The World According to Oatney

Duncan On the Blocks

Since the editorial board of the Knoxville News Sentinel failed miserably in their attempt to use the pages of the newspaper to destroy the political career (yes, he has one) of now-State Senator Stacey Campfield, they have a new target in their sights-Knox County Trustee John J. Duncan III. The paper all but directly accused Duncan of pure political cronyism in it's editorial today, claiming that Duncan's hiring of family friend Zach Brezina to an entry-level position in the County Clerk's office "opens the office up to criticism" that J.D. has engaged in what the KNS is calling "cronyism."

Pardon this writer for believing that people serving on the editorial board of a major regional newspaper might have some knowledge of history and political precedent to know that the hiring of a friend fresh out of college to an entry level job in his office is not only not wrong, it goes with the territory of being an elected official at the local level in many cases. In the case of Duncan and Brezina, there was likely little intent to engage in "cronyism" as much as there was the knowledge that Brezina needed a job and Duncan had one to give that he was qualified for. Someone fresh out of college has to start somewhere, and one of the great difficulties for today's college graduate is being able to find employment when their resume necessarily lacks the experience they need to convince employers that they might be a good hire. Often, to find that first job, a new graduate needs to cultivate their references and their personal connections, and that is precisely what Zach Brezina seems to have done and what Trustee Duncan responded to

Labels: Conservatism, Elections, Local politics, Tennessee politics

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 3:34 PM