I agree with Commissioner Jackson’s rationale. I think that this concern for speaking as the Chair can simply be alleviated by the Chair saying, “I’m speaking in my personal capacity”, or “I’m speaking as a commissioner and not as Chair.” Otherwise, this ordinance creates a trap for the unwary. How many votes has the Knox County Commission taken over the years? The Chair would be responsible for knowing each vote, and then knowing whether the opinion being expressed was a 1 for 1 difference from a commission vote. What if the difference between the commission vote and the Chair’s opinion was not substantial in the chair’s mind, but another commissioner brings the speaking engagement to the commission at large and makes an issue of it? This would result in a chilling of speech exactly as Commissioner Jackson predicts.
Andy Fox
