Audit Committee member steps down, commissioner rages, fireworks fly

Talk about an insane Knox County Audit Committee meeting this morning. The fireworks were a flyin'!

Committee member Mary Kiser resigned and Knox County Commissioner Mike Brown, who is not on the panel, let the committee Chairman Joe Carcello have it. (All this, by the way, is in response to the committee suggesting to the County Commission that the board fire county internal auditor Richard Walls.)

I posted a very short story earlier today and will have the full length, full brawl up later today. Good stuff. Heh.

In the meantime, the Knox County Commission will take up the matter during its work session on Monday and - if no deal gets worked out - will vote on whether to keep Walls.

In the meantime, here's an excerpt (that will no doubt be tweaked, edited and refined) from tonight's report:

Brown, a county commissioner who has long supported Walls, disagreed, pointed at Carcello and said: “We’ve got a failure to communicate and the biggest part of it is sitting right there in that chair. Why did you wait five years to wait do something about it? You have an axe to grind and I don’t like your attitude and I won’t stop until you’re out of that chair, fella.”

At one point, Carcello told Brown he was “acting inappropriately,” but continued to let him talk. The two bantered back and forth somewhat for a number of minutes, before panel member and Commissioner Dave Wright cut them off, saying: “Please we’ve got daylight to burn.”

Brown then warned Carcello: "You will hear some more next week (during the commission work session). This is just a preview.”

Carcello, responding sharply to Brown, yet addressing the committee, said: “Mike is free to say whatever he wants to say next week and we’ll have evidence with us that will refute anything you say. So think long and hard before you do.”