the guest list.

Assuming for the moment that Pinkston’s invitation wasn’t lost in the mail, could the mayor be harboring ulterior motives? Would he purposely slight Pinkston? Does a bear … well, you know the rest of that one.

Let’s review.

Three years ago, Pinkston began questioning travel allowances granted to senior level employees of the mayor’s office. The mayor was not pleased.

For at least the past three fiscal years, Pinkston has asked probing questions about Knox County’s annual budget. The mayor was not pleased.

Pinkston was the first and the most persistent questioner of the plan to sell the county’s nursing home facilities to Hillcrest for the discount warehouse price of $6 million. The mayor was not pleased.

There may be a pattern here: the mayor proposes, Pinkston disposes, sometimes successfully, and when that happens, the mayor is not pleased.

Even had none of these differences of opinion occurred, we’re left with the fact that these two just don’t like one another.

The mayor is a modern politician, smooth as silk in his delivery, stumbling only when confronted by an annoying “showboat.” Pinkston speaks his mind and doesn’t overly concern himself with Main Street etiquette. Their personalities are a toxic mix.

So, Ragsdale might have good reason – as he sees it – to render Mike Brown some timely assistance. If Brown beats Pinkston, that leaves the mayor with only a “you won’t have Ragsdale to kick around anymore” speech on his to-do list between now and September.

If you think such 11th hour political maneuvering is a senseless waste of time, go to the head of the class. Ragsdale will be gone no matter who winds up in the 9th District, and “donating” $25,000 to erect a new field house while simultaneously calling for across-the-board budget cuts is, kindly stated, irrational.

Pinkston says he called the mayor and asked to be kept informed about the date of the presentation. The response: “Commissioner, I’ll keep you informed just like you keep me informed.”

Contact Larry Van Guilder at lvgknox@mindspring.com.