It helps if folks know when, where, and how to participate. To that end, County Commissioners Wendy Pitts Reeves and Joe McCulley are sponsoring a resolution at tomorrow night's County Commission meeting to make all public notice announcements available on the county's website, including vacancies on boards, committees, and commissions.

The agenda for tomorrow's meeting is here, the full text of the resolution follows after the jump...

Rep. Joe McCord Won't Seek Re-Election to House

UPDATE: Former Sen. Bill Clabough Eyes Run for McCord House Seat

Where the Dems at?

Check this out. (I know it looks complicated, but just stare at it for a while like I did...)

Nov. 2008 election results by county commission district and party (based on Obama v. McCain*):

Aug. 2006 county commission vote by district, seat, and party:

So what does this tell us? Beats me. Except that Republicans dominate Blount County. But we already knew that.

But what I do see is that a) turnout is pathetic in off-year elections (when we elect most of our local county government), b) Democrats need to run more opposition candidates , and c) in 2006 Wendy Pitts Reeves and Dr. Bob Proffitt turned out more than half the number of 2008 Democratic presidential election voters in their districts (although it's most likely that not all their votes were from Democrats).

That last one is interesting, considering that turnout was about 22% in the 2006 county general election v. 76% in the 2008 national election.

It should also be noted that Democrats won two of the three County Commission seats where they ran candidates. Maybe that's the takeaway.

Anyway, these charts clearly show there are enough Democrats (and I count a 2008 Blount Co. vote for Obama as a hard core, yellow dog Democrat vote) to elect Democrats in almost every County Commission district if Democrats turn out the vote.

But this isn't really about R v. D. It's about good government, and not just being a rubber stamp for the County Mayor, Sheriff, and developers.

(*Note: The by-precinct numbers are slightly but insignificantly higher and don't add up to the unofficial election totals posted by the Blount Co. Election Commission on their website. I've double and triple checked, so you'll have to ask them why that is. Probably my bad, if someone can figure out why I'll be glad to make corrections.)

A $50,000 donation from Don and Carol Story, a $200,000 donation from the Charles and Sue Fouche Charitable Trust, and a $250,000 donation from PetSafe to be announced today complete phase 2.

The Maryville Daily Times has more...

We've added a box on the right with links to pages about featured candidates for the upcoming 2010 Blount County elections. We have requested info from each of the candidates, and pages/links will be updated as we receive it.

In the mean time, please consider supporting these candidates in the interest of better local government that isn't just a rubber stamp for the Mayor and the Sheriff.

We were fortunate to have lunch with Democratic gubernatorial primary candidate Kim McMillan and Blount Co. Commissioner Wendy Pitts Reeves today. Our full report, with photos...

UPDATE: Maryville Daily Times on McMillan visit...

The Blount County Election office says they are finalizing certification of petitions received as of yesterday's deadline and hope to have it completed this afternoon.

It appears that ten elections are already decided with candidates running unopposed (all Republicans). Five more elections will be decided in the Republican primary, with the winners running unopposed in the general.

In the remaining six competitive races, three Republican primary winners will face independent candidates in the general. Although independents do not traditionally do well, Howard Kerr could be the spoiler in the County Mayor's race.

Democrats put up a respectable roster of candidates for County Commission, including three incumbents. All are unopposed in the primary and will advance to the general.

It appears Republicans are not happy with some of the incumbents. County Mayor Jerry Cunningham drew a primary challenger, as did County Commissioners Mark Hasty, Scott Helton, Gary Farmer, Steve Hargis, Holden Lail, and Mike Walker.

Here's how it stands at the moment:

ELECTIONS DECIDED:

Incumbent Mike Lewis (R) is running unopposed for County Commission seat 2B.

Incumbent Ron French (R) is running unopposed for County Commission seat 9A.

Incumbent Monika Murrell is running unopposed for County Commission seat 9B.

Incumbent Kenneth Melton (R) is running unopposed for County Commission seat 10B.

Incumbent Tom Hatcher (R) is running unopposed for Circuit Court Clerk.

Incumbent Robert Headrick (R) is running unopposed for Genera Sessions Judge Div. 4.

Phyllis Crisp (R) is running unopposed for Register of Deeds and will replace Penny Whaley who is retiring at the end of her term.

Incumbent Bill Dunlap (R) is running unopposed for Road Superintendent.

Incumbent Scott Graves (R) is running unopposed for Trustee.

Incumbent Jim Berrong (R) is running unopposed for Sheriff.

ELECTIONS DECIDED IN PRIMARY:

Mike Caylor and Jimmy Melton will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 3B and the winner will run unopposed in the general.

Incumbent Mark Hasty and challenger Kimberly Russell will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 4B and the winner will run unopposed in the general.

Incumbent Scott Helton and challenger Homer Sauls will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 6B and the winner will run unopposed in the general.

Incumbent Steve Hargis and challenger Jim Folts will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 7A and the winner will run unopposed in the general.

Roy Gamble, James Taylor, and John Templeton will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 8A and the winner will run unopposed in the general.

PRIMARIES DECIDED:

Incumbent Tonya Burchfield (R) and challenger Brandon Cook (D) will advance to the general for County Commission 1A.

Incumbent David Ballard (D) and challenger Shawn Carter (R) will advance to the general for County Commission 1B.

Incumbent Brad Harrison (R) will face independent challenger Everett Hoy in the general for County Commission 2A.

Incumbent Steve Samples (R) will face independent challenger Richard Hutchens in the general for County Commission 3A.

Incumbent Peggy Lambert (R) will face independent challenger Izaak Stanridge in the general for County Commission 5A.

Incumbent Bob Proffitt (D) and challenger Richard Carver (R) will advance to the general for County Commission 5B.

Independent challenger William Hill will face the Republican primary winner for County Commission 4A.

Incumbent Wendy Pitts Reeves (D) will face the Republican primary winner for County Commission 4C.

Gary Wynn (D) will face the Republican primary winner for County Commission 6A.

Linda Jo Dees (D) will face the Republican primary winner for County Commission 7B.

Independent challenger John Polk will face the Republican primary winner for County Commission 8B.

Tony Webb (D) will face the Republican primary winner for County Commission 10A.

Independent challenger Howard Kerr will face the Republican primary winner for County Mayor.

COMPETITIVE PRIMARIES:

Incumbent Jerry Cunningham will face challenger Ed Mitchell in the Republican primary for County Mayor. The winner will face independent Howard Kerr in the general.

Incumbent Gary Farmer will face challenger Jerry Harvey in the Republican primary for County Commission 4A. The winner will face independent William Hill in the general.

Jerome Moon and Billy Gribble will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 4C. The winner will face incumbent Wendy Pitts Reeves (D) in the general.

Incumbent Holden Lail will compete with challengers Steve Hicks and Sheri Turner in the Republican primary for County Commission 6A. The winner will face challenger Gary Wynn (D) in the general.

Tom Greene and Tom Cole will compete in the Republican primary for County Commission 7B. The winner will face Linda Jo Dees (D) in the general.

Incumbent Mike Walker will face challenger Gordon Wright in the primary for County Commission 8B. The winner will face independent John Polk in the general.

Cloudy skies and cold weather didn't stop anyone from coming out to the Maryville Christmas Parade in downtown Maryville today. According to the paper there were over 160 entries in the parade, and folks from all over lined the parade route. Here are some snapshots... 

(Click here for larger view)

The Maryville Daily Times reports, and has a rundown on the other races and all the Republicans (and a few Democrats) running.

Cunningham has been a political and public relations embarrassment for Blount County. But we're not bankrupt yet and the schools are still open and the roads mostly passable and nobody has been rounded up and sent to detention camps (that we know of) and all the big development and road projects are good to go so that's good enough for the Republicans who run Blount County. They will reelect him in a landslide so there's no point wasting any time or money trying to have an opposition party or run any candidates or anything.

The new Blount County Animal Center is set to open today. Located at 241 Currie Ave. in Maryville, the new animal shelter will be open Monday through Friday from 8AM to 4:30PM.

Blount County has been without an animal shelter since 2007 when County Commission ended the county's contract with the City of Maryville. Blount County Animal Control has been contracting with Loudon County to take in strays. The county also had no organized spay/neuter program.

The new shelter is opening in phases. The first phase, opening today, will address Blount County's immediate animal control needs, which include 4,000 stray and abandoned pets each year. The next phases will expand public education and animal health and welfare programs and will make services available to the community and other local governments.

The Blount County Animal Center was created through a public/private partnership with the non-profit Smoky Mountain Animal Care Foundation, which raises funds through private donations and is coordinating the program. The estimated construction cost is $1.6 million, with about one third of that coming from county funds and the rest through donations. Annual operating costs are expected to be over $300,000, funded through a contract with the county, adoption fees, and private donations.

You can help in a variety of ways. Click here to find out more.

Left to right: Brandon Cook, Dave Finch (former Blount Co. Democratic Party Chair), and Joe Gallagher (Louisville Alderman and local political activist)

Supporters gathered at the Blount Co. Library this evening for the launch of Brandon Cook's campaign for County Commission representing the 1st District. The crowd of almost 60 included a "who's who" of Blount County Democrats and quite a number of fresh new faces.

Regarding his early entry into the race, Brandon said there is a lot of work to be done and it's never too soon to get started. He says he has a lot to talk about with voters between now and the April 14th start of early voting for the May 4th primary. He also says he won't be afraid to tell them he's a Democrat.

In his refreshingly short announcement speech, Mr. Cook said the reason he is running is simple: he cares about Blount County and Tennessee.

He said his campaign will focus on four things. First, we need to make investments in our local economy, and second, the best investment we can make is education. Third is bringing us back together as a community. Despite the perception that we are divided, Mr. Cook said there is a lot that unites us. He said the only promise he will make is that we won't always agree, but that this is healthy and we must work through the issues, lock arms, and march forward together to make our community better. Fourth, he said his campaign will be about "you, the citizens of Blount County." He wants to hear from you about your concerns and where you think the county's priorities should be.

Judging from some of the rumors and speculation among attendees, there will be a lot of interest and maybe a few surprises in the next round of Blount County elections. Lest there be any doubt about that, both local papers were there to cover Brandon's announcement.

Brandon Cook is a fifth-generation Blount County native who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes over the past several years for a more progressive Blount County. We are happy to see him take on the challenge of public office. He's sharp, well spoken, and knows what he's doing. We need more young people like Brandon in public service.

If you'd like to help out Brandon's campaign, you can visit his website and volunteer or make a donation:

Brandon D. Cook for County Commission

Alcoa Parkway bypass of Alcoa Highway moving closer to reality

"The purpose is to get rid of traffic congestion on Alcoa Highway, which will turn into a commercial street. It will be our Kingston Pike," Wiggins said. "It's our commercial corridor."

And we want a Kingston Pike in Blount County, why? Have these guys driven out there lately? We've already got two empty car lots on Alcoa Highway. I guess we need some empty strip malls to go with them.

Johnson hopes to pull out the Hunt Road portion from the Hall Road/U.S. 129 Bypass split to just south of McGhee Tyson Airport and construct it first.

"That would be easy to do," Wiggins said.

That area of Alcoa Parkway is going to serve as the main entrance into the 350-acre former ALCOA Inc. West Plant property. Developers Kinsey Probasco Hays (KPH) and International Risk Group (IRG) are planning a $500 million development at build-out, not including inflation.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Everything is becoming much clearer, now.

Link...

The City of Alcoa Board of Commissioners just voted unanimously to ban guns in city parks.