Still early but some now vying for commission board leadership seats

Brad Anders, L, Dave Wright, R

We’re still a ways off, but already there’s talk in the background around about who will serve as the Knox County Commission chair during the next go-around.

Brad Anders holds the leadership post right now, and he wants another shot. And, from what I’m hearing, so, too, does Commissioner Dave Wright.

As it stands, a board member can hold the seat twice during a four-year term.

Additionally, there’s talk that Amy Broyles is seeking the vice chair position. (R. Larry Smith currently holds it, but he can’t seek re-election due to term limits.)

Amy Broyles

In the coming months expects to see a number of  “sunshine” notices going out as individual members meet for lunch, dinner, whatever, to talk about “county business.” (Yes, that’s a hint: They will be politicking for the gig.)

The 11-member board selects the chair and vice chair seats during its annual reorganizational meeting, which will more than likely take place on Sept. 2. The seats are good for one year.

The chair runs commission meetings and sets the monthly agenda. He or she also oversees the board’s three-member staff, determines how the board’s public meetings will be handled, and often serves as the liaison between the public and the board.

The chair by default also serves on a number of boards, including the Great Schools Partnership and usually the pension board.

The vice chair caries out the chair’s duties when he or she is not available and helps run board meetings.

It’s certainly too early to call at this point what will happen, although I see two scenarios playing out. Either Brad and Dave go into a board “election,” or there’s some sort of understanding hammered out that Brad stays on as chair and Dave takes over as vice chair with a somewhat understanding that he’ll sit in as chairman next year.

I haven’t heard much talk about the vice chair seat other than Broyles is interested in it.

Personally, I don’t think there’s any way that either of the four new guys coming onto the board will ask for or get appointed to either seat.

That then leaves Brad, Dave, Amy, Sam McKenzie, Mike Brown, Jeff Ownby and Richard Briggs, who is in own political contest for a state Senate seat.