The World According to Oatney

All twelve are out!

Chancellor Fansler needed Solomon's wisdom for his ruling on how to remedy the Knox County Commission's violation of the Open Meetings Act, but in the end his solution was a fairly simple one. The twelve officeholders, including eight Knox County Commissioners who were appointed in a manner that violated the Sunshine Law, were 30 minutes later rendered non-officeholders again.

Knox County has no Sheriff (the Chief Deputy is acting), no Register of Deeds (deputy is acting) and no County Clerk. Under Fansler's ruling, the 11 remaining elected Knox County Commissioners will appoint people to all of the vacant Commission seats and Constitutional offices. A quorum and majority under the ruling for the purposes of appointing vacancies comprises of six Commissioners. The Chancellor was quite clear that the meeting at which the appointments are made must be open to the public and the public must be afforded ample opportunity for a voice.

Chancellor Fansler also warned Commissioners that they are not to further violate the Sunshine Law, and that the Court would take jurisdiction in this matter, and that any violation of the Chancellor's injunction against private deliberation will result in a Contempt charge, with up to 10 days in jail and a fine of $50 for each instance of violation from today forward. The Commission is also required to submit semi-annual reports detailing compliance with the Open Meetings Act.

Labels: Local politics

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 12:29 PM