The Race for Vice Mayor

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.

The importance of the position is not lost on the members. If Mayor Haslam succeeds in his effort to become Governor in 2010, a gap would occur between his departure and the next mayoral election.

Under the Charter, the Vice-Mayor would assume the Mayor's duties during that period, giving the interim Mayor an advantage if he or she decided to run for Mayor in 2011.

An interesting note - Since there is no Council member representing the 6th district, if the vote falls 4 and 4, Mayor Haslam has the perogative of breaking the tie, or staying out of the fray. I doubt he would want to get involved.

Also, if a Council member is absent, a 4-3 vote won't get the job done.

One other point - shouldn't Council wait until it's appointed someone to fill Brown's 6th District seat?