The bitter Knox County Republican primary election was settled in May, but that doesn't mean division behind the scenes has mended or that inner-party campaigning has stopped.
Republicans, elected and not elected, are whipping up votes for a role whose significance has fluctuated over the years: Knox County Commission chair.
Republican Commissioners Terry Hill of Hardin Valley and Angela Russell of Farragut both confirmed to me they're running to be chair.
How is the chair elected? Commissioners elect a chair and vice chair every year.
Why is the chair important? "The chairman can set the tone of meetings and show a leadership role," Mike Arms, a Republican strategist and former Knox County commissioner told me. "The chairman's job is to keep meetings in order
and make sure every commissioner's vote is treated equally and fairly. There's a lot of reasons why you want a good chairman. Both (Democratic Commissioner) Courtney Durrett and (out-going Republican Commissioner) Gina Oster excelled at that, keeping meetings orderly, keeping the meetings focused on the agenda, making sure every commissioner had a chance to state their opinion."
The chair is more important now than ever: As tensions rise on the 11-person commission, the chair's "gatekeeping" job has become more important. Commissioners Andy Fox along with Rhonda Lee, whose tenure will end Sept. 1, have used their platform to discuss hot-button national issues that don't fit into the commission's purview – such as illegal immigration and the murder of Republican activist Charlie Kirk – to the dismay of a bipartisan group of commissioners who said the efforts stir up division and are "political grandstanding."
The chair can't stop a commissioner from putting a resolution or ordinance on the agenda, but can try to steer a productive conversation.
"This person should be Switzerland, the person that doesn't speak and lets everyone else speak," Durrett, speaking broadly about her time as chair, told me. "If you feel strongly about something, you wait until the end (of discussion time). You're there to run a meeting."
Zoom in on the candidates: Hill and Russell come from two different wings of the Knox County Republican Party. Hill, as well as Oster and outgoing Commissioner Larsen Jay, have repeatedly been attacked by those who support Russell for not being "Republican enough" because they have found ways to work with Democrats on solutions to local issues or aren't ideologically as far to the right.
Some want Fox and Russell: Michael Baer, who moved here in 2021 from New York City, has increasingly staked out a presence in the county Republican Party, including a run for the commission this year that was derailed when the state party disqualified him because he had not lived here long enough to qualify as a bona fide Republican. He took to Facebook recently to promote Fox and Russell for chair and vice chair. He also urged new Republican commissioners – Barry Beeler, Justin Cofer and Garrett Holt – to fall into line with his views.
"Commissioners Angela Russell and Andy Fox have shown themselves to be strong conservative voices on the Knox County Commission," Baer wrote. "The bigger question is: What will the new Republican commissioners do? Will they stand with Russell and Fox and support a conservative leadership team? The voters deserve to know where every Republican commissioner stands. Knox County is watching."
Oster pointed out a flaw of Russell's: I spoke to Oster, who is lauded by Republicans and Democrats for her community-focused service, about the race to succeed her as chair after she was beat in the GOP primary by Sheri Super, who is supported by the same constituency as Russell. (Super lost the race to Democrat Brandon Huckaby.)
Oster said Russell takes the easy way out on votes too often by abstaining.
"I do not find anyone who passes (on votes) that much in this job can be in leadership," Oster said. "A leader has got to be decisive, they've got to make hard decisions. they have to make hard votes, that's what they were elected to do. not to pass, not to abstain . If you're a Knox County commissioner, you represent your district, including people you don't like and didn't necessarily vote for you."
Haley Wilson, the commission's recorder, told me Russell has abstained from voting 31 times since her 2024 election.
Martin Daniel, the local Republican Party chair, told me he isn't supporting one candidate over the other.
Division within the party: The Republican vs. Republican competition for chair is another example of division within the party. The coalitions of commissioners who vote for each candidate could be representative of future commission votes on issues like development and how the county spends money. Russell has offered to be Knox County's DOGE(referencing President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency) while Hill has supported effortsto improve county-provided services like giving all employees (including commissioners) pay raises. Similarly, Russell campaigned in 2024 on opposing higher-density housing while Hill has supported higher-density workforce housing efforts.
What's next? The commission will vote on a chair and vice chair Sept. 1 in the reorganization meeting that occurs after everyone is sworn in for the upcoming term.
Flock surveillance camera executives are coming to town
The long-awaited meeting between Knox County commissioners, the Knox County Sheriff's Office and Flock Safetyexecutives is this week.
An important note about the meeting: There will not be an opportunity for public comments. If you want to share your thoughts about KCSO's plans to work with Flock, you can contact the sheriff's office or county commissioners.
Knox County commissioners and Mayor Glenn Jacobs have criticized Sheriff Tom Spangler for not being transparent about his plans to create a surveillance center equipped with license plate readers and cameras manufactured by Flock Safety, which has faced national scrutiny because officers have abused the data, including using it to stalk people.
Neighbors and elected officials have raised concerns about data storage and privacy, and KCSO has yet to provide a clear policy on how video would be stored and protected. In response to nationwide concerns, Flock added more privacy controls to its products, but counties across the country and Tennessee have stopped working with the company.
On Aug. 31, commissioners are set to vote on an ordinance from east Knox County Commissioner Adam Thompson that would prevent KCSO from building a permanent surveillance network through fixed license plate readers and cameras.
What's the meeting this week? Commissioners will meet with Flock and KCSO to ask questions about Spangler's planned surveillance center.
When's the meeting? 1 p.m. Aug. 24 in the main assembly room of the City-County Building, 400 Main St.
Knoxville's ballot referendum – stay tuned
Get ready for a question on your November ballots!
If you live in Knoxville (or have property there and you've registered as a property-qualified voter), you'll have a question on your ballot in addition to state and federal races.
The Knoxville City Council voted Aug. 18 to ask voters whether elections for councilmembers should look more like elections for mayor and municipal judge.
Currently, the top two candidates for city council advance from the primary to the general election, including if one of the candidates attains a majority (50% +1) of votes. Voters will be able to decide on this change: If a candidate gets a majority in the primary, the race is decided without requiring a general election. That's how races for mayor and municipal judge are decided and candidates for those positions frequently win by crossing the threshold of 50%+1.
When's the election? The election is Nov. 3, and early voting starts Oct. 14.
Stay tuned for more coverage about this as the election gets closer!
5 things you may have missed
Here are five news highlights from last week:
Joanna Hayes talked about 'experience fee' popping up on receipts at Kern's Food Hall
Afton Pratt reported Tennessee expected $55.8M in hemp taxes in 2026. It collected just $1.4M
Sophia Tiedge and Trevor McGee reported the Knoxville multisport complex on public golf course land cleared its first hurdle
Devarrick Turner reported about the Tennessee Valley Fair's excitement over a possible new home
I reported Knox County voters oppose Flock cameras, and it crosses party lines, poll finds
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Republicans are vying to lead county commission
