UT Finance professor Dr. Harold Black weighs in on the latest stimulus package out of Washington on this week's Tennessee This Week.

He is not hopeful of its success.

Plus - Knox County Commissioner Mike Hammond talks about a four day work week for county employees and about running for County Mayor.

Mike Cohen and Cortney Piper join us for the final word.

Tennessee This Week airs on WATE on Sunday at noon

I've been meaning to post about this since last Friday, the day Governor Bredesen visited Knoxville for a speech for the Chamber Partnership. It was also a day after UT Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt won her 1,000th game.

Here you go. This from StimulusWatch.org -- there are $74,510,000 worth of "shovel-ready" Knoxville projects seeking a piece of the stimulus pie.

The top 5 - by cost - include:

-- Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam were both in the audience last night for Governor Bredesen's State of the State address.

For two men whose stars seem to be headed in different directions, you would not have known that from the attention they received from those on the House floor.

Both men were greeted warmly by a number of lawmakers.

-- UTK's new Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, also made the rounds last night. He was being escorted by UT V-P Hank Dye.

For the first time in years -- Knox County has a Republican at the head of its Election Commission.

Chris Heagerty was elected chairman today.

UT Vice President Hank Dye says John Petersen was with Governor Bredesen last night at a scheduled function and that was why he wasn't at UT celebrating Pat Summitt's 1,000th victory.

Dye was responding to our post regarding Petersen's noticeable absence from the festivities.

"If you'd have asked me, I could have told you where he was," said Dye this morning. The post was written at midnight. I doubt he would've appreciated the call at that hour.

Still, it explains why Dr. Petersen wasn't part of the events at Thompson Boling Arena.

Noticeably absent from the post-game festivities celebrating Pat Summitt's 1,000th victory was UT President John Petersen.
New UTK Chancellor Jimmy Cheek took part in the celebration. So did Men's and Women's Athletic Directors Mike Hamilton and Joan Cronan. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive made an appearance. Even Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam took part in the ceremonies. But no Dr. Petersen.

Council didn't vote on a Vice-Mayor tonight. Instead, decided to set a date to appoint a 6th District representative first. It makes sense. Why leave out the 6th on a decision as important as Vice-Mayor?

Watching Council tonight reminded me how plodding government can be. Necessarily so, I should add.

Here's what Council decided tonight:

A deadline was set for next Tuesday for candidates applying for the 6th District seat.

A date was set - February 12 - for candidates to appear before Council and present their qualifications.

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is convening a special session of Council tonight to discuss and perhaps vote on a new Vice-Mayor.

The vote necessitated by the resignation of 6th District Councilman Mark Brown, who is leaving to accept a Judicial Commissioner position.

Two names have surfaced as front runners for Brown's former post - Bob Frost and Marilyn Roddy. Friends for both have been heavily lobbying other members of Council for their support.

I hear that at least two others may also be considering a run.

Bill Haslam is off and running in his race for governor. Tonight the two-term Knoxville Mayor, held his first fundraiser - a $1,000 a person affair - and picked up a cool 1-point-4 million dollars.

According his campaign guy, Jeremy Harrell, it is the biggest single hometown fundraiser for a state-wide candidate in Tennessee history.

The host list was a who's who of Knoxville Republicans. A few Democrats showed up on the list as well. Perhaps the most prominent was former State Representative Wayne Ritchie.