Gloria Johnson 'is like the Road Runner' and her GOP opponents the frustrated coyote | Ashe

Republicans have tried several times to remove Gloria Johnson from the legislature, who has lost to only two GOP opponents in her years in politics: Eddie Smith for the state House in 2014 and 2016 and Becky Massey in 2011 for state Senate.

Johnson defeated current state Rep. Elaine Davis in 2020 and Gary Loe in 2012 and she is opponent-free in her bid for reelection as state representative this November.

Former Knox Democratic Party chair Matt Shears recently pointed out the GOP failure to find any candidate to oppose Johnson this election:

“It is three strikes and no hits: (the GOP) couldn’t expel her, couldn’t push her off ballot, and then couldn’t find someone to run against her.

“Plus the drawing her out of her district – that’s four swings and all missed. Stunning, wow.

“She is like the Road Runner to their Wile E. Coyote,” Shears added. The local GOP has effectively conceded they have no chance of defeating Johnson.

Michael Grider is resigning as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett effective June 30. Grider, 51, currently earns $212,000 a year while Burchett himself makes $174,000. It is no secret that Grider and Burchett have held different views on several issues for some time.

He will be replaced as chief of staff by Jennifer Linginfelter, 38, who currently earns $140,000 as deputy director. She is expected to secure a significant pay raise after June 30, but no one is saying how much.

WBIR-TV journalist John Becker is leading a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee challenging the university’s denial of public records related to its joint venture, UT-Battelle, which runs the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Filed March 14, it is set for a public hearing by veteran Chancellor John Weaver at 10 a.m. May 31 at the City County Building. Weaver has heard numerous open records and open meetings lawsuits over the years.

Becker is represented by Paul McAdoo, a Nashville attorney who specializes in open records legal actions. Harold Pinkley represents UT.

Becker’s efforts to secure records have gone on for more than a year. UT has provided some redacted records, but not everything that was sought. The lawsuit stems from a yearslong unsuccessful efforts to learn the top 10 salaries of ORNL leaders.

Corey Presley, news director for WBIR, issued the following statement:

“We believe the public has a right to know how the University of Tennessee is administering Oak Ridge National Labs and have filed a state public records request to release unredacted records from the University of Tennessee and UT-Battelle, which operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory. We believe the agreements between the University of Tennessee and the nonprofit that runs Oak Ridge are public under Tennessee public record laws.”

UT System President Randy Boyd has typically been a strong proponent of open records. Records involving UT alone have generally been easily secured especially when they relate to salaries. UT-Battelle – the partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute – has, however, refused to release information on salaries, including to me.

It will be interesting to see if Boyd can have this lawsuit resolved before it goes to trial. The publicity would not be positive for UT-Battelle or the university.

Birthdays

May 16: Dr. Leonard Brown is 70. Dylan Earley is 28. Kathryn Greer is 38. Attorney Herb Moncier is 78. Adam Moncier is 47. Dr. Alan Solomon is 91. Former Maryville mayor Steve West is 77.

May 17: Al Bedinger is 74. Jenny Bushkell is 71. Jim Froula is 79. GOP state Senate candidate Monica Irvine is 55. Stacy Jacobi is 60. Fanesha C. Powell is 43. John Sheridan is 74.

May 18: Misty Anderson is 57. Brian Blackburn is 39. Frank Erickson is 83. Former city Law Director Bill Petty is 87. Debra L. Phillips is 65. Bryan Testerman is 57. Elizabeth Utesch is 31. Democratic consultant Jack Vaughan is 24. County Clerk Sherry Witt is 65.

May 19: Lawrence H. Bodie is 52. Douglas E. Catlett is 61. Robert L. Crossley is 37. Former Knox GOP chair Ruthie Kuhlman is 70. Attorney John M. Lawhorn is 62. Scott Leslie is 55. Craig S. Pickett Jr. is 38. Attorney and former state Rep. Wayne Ritchie is 60. Briscoe Rodgers is 78. Former City Councilwoman Stephanie Welch is 51.

May 20: Gary W. Bentley is 67. Raymond Christian is 52. Presidential son Ron Reagan Jr. is 66.

May 21: William Ambrose is 84. Todd Boruff is 53. Wayne Davis is 76. Attorney Wayne Kline is 73. Michael Kohl is 50. Attorney Allen Schwartz is 80.

May 22: J. Victor Ashe, my son, is 34. Former City Councilman Nick Della Volpe is 76. Lyle Irish is 82. Savannah Kirk and Savannah Maupin are 39. Attorney Jesse Nelson is 43. Joe Petre is 61. Terrence Schofield is 66. Former city school board chair Julia Tucker is 93.

Victor Ashe can be reached at vhashe@aol.com.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News. 

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Gloria Johnson 'is like the Roadrunner' to the GOP coyote