SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012 Haslam issues Executive Order on State Drug Court Programs (C.

Online)
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today announced an executive order to change the management and oversight of state drug court programs as part of his administrations ongoing effort to increase government efficiency and effectiveness. Executive Order No. 12 transfers the drug court programs from the Department of Finance and Administration (F&A) to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) effective July 1st, 2012. TDMHSAS oversees the licensing and funding for indigent Tennesseans needing substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. The transfer of the drug courts to TDMHSAS will lessen duplication of effort and align with the departments role as the substance abuse authority in the state. http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2012/06/16/tennessee-bill-haslam-issues-executive-order-on-state-drug-courtprograms/

Magneti Marelli expands Pulaski site with light operation (Clarksville Online)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and ECD Commissioner Bill Hagerty announced June 11 that Magneti Marelli will expand its Pulaski outfit, a $53.7 million investment that will create 800 new jobs. Magneti Marelli is a top global automotive systems and components supplier, and a new automotive lighting operation will be housed inside the companys existing Pulaski facility. Congratulations to Magneti Marelli on this announcement. Our Jobs4TN economic development strategy includes strong emphasis on several industry clusters, such as the automotive industry, in which the state holds a distinct competitive advantage and on expanding existing Tennessee businesses. The addition of this lighting operation to the Pulaski site is welcome news to Giles County and the state, Haslam said. http://businessclarksville.com/2012/06/16/magneti-marelli-expands-pulaski-site-with-light-operation-45217/

Way library collaborate on program (Cleveland Daily Banner)

It will be a special day Thursday at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library as United Way of Bradley County, along with a host of volunteers, will be raising their hand to read to area youngsters. A part of the statewide initiative entitled Raise Your Hand Tennessee, the event will begin at 10 a.m. and continue through 7 p.m. at the library Nearly 40 other United Ways across the state will be conducting similar events. First Lady Crissy Haslam be reading to children at at least one event in the state on Thursday. We are so pleased to will have those who have committed to volunteer with us at this event, Long said. By collaborating together in this type of event, it not only provides a special event for these children, but also shows how we work in a united fashion to help others. http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/19016142/article-United-W ay--library--collaborate-on-program? instance=main_article

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga losing its 2 top leaders (TFP/Trevizo)

Higher education nationwide has been racked with turnover at the top in the last year, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is no exception. Within a month, its top two leaders announced that they are leaving. UTC Provost Phil Oldham will become president at Tennessee Tech University on July 1, and Chancellor Roger Brown, 64, will retire at the end of March. It's rare for a university to lose multiple key leaders at the same time, experts say. And the stakes are high for UTC, which has about 1,000 employees, more than 11,000 students and an annual budget from fees and state appropriations of $124 million. "To the best of my knowledge, this will

be the first time that searches for a new chancellor and a new provost could be concurrent," UTC spokesman Chuck Cantrell said. Yet that's in line with what experts are seeing nationwide. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/17/chattanooga-utc-losing-its-2-top-leaders/?local

Plan to fix traffic pattern near justice center headed to TDOT (Johnson City Press)
The town of Jonesboroughs plan to correct dangerous traffic patterns at the entrance to the Washington County Justice Center is on its way to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for a preliminary review. The proposed reconfiguration of the center median and turn lanes on Jackson Boulevard (US 11E) at the Justice Center entrance and at nearby North Cherokee Street was approved by the towns Traffic Advisory Committee in late May and presented to the board of mayor and aldermen last week. Town Administrator Bob Browning said the plan, which will utilize concrete curbing and islands to prevent left turns onto the highway from North Cherokee and from the Justice Centers main entrance, will come back to the board for consideration of any revisions suggested by TDOT engineers before an application is submitted for TDOT final authorization of the improvements. In recommending the improvements, Mayor Kelly Wolfe told the board members the hazard created by eastbound motorists attempting to cross west bound traffic lanes on Jackson Boulevard in an attempt to turn east toward Johnson City is long standing and was made worse by the opening of the Justice Center two years ago. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=100866#ixzz1y36YmQLW

State takes control of Lynchburg bank (State Gazette)

State regulators have taken possession of the Farmers Bank of Lynchburg and appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as its receiver. The Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions announced the action late Friday afternoon, citing the bank's "impaired capital, unsound condition and inability to continue normal operations." Deposit accounts of the bank have been transferred to Clayton Bank and Trust of Knoxville and will be available immediately. Depositors will be able to access their accounts at the former main office and branch locations of the Lynchburg bank during regular business hours. Regulators said ATMs can still be used, checks written and debit transactions made. http://www.t-g.com/story/1861008.html

In South Nashville district, youth will carry the day (Tennessean/Cass)

Whoever wins the House District 53 seat this fall could represent the South Nashville area in the General Assembly for a long time. Two Democrats and two Republicans are running to succeed retiring state Rep. Janis Sontany, and all four are in their 30s. Each candidate brings government and political experience to the table, from seeking or holding an elected office to working for President George W. Bush during his second term. Its a critical period in our state, said Democrat Jason Powell, who ran unsuccessfully for another House seat in 2006. W e need strong leaders. Powell is running against first-year Metro Councilman Jason Potts, who has said he would continue to serve on the council if elected to the House of Representatives. In the Republican primary, Ben Claybaker faces Tonya Miller, who lost to Sontany, a fifth-term Democrat, two years ago. Early voting starts July 13 for the two primaries, to be held Aug. 2. The winners will meet in the general election Nov. 6. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120617/NEWS0201/306170042/In-South-Nashville-district-youth-will-carryday?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Repeat DUI offenders: Can they be stopped? (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Alund)

Cases highlight a persistent problem across Tennessee At first glance, Ronald Lewallen's six-year prison sentence for drunken driving may appear harsh. Other East Tennessee defendants have drawn much lighter punishments. In Sevierville, for example, a man who was drunk when he killed a high school baseball coach during a 2008 crash received no prison time only probation. But climbing behind the wheel drunk had landed Lewallen behind bars before. And prosecutors said his behavior left them no choice but to ask for the maximum penalty during a July 19, 2010, sentencing hearing in Scott County. It was his 14th conviction for driving under the influence. Lewallen's case highlights an incessant problem in Tennessee. Last year 16,894 people were convicted of driving under the influence in the state; 3,716, or about one quarter of them, were repeat offenders, according to statistics from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In Tennessee, thousands of convicted DUI offenders get right back out on the road. They make up aliases to hide their records. They often spend little time behind bars. Sometimes they flee to avoid prosecution. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/17/repeat-dui-offenders-can-they-be-stopped/ 2

Chattanooga City Council closing in on budget (Times Free-Press/Hightower)

The Chattanooga City Council is a step away from voting on a $209 million operating budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The only roadblock is reaching agreement on who among the 2,100-person workforce will get raises. "I think they are pretty much close to a compromise," said Councilwoman Carol Berz, chairwoman of the Budget and Finance Committee. The council has been working on the budget for more than a month, and questions concerning salaries have been an issue for three weeks. Mayor Ron Littlefield's proposed budget included a 3 percent across-the-board raise for general services employees at a cost of $1.5 million. The budget doesn't include a general raise for police officers and sworn personnel, but it sets aside $1.3 million for the police career ladder program that pays officers who get extra training. Some council members have suggested a smaller pay raise, while others want all employees included in the across-the-board increase. Littlefield spokesman Richard Beeland said the administration has worked out some alternatives. "W e are putting together some options for [the council] to review, and the mayor will be presenting them," Beeland said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/17/chattanooga-tennessee-closing-in-on-budget/?local

Tomeka Hart in it to win it (Commercial Appeal/Sullivan)

9th District Democratic challenger accustomed to long odds, confident of 'giant leap' from school board to Congress against incumbent Steve Cohen. There's a historical precedent for what Tomeka Hart is trying to do. In 2004, she took on a powerful, 17-year incumbent, and beat him with 68 percent of the vote to win a seat on the Memphis City Schools board. Now a member of the unified school board that is carrying out the merger of Memphis and Shelby County schools, Hart is aiming higher this year. Her sights are set on three-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary that is tantamount to outright election in the heavily Democratic 9th Congressional District. She said she is "absolutely not" running just to raise her profile for a future shot at the seat. "I'm running to win right now," said the 41-year-old former school teacher and labor lawyer who's on leave as president and CEO of the Memphis Urban League. "The district can't wait until he (Cohen) retires to get the kind of leadership I'm talking about." Early voting for the Democratic and Republican primaries begins July 13. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/17/hart-in-it-to-win-it-hart-vs-cohen-good-politics/ (SUB)

History unkind to GOP in 9th District (Commercial Appeal/Sullivan)

It has been a long time since Memphis and Shelby County saw a truly competitive Republican primary race in the 9th Congressional District. The heavily Democratic district has been in Democratic hands since 1975, when Harold Ford Sr. took office after defeating the GOP incumbent, Dan Kuykendall. Charlotte Bergmann, 59, a Republican businesswoman who won 25 percent of the general election vote in 2010 when she ran against incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, drew a primary election opponent this year in deep-pocketed Dr. George S. Flinn Jr., 68, a former Shelby County commissioner. Two other candidates, Ernest Lunati and Rollin Wilson Stooksberry, both of whom have little support and few resources, are also on the GOP ballot this year. Early voting for the Aug. 2 primary elections begins July 13. Bergmann had two little-known Republican opponents in 2010 and won the nomination with 13,285 votes. Voting records dating back to 1980 show only seven contested Republican Party primaries in the 9th District and nine uncontested races. The contested race this time, and the prospect of big money being spent, "shows that there's a lot of interest on the Republican side to replace Steve Cohen," said Justin Joy, the Shelby County Republican Party chairman. With the changes in the 9th District's boundaries that resulted from this year's congressional redistricting, he added, "there's a possibility" a Republican could win. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/17/history-unkind-to-gop-in-9th/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Obama immigration plan stirs hopes (Tennessean/Young)

Critics say U.S. citizens will suffer Sixteen-year-old Kevin Rodas face lit up Saturday as he talked about his hopes for the future. The soon-to-be senior at Hunters Lane High School, who was serving as a Spanish interpreter on Saturday at a legal clinic in South Nashville, got an excited phone call from his uncle on Friday, soon after news broke about President Barack Obamas announcement that would allow some illegal immigrants up to the age of 30 to remain in the country and apply for work permits. I think its a great opportunity for kids my age to have a future, said Rodas, who came to the United States from Guatemala at the age of 10. He got a green card after the death of his mother three years ago. In Guatemala, there is nothing but poverty and hardship. Since the presidents announcement, supporters like Rodas and opponents, such as U.S. Rep. Diane Black, have been speaking out on the issue of immigration. Although Rodas will be eligible for full citizenship in 3

about five years, he has family members who arent so lucky. His younger cousin remains undocumented, but now she has hope, he said. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120617/NEW S01/306170039/Obamaimmigration-plan-stirs-hopes?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Survey cites Medicaid as states' biggest fiscal challenge (Times-News)

States are dealing with slow economic growth while Medicaid stands out as the biggest fiscal challenge, according to a survey from the National Governors Association (NGA) and National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO). Medicaid has the single largest tab of total state spending estimated to account for 24 percent in the 2011 fiscal year. The NGA-NASBO survey said state funds directed toward Medicaid increased dramatically in the 2012 fiscal year, while federal spending rapidly declined because federal stimulus funds expired. Over the past 10 years, state spending on Medicaid has exceeded growth in all other categories of spending, and has been twice as much as the growth in education spending, according to the survey. With the growth of Medicaid expenditures, spending priorities will again face competition for state budget dollars this fiscal year, NGA Executive Director Dan Crippen observed in a prepared release. States have undertaken numerous actions to contain Medicaid costs, including reducing provider payments, cutting prescription drug benefits, limiting benefits, reforming delivery systems, expanding managed care and enhancing program integrity efforts. These efforts alone, however, cannot stop the growth of Medicaid. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9048029/survey-cites-medicaid-as-states-biggest-fiscal-challenge

Tourism

group

touts

Tennessee

waterfalls

(Chattanooga

Times

Free-

Press/Higgins)
What's so great about watching water fall off a cliff? Sandy Brewer knows. "W e take them for granted, because we grow up with them," said Brewer, tourism coordinator with the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association. "But talk to someone from the Great Plains and you begin to understand how fascinating they are." Overhill is a tourism association based in Etowah, Tenn., that serves Polk, McMinn and Monroe counties, the southern half of the Cherokee National Forest. The association's job is to bring visitors to the mountain counties. "W hen Sandy mentioned this, I realized I had been taking them for granted, too," said Linda Caldwell, Overhill executive director. So, along with the region's other mountain charms, this summer the Overhill Association is promoting the 50 waterfalls within its member counties. "We have over 50 waterfalls, from 5 feet to 130 feet. Some are as easy to get to as driving up to them. Some can only be seen after a hike," Brewer said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/17/tennessee-tourism-group-touts-regions-waterfalls/?local#

Hacker triggers busy week for banks (Leaf Chronicle)

Local banks have fielded hundreds of questions from worried Clarksvillians this week in the wake of the hacking of school system records. Hackers on Monday and again Wednesday released a list that included Social Security numbers and birth dates for past and present employees and students. In both releases, the list was removed from the Internet hours later. Announcements from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System have advised past and present employees and students to take steps to monitor their finances. More than 1,000 customers have contacted First Advantage Bank about the issue, according to its CEO, Earl Bradley. First Advantage, along with other banks, has posted a list of tips on its website that affected parties will likely find familiar. In addition to requesting a free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com, people are advised to contact the three credit bureaus for information on other options, including a fraud alert, a credit freeze or credit monitoring. Bradley said that, while the security breach means stress and frustration for thousands in the community, it offers them a chance to pursue protection before fraudulent activity, rather than trying to neutralize its effect after the fact. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120616/NEWS01/306150046/Hacker-triggers-busy-week-banks? odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Plan for merger of Memphis, Shelby County schools complete (CA/Kelley)

After spending an estimated 400 hours in 150 meetings with 100 members of the Memphis City and Shelby County Schools staffs, interacting with about 14,000 in community meetings and producing more than 10,000 pages of documents, Transition Planning Commission members believe they have an acceptable plan for merging the districts. Whether the unified school board and the state commissioner of education agree remains to be seen. But finishing the first draft of the transition plan last week was a satisfying experience that left TPC 4

members beaming with pride and hopeful the community will embrace their 200-and-some-page baby. The heart of the plan, which will be presented to the board June 26 and to state Commissioner Kevin Huffman two days later, is its educational component calling for universal pre-kindergarten, doubling the number of advanced placement classes and other enhancements aimed at producing a "world-class" educational system. To govern and manage what could turn out to be a 147,000-student system -- depending on the success of the municipal district efforts -- the commission is recommending a "multiple-achievement paths" model designed to accommodate multiple operators and give leaders more autonomy. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/17/plan-for-schools-merger-complete/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Thousands drawn to 'Pre-K Express' to enroll kids (C. Appeal/Whitten)

Downtown parking lots around the Memphis Cook Convention Center filled up Saturday morning as thousands of parents brought their 4-year-olds to enroll in Memphis City Schools' fourth annual Pre-K Express event. Carolyn Harvey, director of the MCS Pre-K Office, said families started arriving more than two hours before the scheduled start of the enrollment and orientation event. "So many families are at different stages of this enrollment process," Harvey said. "There are just so many more kids than there are spots. And that's a problem." The Pre-K Express, a one-stop shop for enrolling kids in prekindergarten classes for the coming school year, sent out 3,500 acceptance letters before the event and placed another 300-400 families on waiting lists. "Other families heard about what we're doing and decided, 'That's something I need to do,'" she said. While many families are on waiting lists in the southeast and northeast regions of the city, Harvey said the western regions had several openings. "Parents can decide whether it's better to stay on a waiting list, or choose a different school to send their child," said Dena Owens, MCS spokeswoman. "It's such a transient event, it would behoove families to come." http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/17/eager-for-education/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Head of the class: Schools look to fill teaching vacancies in high-demand areas (JS)
With 41 years of teaching experience, Gwendolyn Whitelaw plans to spend at least a few more years in the classroom. Shes a part of a teaching population in West Tennessee opting not to retire. In some districts veteran teachers sticking around leaves fewer positions for new teachers. I like what I do and I do it because I want to make a difference, said Whitelaw, who teaches at Alexander Elementary in Jackson-Madison County Schools. Henderson County Superintendent Steve Wilkinson said his district had fewer open positions than normal this year because fewer teachers who were eligible to retire actually retired With an uncertain economy, teachers arent leaving as soon as they could, W ilkinson said. The competition for teaching jobs locally has made recent Freed-Hardeman University graduate Rachel Peterson a little nervous. Peterson has applied for teaching positions in several districts in West Tennessee. I havent heard back from any of them yet; Im trying not to get worried, she said. I dont want it to be September and I dont have a teaching job. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120617/NEWS01/306170017/Head-class-Schools-look-fill-teachingvacancies-high-demand-areas?nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

MORE

OPINION Gail Kerr: SCORE report on teacher evaluations says a lot of nothing (Tennessean)
Its tough to be a Tennessee teacher right now. Their pay is low, expectations high, their unions have been usurped, and theyre graded with a stringent new evaluation system that is deeply flawed. The first effort to fix that last one, a 40-page report by the think tank SCORE, did anything but. stands for State Collaborative on Reforming Education. Its a well-respected group run by former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist. Gov. Bill Haslam asked the organization to evaluate the evaluation system, when state legislators were about to change the system themselves. No one disagrees that teachers should be evaluated, including teachers. The devil is in the how. Tennessee passed a law to create the current system as part of the federal First to the Top grant program. But from day one, teachers have howled that its not fair. Their time is taken up by creating detailed lesson plans, rather than teaching. During live evaluations, teachers must meet a long series of expectations. Administrators say its not meant to be a checklist, but thats what it is. And get this one of the basic requirements is impossible to meet for more than half of all teachers. The final score is based 35 percent on how much the teachers students learned. But most teachers teach in subjects that arent tested, including art and music. Their 35 percent is based on how the entire student body tested overall. That is patently unfair. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120617/COLUMNIST0101/306170031/Gail-Kerr-SCORE-report-teacherevaluations-says-lot-nothing?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CNews%7Cp&nclick_check=1

Editorial: Expanding TTC adds muscle to job training (Leaf Chronicle)

Workforce development remains a key to success in growing jobs, and the Tennessee Technology Center at Dicksons Clarksville Extension Campus is poised to play an even bigger role in training local people for local jobs. The training school, which is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system, is adding some 65,000 square feet to its current 19,000-square-foot campus at the corner of International Boulevard and Guthrie Highway. It will be able to expand its student base from about 150 students now to more than 300. The Regents committed some $16 million to construct the new building, which is expected to open in May 2013. Even as the construction continues next door, the centers two metal buildings are jam-packed with students and equipment 6

and humming with training activities on topics such as automotive technology, computer information, industrial maintenance, machine tool technology, HVAC, and business systems. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120617/OPINION01/306170004/EDITORIAL-Expanding-TTC-addsmuscle-job-training?nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Free-Press Editorial: Broadband boom (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

The public-private partnership known as Connected Tennessee just released new data showing that more than 95 percent of the Volunteer State's households now have access to basic broadband Internet service. That's good news in an increasingly high-tech world, and in a state with as many difficult-to-access rural areas as Tennessee. But it's not good enough, the organization's executive director said. "Progress must continue ... in order to bring the empowering technology of broadband to the remaining 123,220 Tennessee households unserved by basic, non-mobile, high-speed Internet," Corey Johns wrote in a news release. At its website, connectedtn.org, the partnership offers interactive maps so visitors can see whether broadband coverage is available in their areas. In a state where the tasks of improving public education and literacy rates pose enormous challenges, the fact that we're getting there on broadband access is an encouraging sign. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/17/broadband-boom/?opinionfreepress

Editorial: Judge's reasoning on open meetings notices is flawed (News-Sentinel)

A Rutherford County chancellor's ruling that the local planning commission failed to give adequate notice of a meeting to approve the site plan for a controversial mosque has troubling ramifications. Chancellor Robert Corlew determined that the public notice published prior to the meeting in the Murfreesboro Post was inadequate and that the planning commission should have known the issue would be controversial and done more, including posting information on the county website, to inform the public. Corlew hasn't stopped construction on the mosque but ordered last week that the county could not issue an occupancy permit. Officials with the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro had hoped to open the facility by the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, on July 20. The Islamic Center sought approval for a new mosque from the Rutherford County Regional Planning Commission in May 2010. The planning commission followed its normal procedure of publishing notice of the meeting in the Murfreesboro Post, a free newspaper which at the time had a circulation of about 21,000, according to the Associated Press. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/17/editorial-judges-reasoning-onopen-meetings-is/

Editorial: CMA sets bar for support of arts education (Tennessean)

Music festivals are almost always (weather permitting) great fun for the fans. Besides the music, its a chance to hang out with friends and sometimes get close to your idol. At the CMA Music Festival, which wrapped up its 40th annual event last week, the air of good feeling is even more special. Not only do the performers appear at no cost, half of the ticket proceeds go to help music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The impact of that gift has been huge. Since the Keep the Music Playing program began in 2006, more than $6 million has been donated to 80 schools, funding construction of music labs and purchasing instruments and supplies. In fact, the state of Metro schools musical instruments was so dire six years ago that fully 90 percent of the instruments in the districts schools now came from CMA festival donations. This certainly is a success story for Metro Schools, but just how bad it was for them before Keep the Music Playing began is a reminder of just how important it is to support music and arts education everywhere. As The Tennessean recently quoted CMAs Matthew Seaton as recalling, by 2006 MNPS music classes and bands had broken, duct-taped musical instruments, and not enough instruments for all the students who wanted to learn an instrument. This, in Music City USA. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120617/OPINION01/306170029/CMA-sets-bar-support-arts-education? odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Frank Daniels: 'Yes' to Dean's budget, despite reservations (Tennessean)

Happy Fathers Day to those of you who qualify, and particularly to my 80-year-old dad, who is, I am sure, playing golf down at the beach today. Thank you for the responses to my column last week; a little heartier thanks to them that liked it, but I do appreciate those who found my questions, conclusions or prose lacking. We certainly learn and grow more from our mistakes than our successes (since I make so many more mistakes than have successes, I have taken this as my mantra from the first bare-butt spanking I received so many years ago; thanks, Dad). As I said last week, I support investing in Metro Nashville, and a hefty 13 percent increase in taxes 7

should not necessarily be considered unreasonable. But I questioned exactly how the proposed budget was going to achieve results we could rationally count upon. What I heard was W e have been reminded that there has not been a property tax increase in seven years, during which the community has weathered some bitter winds a historic recession and flood the most intense of them. And that this proposed increase of 53 cents still leaves Nashvilles tax rate lower than the other large cities in Tennessee. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120617/COLUMNIST0111/306170030/Frank-Daniels-Yes-Dean-s-budgetdespite-reservations?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Guest columnist: Knoxville voters should support proposed pension reform (N-S)
Six months ago today I was sworn in as Mayor of Knoxville. One of the first challenges my administration faced was dealing with a major unfunded liability in the city employees' pension plan. Most simply, this unfunded liability was the result of substantial investment losses in 2008 and previous costly enhancements to the plan. During my campaign for mayor, I promised to tackle this issue by reducing pension costs and market risk for taxpayers while maintaining competitive benefits in order to recruit and retain qualified and experienced police officers, firefighters, and general government workers. We accomplished this goal with a hybrid pension plan that I proposed and City Council adjusted before voting this week to send it to the Pension Board for review. This plan was arrived at through months of often difficult discussions with City Council, city employee groups and the public. I am grateful to all of them for coming to the table and recognizing the importance of dealing with this issue for the long-term health of our city. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/17/knoxville-mayormadeline-rogero-knoxville-voters/

Editorial: Restructuring pension plans (Commercial Appeal)

As the city and county continue to evaluate their pension plans, 'double dipping' should be on the agenda. W hen some public employees are able to draw huge pensions while many working folks in the private sector are facing cuts in their pensions, or have none at all, it naturally raises eyebrows. Recent news about Roland McElrath, the city of Memphis finance director, and Larry Cox, president and chief executive officer of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, falls into that category. McElrath, 51, is leaving his city position, which pays $118,879 annually, to become controller at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. That job pays $133,016 annually. Here's the eyebrow raiser: He'll also be able to begin drawing his annual city pension of $61,213 (double dipping) while earning his MLGW salary. Cox, 65, locked into the city's Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) last July. W hen he retires in July 2014, he'll be due a lump sum of $527,624 in deferred pension income, plus interest, and will begin collecting his $175,874-a-year-pension. It should be pointed out that pensions of that size are the exception in local governments, rather than the norm. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/17/editorial-restructuring-pension-plans/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Editorial: County proves stubborn on votes to appeal mosque case (DNJ)

The Rutherford County Commission got it all wrong with a 15-6 vote Thursday night to appeal a court ruling voiding the building permit for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Contrary to what some officials are saying, Chancellor Robert Corlew didnt ask them to discriminate against the mosque with a ruling that the county failed to provide adequate notice before a 2010 planning commission meeting. In fact, his decision gave clear instructions for correcting their notice process and moving forward with a vote to approve the mosques site plan. Rutherford County has spent more than $188,000 on this lawsuit brought by residents who challenged the mosque site plan approval. County Attorney Jim Cope estimated an appeal will cost $15,000 to $25,000 more. Rather than waste more money trying to prove they were right, county planners and commissioners should admit that every public notice and legal ad requires more sunshine and then take action to rectify the situation. After all, its their fault that the chancellor voided the planning commissions decision on the mosque site plan. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120617/OPINION01/306170001/EDITORIAL-County-proves-stubborn-votesappeal-mosque-case?nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Lamar Alexander: Air rule good for jobs and for health of Tennesseans (N-S)
Over the years I have learned that cleaner air means better jobs as well as better health for Tennesseans. That's why this week I will vote to uphold a clean air rule that requires utilities in other states to install the same pollution controls the Tennessee Valley Authority already is installing on its coal-fired power plants. TVA alone can't clean up our air. Tennessee is bordered by more states than any other state. We are surrounded by our neighbors' 8

smokestacks. If we want more Nissan and Volkswagen plants, we will have to stop dirty air from blowing into Tennessee. Here's why: The first thing Nissan did when it came to Tennessee in 1980 was to apply for an air quality permit for emissions from its paint plant. If Nashville's air had already been too dirty to allow these emissions, Nissan would have gone to Georgia, and auto jobs wouldn't make up one third of Tennessee's manufacturing jobs today. Every one of Tennessee's major metropolitan areas is struggling to meet standards that govern whether industries can acquire the air quality permits to locate here. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/17/us-senator-lamar-alexander/

###