Chloe Akers, the former Knoxville attorney who created and then disbanded the Liminal political action committee (a "movement of moderates") after raising more than $400,000, has been busy explaining how that money has been used.
She failed to keep in touch with early donors. They wondered why. She has since sent out an email to hundreds to justify her actions. She even asked two local people to be on the board of her new group, Best of TN. Both declined.
Former Knox Democratic Party chair Matt Shears criticized Akers’ pledge to get out the vote because she doesn't say which candidates should benefit from the endeavor. Shears found the whole email perplexing to the point of being unintelligible.
“I read this (Akers email) multiple times and cannot decipher what any of these words mean,” Shears said.
For example, Akers writes the group's purpose is: “… to engage in a variety of tasks including voter modeling and data targeting analysis, consideration of intersecting policy issues, development of a multi-pronged messaging and digital media strategy, and construction of a community engagement platform. …”
Shears, a savvy observer of politics, is on target questioning what any of this means. “Chloe Akers has an agenda but I am not convinced it is good for mainstream Tennesseans of either party.”
Meanwhile, Akers is full steam ahead with a more Republican gloss on the new fund she has created. She has lured longtime, respected GOP fundraiser Kim Kaegi to be on her board and claims $660,000 has been raised. But Akers won't release donors’ names.
Akers confirmed in her talks that she is being paid $180,000 a year from what she raises. She says that is how much she made as an attorney and should receive the same compensation in her political endeavor. That is a self-serving argument.
Having Kaegi on board is reassuring to big-name Republicans, but how much is she paid for her work? There are two other full-time employees on board, as well, so it is likely a substantial amount of this $660,000 will go to overhead and consultants and not civic engagement.
This operation is suspect.
Conservative Republicans of South Knox County excluded conservative independent Stacey Bryan Smith from their County Commission candidate forum June 18, saying he did not have “a legitimate chance” to win. They did invite Democrat Matthew Park and Republican Andy Fox, the other two candidates.
Earlier, some Fox supporters had tried but failed to remove Smith from the ballot by challenging signatures on his petition. Clearly, the Fox campaign thought Smith has a significant chance to win votes from Fox.
Park joined Smith in opposing this maneuver, and then Park said he would not be party to silencing Smith and withdrew from the forum.
Fox is in a very competitive race. He knows it. Given the Fox campaign’s illogical and unfair behavior, voters may look more closely at Park or Smith as a more objective and fair alternative.
The county general election is Aug. 1.
Knoxville historian Sandy McNabb will be honored June 27 at the eighth annual Knoxville History Project luncheon at the Foundry on World’s Fair Park.
Birthdays
June 26: Attorney Terry Adams is 54. Shelley A. Burns is 51. Margie Nichols is 71. Robert Shipley is 61.
June 27: Michael Bittel is 57. Knox News editor Joel Christopher is 53. Susan Lauver is 70. Kyle McCarter is 62. Ann Rowland is 82. Farragut Mayor Ron Williams is 74.
June 28: Brian Bibb is 36. Ryan Levenson is 41. Greg Mackay is 70. Former Knox GOP chair Gerald Turner is 82.
June 29: Roy Cockrum is 68. Rob DeLozier Jr. is 77. Monty L. Montgomery III is 71. Lawrence Nicholson is 68. Amy Penn is 55. Michael Schmidt is 27. Carmen J. Trammell is 72. Charles Wagner is 80. State Rep. Jason Zachary is 47.
June 30: Charles Al-Bawi is 34. Chip Barry is 58. Former chancellor Sharon Bell is 80. Tony Cappiello is 60. Sherri Lee is 78. Leland Price is 54. Former city councilman Marshall Stair is 46. Allan Willoughby is 70.
July 1: Ann Bailey, sister of former governor Bill Haslam, is 68. Dr. Sarkis Chobanian is 73. Former Tennessee governor Winfield Dunn is 97. Former county schools superintendent Jim McIntyre is 57. Teddie Mounts is 63. Former school board chair Dan Murphy is 69. Rev. Johnnie Skinner is 74. Anne Wallace is 44.
July 2: Former city Parks and Recreation director Sam Anderson is 71. Leslie S. Badaines is 80. Merlin Theodore is 50.
July 3: Former governor and U.S. senator Lamar Alexander is 84. Dr. Harold Black is 79. Mackey Brownlee is 74. Kelly Burchett, wife of Congressman Tim Burchett, is 53. Donna Cobble is 81. Anne Crais is 74. Former state Rep. Bill Dunn is 63. Danita K. McCartney is 60. Nitinkumar Patel is 50. Paul Peeler is 33. Former Elections Administrator Cliff Rodgers is 71.
Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News.
Knox News and Shopper News promptly correct all errors. If you think we have published incorrect information, please email accuracy@knoxnews.com. Describe the error, where you saw it, the date, page number or the URL.
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