I began working in political campaigns in 1982 when I was 16 years old. I distributed bumper stickers, yard signs, knocked on doors for candidates that I liked. Robin Beard was the Republican candiadte running against Senator Jim Sasser. This was one of the first candidate campaigns that I volunteered in.
From 1981-1983 I delivered the Knoxville News-Sentinel (then an afternoon daily paper) on my bicycle after school. Delivering to about 100 homes. Oh my gosh, I am a retired employee of a subsidary of the E.W. Scripps Company. LOL.
In 1984 a Senior in high school, I supported the School Board candidacy of a local man named Ron McPherson. Ron was a Republican. As part of my efforts for Ron, his daughter (who was a teacher in Knox County Schools) and I knocked on every door of my paper route and I introduced her to my customers and told them that Ron was running for School Board and needed their vote. It obviously worked Ron was elected and defeated the incumbent.
Ron McPherson took me to several Republican events and that is when I met the man that I credit as being my political mentor. At that time it was my State Representative Loy Smith. Loy has since passed on, but I was involved in every campaign that Loy was involved in. His own races, the campaigns of Jimmy Kyle Davis who succeeded Loy in the legislature. Loy appointed me to serve as the 19 th Legislative District Chair for the Governor Winfield Dunn campaign. When Governor Dunn challenged Governor Ned McWherter. I was involved in the campaign to elect Loy as Knox County Republican Party Chairman in the late 80's. Several individuals still in office today credit Chairman Loy Smith with the 1990 Republican tide that resulted in the GOP picking up more seats and being more unified than ever. It happened again in 2006 with all Republicans getting elected (*except Mark Harmon) and was more unified than ever in spite of the Supreme Court, Orange ballot and everything else that happened.
In late 1988 - 1992, I became a columnist for the local East Knox Area News (a competitor of the Shopper) During that time, I wrote about the mass burn incinerator that was proposed for East Knox County. I was a volunteer within the anti - incinerator movement and through this campaign met some individuals like Greg Mackay, who would one day in the next decade go on to become Knox County's Election Administrator.
I wrote about the efforts of then Knox County administrator Melissa Zeigler and the failed East Bridge Industrial Park. I wrote that it was built in the wrong place at the wrong time. The park still has vacancies.
In 1990, as a 23 year old political novice I ran for County Commission against a 23 year incumbent and there was a third candidate in the race. It wasn't until several years later that I would learn that Sandra, Bee Deselm and others had recruited a slate of candidates to run as their ticket. The only seat they picked up to my knowledge was the Second District seat where Madeline Rogero defeated Jesse Cawood.
I did not know how to run for office at that point but of all the Republican primary races in 1990. Our race was the last one declared and Joe was re-elected with 112 more votes than I received. That night I got phone calls from many local political experts amazed at our efforts.
I am thankful that our effort was not victorious and that it was close because I established myself as a successful campaigner and political strategist. Within a couple of years we would be moving to the community that we would call home and the community where we would want to raise a family. A community where successful public education, church and community were all rolled into one.
During that campaign, I went to the Shopper office and bought an ad or two and dealt with Mary Lou Horner. Their coverage wasn't that broad into the district, but they were covering portions of Gibbs. To my recollection, the only time that I saw Sandra Clark during that campaign was at the only candidate debate that Joe McMillian ever participated in. The candidates were on the stage of Gibbs High School, Sandra was down front snapping pictures.
Interesting tidbit about this event at Gibbs High School is that this event is the first time that I met Steve Hunley. Steve ran six years later and served on the Knox County School Board from 1996-2000 and is the owner of the Fountain City Focus. The Fountain City Focus is a reputable weekly community newspaper in North Knox County.
Is there any coincidence that of the two individuals that Sandra hates the most that all three of us were under the same roof the first time that I met them. Actually Sandra and I never talked at this event. But that was the first time that I had ever seen her. Because I had to ask my campaign leader from Gibbs "who was sitting on the front row snapping pictures" and she said "Oh, that was Sandra Clark." I said "Oh, really I just met Mary Lou Horner two days ago and have some ads coming up in their paper."
At the debate the candidates were sitting in alphabetical order, so I was between Paul Hoehne (who was challenging Commissioner Billy Walker) and Commissioner McMillian. I did well enough for Commissioner McMillian to lean over to me at some point in the debate and say "Now, I know why I don't do these things"
After the election Commissioner McMillian asked me to go to lunch with him which I did. (Bob Evans on Merchants Road, it is now IHOP - International House of Pancakes) I went to lunch with him primarily out of respect for his service and out of respect for the fact that he was my Commissioner for the next four years.
We had never talked one on one before that lunch and it was a good conversation. We ended the lunch with me telling him that I didn't know what my political future would be, but that if I decided to run in 1994, I would call him first. We would speak socially after that and I grew to respect his service. In early 1992, Commissioner McMillian passed away. I attended his receiving of friends.
The Knox County Republican Party had to select a candidate to run in a special election. Former South Knox Commissioner John Mills had moved to the district in 1990. So the newspaper called and asked if I would be a candidate. I said that I had not made that decision. So, the three candidates that immediately were reported were former Commissioner John Mills, myself and Connie Whitehead the other former candidate opposing Commissioner McMillian in 1990.
As I began to think about this decision. Several things came back to me. One, my comment and commitment to Commissioner McMillian that the district elected him for four years. Two, I had just started my career with my present employer.
I was the first candidate to announce that I would not be a candidate. I stated that the district elected Commissioner McMillian and the best candidate to carry out his agenda through 1994 would be his son, Mike McMillian. Connie Whitehead never announced any intentions and did not attend the district convention. Former Commissioner John Mills announced after being nominated at the convention that he withdrew his name from consideration and that he would not be a candidate in 1992. He then ran against Commisioner Billy Walker in 1994 and was elected.
The two candidates were Mike McMillian and a local Realtor Jean Underwood. Mike was selected over whelming and went on to win the election.
In December 1992 our family (only three of us at that time) moved to South West Knox County. I quickly met one of my two County Commissioner's at the time, Commissioner Mike Ragsdale. The district picked up the third seat in 1994 from South Knox County due to the population shifts.
The story will continue. Stay Tuned.
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