You might be a Knox Countian if...

[metulj]

What's that sound? The school bell. What a joke it is.

[jfm]

You haven't ask for the tax returns of the Senate Candidates have you?

Not yet.

Madeline Rogero did not do well in that debate with the exception of wardrobe. You are clearly gunning for Mark Padgett with this tax return gambit.

When the story comes out next week, you are going to understand what a funny thing this is for you to allege.

On principle, no one should cooperate under your terms.

Nobody has to cooperate with anything. We just made a request. People can do what they want.

[jfm]

And by the way, when we want to say things critical of Mark Padgett -- or of anyone -- we don't resort to roundabout, convoluted, post-it-here-don't-print-it-there conspiratorial mechanisms -- we just say them.

[SnM]

WBIR on the mayoral finances.

[# 9]

When the story comes out next week, you are going to understand what a funny thing this is for you to allege.

You said it was too late for this week. You said, "There wasn't room to run all of that in the paper, and it was nearly a week old by the time the print edition came out anyway."

But it is not too late for next week?

Seriously? Which is it? Too old this week but just right next week? Must be a bowl of magic porridge.

[jfm]

God I always forget what it's like actually trying to talk to you about anything. You so immediately (and, I guess, deliberately?) misunderstand everything anyone says, and then spin it in ludicrous directions. So I'm going back on the wagon after this, but I will answer your last nonsensical question: The story next week is about the tax returns and financial disclosures. Not about the forum that happened last month. We have written all we are going to write about that. Capiche?

[Scott Barker]

And by the way, when we want to say things critical of Mark Padgett -- or of anyone -- we don't resort to roundabout, convoluted, post-it-here-don't-print-it-there conspiratorial mechanisms -- we just say them.

I re-read the story and found this passage that I overlooked the first time I read it: Padgett, by contrast, runs a private company called eGovernment Solutions, which sells software and website services to local governments—but not in Knox County. (His father, Mike Padgett, was the longtime Knox County Clerk, which would have created obvious conflicts had Padgett sought any contracts here.)

Oh, but he did seek a contract here. With his dad. We wrote about it extensively. It's no longer on our website but tomorrow when I'm at work I can access our internal archives and post parts of it. Mark was just starting out and his dad gave him a contract to install tag renewal software in the Knox County Clerk's office. Mark's company wasn't being paid but benefitted from being able to work out the kinks in the newly developed software without risking losing a client. Such tweaking would give him a real leg up on any competition for business in the other 94 counties in Tennessee. The plan was that after a year Mark's company would start charging a fee for every transaction. When we started writing about it, Mike Padgett said he would keep using Mark's software. The arrangement violated the Knox County Procurement Code, but as an independent officeholder, Mike Padgett could, and initially did, ignore it. After about half a dozen stories (including one that included the tidbit that the state was developing a renewal software program that would be available for free), Mike Padgett terminated the contract.

[jfm]

Fascinatin'. Before my time here. I understood Padgett to say he hadn't sought work in Knox County, but it's possible he just meant he didn't have any contracts here.

[Scott Barker]

Fascinatin'. Before my time here. I understood Padgett to say he hadn't sought work in Knox County, but it's possible he just meant he didn't have any contracts here.

I think I've seen him quoted as saying he doesn't have a contract in Knox County. But it wasn't for a lack of trying. It's kind of funny how we uncovered his arrangement with Mike. If I recall correctly, Mike sent out a press release about the new online tag renewal software. Fluff piece, right? So we sent an intern. A college student on the very first day of her internship. She went to the clerk's office, and when Mike and Mark told her about the arrangement she looked at them and said something to the effect of, "That's not right." When she came back to the newsroom and told us about it, we just about died. I helped her with the first couple of stories, then took over the lead as it became a bigger deal. This was back in 2005 or so. Fun times.

[jfm]

Well I guess what I wrote is still true -- which would have created obvious conflicts had Padgett sought any contracts here -- just not quite in the way I thought.