No Comments! Be The First!
Ragsdale resignation rumors redux
Posted By katie allison granju
As I mentioned the other day, rumors that Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale would soon resign were circulating madly last week, although when asked, Mike Arms said there was no truth whatsoever to the speculation.
Now George Korda weighs in on the still-out-there talk about an imminent Ragsdale resignation:
More potential trouble for Ragsdale could stem from the resignation of Cynthia Finch, the county’s former senior director of community services.
As Finch-related pressure grew over the past months, Ragsdale defended her as she was under fire. A general topic of Knox County political conversation has been why Ragsdale endured the grief?
In a reversal of administrative and political practice, he tied his stature and credibility to that of a subordinate.
Ragsdale didn’t answer questions about Finch’s departure because, he told the News Sentinel, he “wasn’t in that meeting,” where she resigned. A thin, unpersuasive, answer it may be, but it will serve its purpose for him if it curtails additional questions.
Ragsdale’s office is anticipating a rocky road ahead with respect to Finch. The Feb. 15 News Sentinel contained this quote: “We hope that this will be an amicable separation, but at this point we’re not optimistic,” (Ragsdale spokesman Dwight) Van de Vate said. “We do understand she’s been in contact with an attorney, Gordon Ball.”
Speculation has been pronounced that Finch possesses information on the Ragsdale Administration that helped keep her in her position. With her exit comes even more conjecture, that such beans – if they exist – could be spilled as part of legal action.
That’s the rumor, anyway.
And Larry Van Guilder has this to say:
…even as the mayor spoke, many sensed a ghostly presence in the room, as if something lurked at Ragsdale’s elbow, palpable if not quite visible. This shadowy figure has been stalking the mayor for at least a week, gradually acquiring a more distinct outline, and it’s beginning to take on all the subtlety of a bull elephant in the ICU.
The elephant is the rumor that the mayor’s resignation is imminent.
For those who say that Ragsdale’s exhortation to the commissioners sounded like anything but a valedictory, no argument. But keep in mind we’re talking about the same man who assured the public for months that he had unbounded faith in senior staff member Cynthia Finch. Provided he doesn’t lose his composure in public (“Showboat!”), the mayor is a pretty fair poker player.
Feb 26th, 2008
