Media Writers Contradict One Another?

In the Thursday edition of the Powell News located at the Halls News Website under the Thursday writer links there is a potential contradiction among two community writers.

Betty Bean writes

Hemlock all around

Then there’s that blogging boardinghouse guy, Stacey Campfield, who fired a shot across our bow when Bill Dunn got elected state House minority leader. Campfield, who serves in the legislature with Dunn predicted that “Sandra Clark, Betty Bean and most of the metro pulse (sic) staff were last spotted in search of a hemlock tree.”

Sorry to disappoint Rep. Campfield, but we were actually pretty tickled with Dunn’s election,since we predicted it was going to happen, and we enjoy being right.

So, thus encouraged, we’ll venture another prediction:

When Bill Dunn gets re-elected to his leadership post, the one-term-to-be Campfield won’t be there voting.

Contact Betty Bean at bbeanster@aol.com.

Sandra Clark writes

Dunn gets top job

Bill Dunn was elected House Republican leader this week in a closed conference in Crossville. The vote was by secret ballot, and Dunn’s competitor was, interestingly, his Knox County colleague Harry Brooks.

Dunn’s selection is a declaration of war against House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh and his friends, the lobbyists. House Republicans were embarrassed when their former leader, Tre Hargett, announced he would resign to become a lobbyist for the Viagra people. They were embarrassed when Chris Newton, the only Republican indicted in the Tennessee Waltz scandal, resigned, saying he had gotten caught up in “business as usual” in Nashville.

That remark even made Naifeh mad. It is not business as usual to get caught taking bribes.

I was surprised at Dunn’s selection. I will be even more surprised if he survives long-term as the GOP leader – whether the GOP is the minority or majority.

Leadership in Nashville (and Washington) is about raising money to preserve the power structure.

Bill Dunn is Sampson – the fellow setting out to fight the Philistines.

Hide in the weeds and watch.

Sandra Clark can be reached at 922-4136 or at sclark@hallsnews.com