Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
August Webcast
School/Student Health with Dr. Buchanan
Mayor: Hello. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and welcome to our webcast. Today, we are going to be talking about our children as a new school year begins. We are fortunate to have with us Dr. Martha Buchanan from the Knox County Health Department. Dr. Buchanan, why don’t you tell us a little bit about what parents should be looking for as we begin this school year.
Dr. Buchanan: Well you know beginning the school year is always a busy time for parents and kids, you know getting all the supplies together, but you’ve got to remember that back to school shots, most kids have already gotten their back to school shots, but back to school shots do so much to keep our children healthy. We’ve gotten rid of lots of illnesses that I’ve never even seen as a physician, which is a wonderful thing to be able to say and so they protect all our children, they protect them from each other, they protect them from getting those diseases so it’s real important for parents to get their kids their back to school shots. And get into a routine, keeping your kids healthy is important during the school year, and having a regular routine where they eat well and they get good sleep, that’s going to help them stay healthy.
Mayor: There’s been a lot in the media recently about the flu…H1N1, seasonal flu…explain to us what parents can be doing to make certain that their children don’t catch the flu and how we can prevent it from spreading, not only in our schools, but throughout our county.
Dr. Buchanan: Happy to do that. One really important thing everybody can do this year to protect themselves from the flu is make sure they get the flu shot, that’s not new, they should always get their flu shot. What’s new this year, we’re is that we have two flu shots to get, everybody needs to get both of those flu shots, seasonal flu shots and H1N1 flu shot when it becomes available. The other really important thing is teaching your children about good hand washing and keeping your kids home when they’re sick. Not just when they the flu, but whenever they have an illness they can pass to other children or to their teachers, they need to stay home. Parents need to stay home when they’re sick also. That just helps keep our community healthy.
Mayor: The importance of hand washing, I don’t think, can be over emphasized, so I would hope everybody would take it upon themselves this year to do even a better job of that, and you and I talk about that frequently, how important it is to wash your hands, so I hope our listeners will certainly be very cognizant of that as we get into the flu season. In going forward, you’ve shared with me sometimes about good germs versus bad germs. I think most people in our community probably think germs are all bad. Tell us a little bit about the good germs that are out there.
Dr. Buchanan: Well, one of the ways our bodies develop immunity to illnesses is to be exposed to those germs and so good germs allow us to develop defense against some illnesses, so being exposed to some of those germs helps us. If you think about it, our vaccines are made up of viruses and germs that have been killed to make us mount a response so that we can’t get sick from those things. So that’s how those good germs protect us by making us develop immunity so we don’t get that illness later.
Mayor: Tell us about some other new things that might be going on in the Knox County Health Department that our listener may not be aware of.
Dr. Buchanan: Well I think one of the exciting things that we’re doing right now in the Knox County Health Department is we are applying for a grant to get some money to help combat childhood obesity. With our partners, Children’s Hospital, the School System and looking at trying to improve the health of our Knox County School System through any effort we can and with our partners here in Knox County. So looking forward to that as well. You know, we’re getting ready to do FluMist, that’s not really new, but we’ll be doing that again this year. What people can look for is we might be doing some extra vaccine clinics this year for flu for H1N1 and for seasonal flu vaccines.
Mayor: Dr. Buchanan, we appreciate you being with us today and we really appreciate and are grateful for the wonderful work that the folks at the Knox County Health Department do. If people need to get in touch with you, what’s the best way of doing that?
Dr. Buchanan: The best way to reach us at the Knox County Health Department is to call the number at 215-5000 and that’ll get you access to any of our departments in Knox County.
Mayor: That sounds great. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, thank you for listening to our webcast. We’re working together to become a truly great American community.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
July Webcast
Sheriff’s Department and Everyday Heroes:
Interview with Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones
Mayor: Hello. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and welcome to our webcast. Today I’m with Knox County Sheriff, Jimmy “J.J.” Jones. Sheriff, thank you for being with us.
Sheriff Jones: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Mayor: We want to talk a little bit today about the men and women of the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. A lot of these people may not be Superman or Wonder Woman, but they’re certainly every day heroes. Tell us a little bit about the things they do each and every day that some of our citizens may not know about.
Sheriff Jones: Well, you know, protecting our community is one of the main priorities in the Knox County Sheriff’s office. Our men and women, a lot of our citizens don’t understand how highly trained and professional they are. They’re very well educated and they’re very well trained. We have a training facility here that we train outside agencies also with our agency. These men and women, they’re not paid very well…well they are paid very well, but not compared to the private sector, they do this job because they want to do this job and because they want to protect the community. They’re out there every day protecting the men and women of our community and our citizens and it’s a tough job.
Mayor: It is a tough job. When we’re at home, in our neighborhoods, what can we be doing to assist your officers to help prevent crime and to help keep our eyes open for things that may not be in the best interest of our citizens?
Sheriff Jones: Well you know, the number one thing we tell our neighborhood watches out in the community is that they eyes and ears of your neighbors are the best prevention of crime. They know what kind of vehicles their neighbors drive, they know who they see in their subdivisions on a regular basis, when they see someone that’s out of the ordinary or a vehicle that they don’t know, the best thing they can do is contact the Sheriff’s Office so we can come out and check and make sure that those people are doing what they need to be and not up to some kind of illegal activity.
Mayor: Sheriff, we just started school this year, we’ve got a really outstanding school superintendent, Dr. Jim McIntyre. What are the folks at the Sheriff’s Department doing to make certain that our parents can get the kids to school safely or the kids can walk to school safely? And what should we be doing as citizens to help promote that?
Sheriff Jones: We do have a great Superintendent. I’ve been very pleased with his efforts and as you know, we’ve worked together for the first time in many years. We worked together with the City Police Department and your office and with the Superintendent’s office, so I’m very pleased with that relationship that we enjoy. It is a very hectic schedule in the mornings and the afternoons when children have to come and go from school. We have a lot of construction going on, especially in West Knoxville, so we’ve assigned different traffic units to these areas that we feel like its, maybe, partially, unsafe for the children to walk and get in and out. So we’re watching that everyday and we’re making sure that the children and the parents alike have a safe entrance and exit from the schools. And certainly, our number one priority is to make sure our children are safe.
Mayor: Sheriff, I think that’s a great comment. And finally, a question that many of our citizens may wonder about, if they need to contact het Sheriff’s Office, how do they do that? Should they call 9-1-1 or the Sheriff’s Office and what’s the difference between the two and what’s the best way to contact your office if they need to?
Sheriff Jones: 9-1-1, of course, would be the emergency number. 215-2444 is the non emergency number if they have a complaint or wish to see an officer in a non emergency setting then the 215-2444 number would be the number to use. Of course, if it is an emergency 9-1-1 would get the officer there as quick as possible.
Mayor: Well Sheriff Jones, we appreciate you visiting with us and we’re also very fortunate to have you in this position in Knox County. You’ve done an excellent job protecting and serving our citizens. And I would like to encourage those of us who are out in the public and see Sheriff’s Deputies or police officers, go up to them and tell them how much you appreciate their work and I think they would appreciate that as well. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Thank you for listening to our webcast as together, we’re working to become a great American community.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
June Webcast
Parks and Recreation: Interview with Doug Bataille
TRANSCRIPT
Mayor: Hello. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, and welcome to our webcast. Spring has past and summer is here. Although we’ve seen our fair share of rain, our parks are open and our recreation department is doing a great job in providing activities for people of all ages. Today I’m with Doug Bataille, our Senior Director of Parks and Recreation. Doug and his staff do an absolutely great job in managing our parks and recreation programs. Doug, I’ve heard a lot about the Get Outdoors Festival, tell us a little bit about it.
Doug: Well thanks, Mister Mayor. Yeah this is a great event coming up June 13th and it’s going to be down in the Cove at Concord Park. That day you’ll be able to meet with vendors and all kinds of different clubs to find out what there is to do in your own backyard in terms of sports and recreation. And in addition to that, all throughout the month we’re going to have all kinds of different activities going on: walks with Missy Kane in various parks, bike rides on the greenways with Jim Richards of the Mast General Store, river paddles with Ed McAllister of River Sports, and boat docking demos with Sea Ray down on the water front downtown here. As well as that, they will be ending up with a concert that night.
Mayor: Speaking of concerts, our Second Saturday Concert Series has been a big success. Tell folks how they can participate.
Doug: Right, well again that’ll start with the Get Outdoors Festival June 13th and then go through September, each second Saturday of each month from 6 to 8. So, we’ve got some great bands lined up, such as Dishwater Blonde, the Lonetones, the Retroholics, and then we end the season with the Knoxville Symphony Brass Quintet.
Mayor: Sounds like something for every one and all types of tastes. A couple of years ago, the Farmer’s Market was really an eye sore. Now it’s transformed into New Harvest Park and it’s being utilized extensively by our community. If folks want to participate as vendors there in the Farmer’s Market, how can they go about doing that?
Doug: They can just call our office at 215-6600. And the Market’s a great place it’s really been successful, as have markets all around the country now. But ours is each Thursday from 3 to 6 and that will go all throughout the summer and fall, so there’s lots of great produce relative to what the season is, as well as things like rain barrels, gardening demonstrations and that sort of thing.
Mayor: Doug, over the past several years we’ve added over 500 acres of new park space, with greenways, active parks, passive parks and a variety of activities for people of all ages. How can people get involved and if they want to find out more our Parks and Recreation Program what’s the best way for people to do that?
Doug: Well again, just calling our main office number at 215-6600 or we’re really pleased that throughout the community we have a great deal of volunteers in coaching, administering of a lot of recreational programs, and we’ve got a new program that got kicked off this year: Adopt-a-Park. And that just helps plug folks into our local parks that they probably visit every day and help us out just making the system the best it can be.
Mayor: Doug, we appreciate the job you and your team do. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, thanks for listening and thanks for helping making Knox County a great American community.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
May Webcast
County Green Initiatives: Interview with Drew Thurman
Mayor: Hello. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Welcome to our webcast. As you
may know, last month we celebrated Earth Day and in 2010, Earth Day will celebrate its 40th Anniversary. In Knox County, we’re working hard to be on top of the wave in the green movement. We’re supporting our employees in “greening” their lives both at home and in the office. We’re promoting many “green” programs. With me today is Knox County’s Recycling Coordinator, Drew Thurman. Drew and I will talk a little bit about why recycling and living the “green” lifestyle, is so important.
Drew: Thank you Mister Mayor. I’m excited to speak with you today. Living “Green” is important and it’s important for all of us in the community. I can think of three really good reasons to go green, and one would be to reduce the toxins in our environment. Two would be to make our communities more attractive, and lastly would be to save money, which is a big misconception about going green that it actually costs more money.
Mayor: Drew, tell me a little bit about what we’ve done recently here in Knox County to help promote a green lifestyle.
Drew: Well, internally, we have over 200 employees that have signed up to be part of the Knox County Green Team, and each of those employees have pledged to make lifestyle changes that positively affect our shared environment. Now we’re opening up the Green Team to the community as a resource that anyone can use and that will be available at www.knoxcounty.org/greenteam.
There, there’s five main areas of Knox County and some other resources. For example recycling, you could learn about recycling at eight of the Knox County convenience centers. We can learn about what we take and some projects and programs we may have. But it also links to air quality, and water quality, and there’s a link to Our Green Space (which would be Parks and Recreation), and we’re actively creating a green calendar of events, and you can check out other things that are available.
Mayor: That sounds great. Drew, because of our Green Team, we have become more energy efficient, we’re more recycling conscious and our air is cleaner. In fact, recycling is up 12 percent in the community while our landfill garbage is down almost 20 percent. That’s moving in the right direction. What is the benefit for people to get involved with the Green Team?
Drew: Well, as I said earlier saving money is a real big benefit of getting involved with the Green Team. For example, recycling is actually cheaper than trash; we sell our recyclables on the local market instead of actually having to pay and put them in a landfill. Every year we recycle over 4,000 tons of material, and just the savings in diversion from the landfill alone is $90,000 and that helps keep the taxes low. Plus, recycling is basically free or they pay you some revenue to dispose of your waste. So, for example, we sell scrap metal and also recycling plants create local jobs, which is a real benefit to the community. But other areas of the Green Team site, for example, you could check out ways of auditing your energy consumption at the TVA energy audit, or ways to save money by installing low flow faucets that would save the water and also, again, save you some money. And even learn about fuel efficiency of vehicles that save you at the pump but also make our air cleaner.
Mayor: Drew, I know we have some events coming up that people can attend to get more information about our green programs in Knox County. Would you just spend a second and discuss a couple of those?
Drew: Yes, sir. We just had EarthFest 2009. It’s a yearly event and it’s actually a zero-waste event, which means that participants agreed to reduce their waste. We had a 96 percent recycling rate and it was attended by about 12,000 to14,000 people. To make that more clear, what that really meant is for an event with 12,000 to14,000 people all day long we only had one bag of trash.
We also have – yearly we have e-waste, electronic waste collections, in January and we have Christmas tree recycling after Christmas. Throughout the year we promote cleanups in the community, and one that I’m particularly proud about is a medical waste event that we’ve collected where we’re collecting unwanted pharmaceuticals and it’s actually a unique model in the country, which has just been nominated for the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award.
Mayor: That sounds great. Recently there’s been some talk about our Master Recycler Task Force. Explain to the public a little bit about what that is.
Drew: Well, we created the task force to develop a program for recycling certification and it’s going to be modeled on the Master Gardener Program, which it already exists in Knox County. We hope to launch later this year, but what we’re seeing is a greater interest in recycling, which has led to a growing need of people with knowledge about recycling. So, what we hope to do is create some local experts that are knowledgeable about the Knox County system, they’re knowledgeable about the market realities, and then in turn they can educate our citizens and promote recycling the right way.
Mayor: That sounds great! Drew, thanks for talking with us today. We appreciate all you and your program are doing to promote a greener, healthier lifestyle. This is Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and thanks for listening to our webcast.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
April 28, 2009
State of the Community Address
Thank you for the warm welcome. Gloria Ray, I appreciate the kind introduction. It is good to have Chairman Strickland here this morning after a successful transplant surgery. Tank, welcome back!
You may have noticed on your invitation the theme, “A Community of Volunteers.”
Someone is with us today who epitomizes this phrase, Mrs. Beverly Mulholland. For those of you who may not recall, Beverly voluntarily gave our Chairman an incredible gift, one of her kidneys. Beverly, we appreciate you. You are an inspiration to all of us.
To members of County Commission and the Board of Education, I am grateful to call you my partners as we serve the citizens of Knox County.
This morning we have gathered in this regional treasure to discuss the state of our community. The Bijou Theatre is celebrating 100 years of sharing the performing arts with our citizens. This venue has seen Knoxville and Knox County grow into a thriving area of commerce and fellowship. I would like to give a special thanks to Bill Haslam for his efforts to restore the Bijou.
Mayor Haslam is unable to be with us today, but I want to wish him the best of luck in his new career endeavor.
This morning I want to share a sample of the people and programs that move us forward with the “volunteer spirit” that makes us unique.
Earlier this year a teacher told me, “The desire in a student’s heart is a greater indicator of success than ACT scores or one’s GPA.” This really hit home with me and this is what knoxAchieves is all about.
It was only six months ago when we took an idea of increased college access for our graduating high school seniors and created knoxAchieves. Thanks to some dedicated Board members, hard working guidance counselors, and generous donors, knoxAchieves will send over 400 students to one of our local community colleges, Pellissippi, Roane, or Walters State.
You have to have champions to make something like knoxAchieves a success. I want to thank our founders, Mayor Haslam, Randy Boyd, Rich Ray, Tim Williams, and Chris Woodhull for making a difference in lives of our students. They are also ensuring that Knox County has qualified workers in the pipeline. Gentlemen, thank you!
knoxAchieves reaches out to many students whose parents never attended college. In addition to providing scholarships, we have over 170 volunteer mentors who serve as encouragers. They eliminate the intimidation factor associated with going to college.
Take a moment and imagine this. One of our local high school seniors is determined to make a better life for herself by continuing her education. Her dream is to be a nurse. She understands the importance of helping others. This dream appears unattainable. Her mother is in prison. Her father is unwilling to help.
This is where Kasey Draney steps in. Kasey is a knoxAchieves mentor. She was so inspired by this young lady’s tenacity that she went above the call of duty to ensure her student went to college. She worked tirelessly to help this young lady through the process. Many people would have thrown up their hands. But instead Kasey held her student’s hand to help her achieve her dream.
Because of Kasey’s volunteer spirit, this young lady will have a very bright future.
If you are a knoxAchieves mentor, please stand and allow us to give our thanks!
This year, we had a waiting list for mobile meals, a program that serves our most frail and needy. The majority of recipients are over 80 years old and most are homebound. Our local media worked with over 110 volunteers to host a fundraiser. In just twelve hours, our community raised over $170,000 to eliminate the mobile meals’ waiting list. This is a great example of our volunteer spirit.
In Knox County, we believe it is important to let our veterans know we have not forgotten them. Eddie Mannis with Prestige Cleaners is one of our veterans’ strongest supporters. His Honor Air program pays tribute to World War II veterans by flying them to Washington, D.C. There they visit the memorials that recognize them and those who fought beside them.
Just this month, HonorAir flew its 500th veteran to our nation’s capital.
Eddie is here with us today. Eddie, we owe you a great deal of gratitude as you lead the charge in celebrating the accomplishments of America’s “Greatest Generation.”
The ultimate in volunteer spirit is service to our country. This year at the opening of the East Tennessee Veterans’ Memorial, I reconnected with my friends, Doug and Kim Harrison. I was so moved when the Harrisons asked me to join them as they visited their son, Daniel’s, name on the wall of honor. I am so grateful to those who sacrifice to serve America with such distinction. Doug, Kim, and all the other families who have given so much, we thank you and God bless you.
Each and every day I am inspired how often our citizens, like Beverly, Kasey and Eddie, reach out to help their neighbors. Never complaining, they give generously of their time, energy, and resources. We are truly a community of volunteers.
Every budget is difficult. As you can imagine this year was no exception.
Has our economy seen better times? Sure it has.
America’s economy is structured for good times and bad. Our past repeatedly demonstrates that we bounce back. In fact, we always bounce back stronger and more resilient.
The Bible teaches us to be “bold and courageous,” to not be afraid. In fact, it tells us in 366 individual verses to “fear not.” This is a lesson for every day of the year including an extra one for leap year.
In Knox County, we subscribe to this philosophy. We overcome fears and plough ahead. This coming year is our golden opportunity, our opportunity to defy the national trend and keep our community moving in the right direction.
Don’t get me wrong, it is important that we be realistic. But it is also important that we not limit ourselves to small dreams.
The budget which I will present to County Commission allows us to continue moving forward with our core missions: schools, jobs, workforce development, seniors and veterans, public safety, and making our community better every day.
I am proposing a budget of $648 million. This is an increase of $7 million from last year. This budget focuses on critical needs. It lacks frills.
We understand your family budgets are tight. Your government’s budget should be lean as well.
To continue to minimize your financial strain, for the tenth consecutive year, we will not have a property tax increase in Knox County.
Folks, that’s ten years without a property tax increase!
After more than 2,000 days in office, I am more committed to education than ever.
For the second straight year, our school budget will go up while the county’s general budget will go down.
The Board of Education has proposed a budget of $375 million.
I recommend we fund their request in its entirety.
This will allow us to give our teachers professional growth opportunities, expand our focus on literacy, and enhance our technology efforts.
I am proposing that we maintain the Great Schools Partnership budget at $3.8 million. The same amount as last year.
When you consider all dollars spent on education over the past seven years, we have increased education funding by over $90 million annually.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Jim McIntyre as our school superintendent. He is a visionary, an educational strategist, and he understands finance. Dr. McIntyre, I am confident that you will continue to lead a very good school system into a great one.
Our recent capital plans have been aggressive because we have needs, needs that we are meeting.
Last Fall, we saw our first class enter Hardin Valley Academy—Knox County’s first new high school in over 25 years.
This summer the long overdue expansion and renovation of Powell Middle School will be complete.
Planning dollars are in place for renovations at Carter Elementary and Middle Schools as well as Chilhowee Elementary. We will also work toward solving the overcrowding challenge in our elementary schools in west Knox County.
Excess lottery dollars are available through the state government for energy efficiency improvements. We will be aggressive in pursuing these dollars and hope to acquire funds to complete a major expansion at Belle Morris Elementary as well as other projects. These will be green initiatives.
This year, opened a new Carter Senior Center.
Soon, we will be breaking ground on a $1,000,000 expansion at our Beck Cultural Center. The Beck Center is a community treasure and Chairman Strickland and I want the project completed before we leave office.
This budget also allows us to open the new 173-acre park named after my friend and predecessor Tommy Schumpert. Soon, we will break ground on the new Burlington Park adjacent to our new Burlington Library.
We will plan the development of Clayton Park in Halls, the KUB property in West Knoxville, and break ground on the footbridge at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge.
More citizens than ever are involved in our recreation programs. Our “Adopt a Park” program has experienced overwhelming success since its launch. During the past several years, we have added over 500 acres of park space.
This year we will pave over 40 miles of Knox County roads and begin new road projects at Snyder Road, Innovation Drive, Campbell Station, and Lovell roads as well as Harbinson’s Crossroads.
Thanks to the Knox County “Green Team,” we are more energy efficient, recycling conscious, and our air is cleaner. Recycling is up 12% while our landfilled garbage is down almost 20%.
Our library usage has increased 10% with more than 150,000 of our citizens using their library cards. Imagination Library has provided, free of charge, nearly 609,000 books to our youngest citizens.
Our budget includes 16 new Sherriff’s cruisers. I am grateful to Sheriff Jones and other elected officials who helped us work through a very difficult budget.
We have the state’s best health department. Our “Dispensary of Hope” program collected $2 million in donated medications to help nearly 2,000 deserving citizens. This is just one example of their great work in spite of limited resources.
Even during tough economic times, Knox County maintains the state’s lowest unemployment rate. Working with the Chamber and the Tourism and Sports Corporation, we will continue to focus on job growth and workforce development.
We have fewer general government workers, yet we continue to serve more citizens. I am grateful for our dedicated employees. I will support a small step increase for eligible school employees and a $500 bonus for all other full-time employees. We will distribute the bonus in December, just in time for the Christmas and holiday season. Our employees deserve it!
This past year, Knox County received its highest bond rating ever -- "AA+" from Standard and Poors. This was reaffirmed just this month! Even though our nation is struggling, the independent bond raters recognize Knox County’s fiscal security to be stronger than ever.
Through our refinancing efforts, we were able to save money. County Commission asked us to save $1.5 million from last year’s budget, and we did just that and more!
We will place additional dollars into our employees’ pension plans. We will also keep a watchful eye on the markets as we protect these plans.
While our sales tax collections are slightly down, our property tax collections are up.
We will use a small amount of “rainy day” funds to balance this year’s budget.
When we leave office, Knox County will have a larger fund balance and a better bond rating than what we inherited.
This budget is sound and provides a solid blueprint for our future.
Mom, I am glad you are here today. I wish Dad could be. Dad is now in the VA Nursing Home, confined to a wheelchair, and unable to travel. Throughout my life, Mom and Dad never missed a ballgame, a church outing or any other event. They are always there for me.
After every ball game, win or lose, Dad and I would talk about it on the ride home.
If we won, he encouraged me to not gloat but handle it with humility. If we lost, his words were, “There is always next time, son.” Dad told me, “If you work hard and believe in yourself, you will win more than lose.”
On those rides home in our lovely, green 1950 Plymouth, I never realized the life lessons Dad was giving me. The importance of being kind to others, the confidence to try even after you fail, and the drive to never give up. My dad is my eternal optimist.
Nowadays, some folks say I am too optimistic. In reality, I don’t know that you can be. I relate to a rather famous optimist. He is a regular in newspapers across our country. He has been around for more than a half a century. He is the kind of guy who has an unmatched determination.
Like most optimists, he sees opportunity even in the most challenging situations.
Although I look a little older and have a bit more hair, I relate to this optimist. I am referring to one very well-known Peanuts character, Charlie Brown.
I have to tell you, sometimes in this job I feel like Charlie Brown. Sprinting to kick the football…never knowing Lucy has plans of her own. Time after time, at the last minute, Lucy jerks the ball away. For Charlie, life does not always happen as you plan it.
Like Charlie, it is because of my faith…it is because of hope and a “never throw in the towel” attitude that helps me continue to find the bright spot during times of uncertainty.
Rest assured, like Charlie, I will always run to the football. Because I have unbridled belief in this community and its citizens.
As most of you know, I like the phrase “Great American Community.” That is what we are. We are great because of our citizens. Our difference makers. Our unifiers. Our everyday heroes.
We believe in the good of man. We take care of ourselves, but we take better care of our neighbors. We take challenges head on.
The “great” in Knox County is the spirit that lies in every volunteer.
I look forward to serving you and the community that has given us so much.
Thank you again for being here. May God continue to bless Knox County and may He always bless America.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
March 2, 2009
Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going—Every School A Great School
Dialogue with Dr. McIntyre (transcript)
MAYOR: Hello. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and welcome to our Podcast.
In Knox County we have 84 schools: 50 elementary schools, 14 middle schools, 13 high schools, six non-traditional, and one adult education high school.
Our community goal and our administration’s goal is to make every school a great school, and to make certain that the quality of a child’s education is never determined by their zip code. We’re well on our way to achieving these goals. Dr. Jim McIntyre, our new school superintendent, has got a great team together and we’re making progress and I’m proud to have Dr. McIntyre with me today.
Dr. McIntyre, tell me about your goals for the Knox County School System and what progress we’re making toward achieving them.
MCINTYRE: Thank-you Mr. Mayor, well we’re, we’ve had the great luxury of spending some time developing a vision for the future of the Knox County Schools and really we’re focusing on that vision around three areas: students, educators, and parents and community.
Certainly with students it focuses on high expectations and high standards for all kids. And making sure that they have the opportunity to be successful. With educators we want to make sure we have terrific leadership and great instruction going on in all of our classrooms and of course we want to have parents be a vital and viable part of the education of their children. So, we’re working very hard to make that vision a reality.
MAYOR: In terms of our plan 100-90-90-90, a lot of our citizens have heard about it but they may not know actually what it means. Could you take a second and explain that?
MCINTYRE: Sure. The goal statement 100-90-90-90 speaks to where we want to be and that’s 100 percent of our students completing high school. At least 90 percent of those graduating with a regular diploma, at least 90 percent of those students taking the ACT and at least 90 percent of those students scoring a 21or better. Now 21 is, we think, an important benchmark for students because it speaks to two things: one, the knowledge and the skills that they have learned through their academic career; but two, the types of opportunities that that score on the ACT will open up for them in terms of post-secondary training – college, university, whatever their plans may be for the future.
So, that was a goal statement adopted, actually, before I came but one that I very much want to embrace because, Mr. Mayor, I’ll tell you there are precious few public school districts around the country that would lay out such an ambitious and measurable agenda and goal statement; and say, sort of throw down the gauntlet and say this is what we’re going to do and seek to be measured by it.
MAYOR: One the things some of our citizens may not realize is the quality of the school
system that we already have in place. I know that our ACT scores are higher than both the state and the national average, and that’s a real remarkable accomplishment for a school system with 54,000 school children.
As we go in to this year, and have some difficult economic times, how do you manage a budget and keep our school system going in the right direction?
MCINTYRE: Well I think there’s no question that we’re going to face some budget
challenges and you, and I, and the School Board and the County Commission will certainly work together to try to manage those and mitigate those challenges and make sure that we have appropriate resources to continue the work in public education.
Having said that, you know we need to make sure that we focus on what our goals are
and focus on making sure that we educate every child well. And there are certain things that don’t cost a dime in that equation. Things like effort and energy and focus and standards and accountability are all things that don’t require any resources.
But, we also recognize that we need to make sure that with the dollars that we do have we do a very good job and making sure that we maximize those dollars. So, whatever level of resources that we have available to us we’re going to make sure that we retain our focus and keep making sure that our students are learning and learning well, that we offer the highest quality instruction and the highest quality education to all of our students.
MAYOR: Dr. McIntyre, it’s been a pleasure to sit down with you and talk about where you see our school system going. I’m pleased that you see the potential for greatness. I look forward to working with you, the Board, County Commission over the coming months to insure our system’s and our students’ success.
This is Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and thanks for listening to our Podcast.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
February 6, 2009 Podcast
Black History Month
Hello. I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Welcome to our podcast.
As you probably know, February is Black History Month. This month is a time for all Americans to honor and learn about the achievements and contributions of African Americans that helped to shape the nation and impact our world. We are so blessed here in Knox County to be surrounded by a region rich with black history and a community intent on promoting, preserving and respecting it.
Although the black population in Knoxville has always been small in comparison to the other metropolitan areas of the state, it is comparable in its achievements. Even during the period of slavery, free blacks and slaves alike left their mark in the development of the economy and our society. When slavery was abolished, these citizens became teachers, preachers, lawmakers and successful businessmen and women who published newspapers, established churches and were elected to political office.
Immediately after the Civil War, northern missionaries traveled south to educate the newly freed slaves. This missionary effort resulted in the establishment of Knoxville College, a small liberal arts college. At this time, very few black students went to college. This is especially true in the South. In September of 1878, the total enrollment of Knoxville College was sixty students.
Through two world wars, the Great Depression and the Civil Rights movement, Knoxville College has continued to pursue its mission of providing quality liberal arts education to African American students. We are proud to have an institution like this in our community.
Knox County has long been a preserver of black history. We work hard here to honor the ideas of great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others who prominently fought for the freedom and equality of all citizens. Heroes like Mr. Carter G. Woodson may be more quietly celebrated, but are no less prominent in the history we work so hard to preserve.
Taught to read by family members, Woodson worked as a coal miner in West Virginia and put himself through high school. He graduated from Berea College in Kentucky in 1903. In 1912, he earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University and was only the second African American to get this distinction. Woodson was an active promoter of black education who recognized the importance of creating awareness and knowledge of African American contributions to humanity. He left behind an impressive legacy. In 1921, he initiated the annual February observance of Negro History Week to celebrate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. By the 1970s, Negro History Week had expanded to become the Black History Month which we celebrate today.
Though many battles entrenched the civil rights movement, one of the most monumental was the attempt to desegregate schools and abolish the “separate but equal” legislation guiding the education system.
Little Rock Central High School is widely regarded as the first school to be integrated in the South, but the fact is that Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee—just a few miles north of here—was integrated one year earlier in 1956. Despite protests and attempts to thwart the start of the school year, twelve black students, now known as the “Clinton 12,” made history by being the first to attend classes at Clinton High School. They were the first students to desegregate a state-supported Tennessee high school and the first to do so in any southern state.
Also in 1956, the Knoxville Board of Education began examining plans to desegregate the schools, but they didn’t feel it could be done successfully. It wasn’t until 1960, after a class action lawsuit was brought against the Board of Education that Knox County decided to gradually desegregate schools starting with first grade classes. Integration was fully achieved in 1974 as Knoxville school children were assigned to schools on the basis of their residence and no regard for their race.
Because of the dreams of those like Carter G. Woodson and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the courage and determination of students like the Clinton 12, we as a nation—and as a community—have risen up to live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal.
Just last month, our nation elected the first African American President, Barak Obama. A man whose father, less than sixty years ago, would have been denied service in a diner and would have been unable to sit down on a city bus. In his inauguration speech, he said, “The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift; that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” With these great words from our newest leader, I encourage Knox County citizens to celebrate this month with pride and offer thanks to those who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to help us get where we are today.
I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, thanks for listening and have a great day.
Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale
January 16, 2009 Podcast
Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going—No Senior Left Behind
Our senior citizens truly are our greatest generation. To them we owe respect, gratitude and care as they are responsible for the greatness of our community. Since I took office in 2002, I have worked to ensure that no senior gets left behind, forgotten or overlooked. It’s been important to me to better the lives of the seniors including our veterans. Our administration has worked hard to do this.
Our community has made great strides in caring for our seniors.
East Tennessee is home to over 40% of the 285,000 veterans living in our state. Recognizing this, we started lobbying in 2002 to locate a Veterans Home in Knox County. Four years later, we opened the Ben Atchley State Veteran’s Home. This regional facility would not have been possible without Knox County’s donation of land and a $6 million contribution. This facility helps us ensure that our veterans are treated with the utmost respect.
Caring for the basic needs of our seniors is important, but we also want help them remain independent and active.
To provide independence, Knox County, in conjunction with the Knoxville Area Transit, began offering free rides to senior citizens on any KAT bus route anywhere in Knox County. This is such a great program because it provides seniors with the sense of independence they sometimes lose as their transportation abilities become limited. KAT even helps seniors plan their daily travel by supplying an operator to help determine which busses to ride. All seniors have to do to participate is show their social security card and a form of ID.
In the last eight years, we’ve opened senior centers in Halls, South Knoxville and Carter. We’ve expanded the Corryton Center, renovated the Frank Strang Center, and jointly-funded the O’Connor Center expansion with the City of Knoxville.
Right now, more than 50,000 seniors are able to remain engaged, active and involved in their community because of these facilities. With computer, cooking, dance, exercise, foreign language, music and photography classes, walking and pool facilities, Red Hat Societies, and pot luck dinners, it’s easy to see why center attendance grows exponentially. KAT busses run to almost all of our senior centers.
To give our seniors a voice, our administration spearheaded the No Senior Left Behind initiative. That included input from seniors, service providers, social service agencies, private businesses and citizens on a wide range of issues. As a result, we held four Senior Summits between 2002 and 2005. This taught us how important it was for seniors to be able to protect themselves and their quality of life.
In 2007, we joined with Mayors and District Attorney Generals from a17-county region, in a effort to reduce the cases of fraud and abuse of seniors and raise awareness of the problem. Our first Regional Senior Summit on Fraud and Abuse drew approximately 2,500 seniors and 75 service vendors and health care agencies. The Summit created new initiatives and activities to help address the fraud and abuse problems.
Last year, the Summit was a great success. Over 4,000 citizens received crucial information that will protect them from predators and empower them to take charge and live better lives.
The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that between one and two million Americans over the age of 65 have been victimized. They also estimate that for every case of elder abuse or neglect that is reported, five go unreported. Because of statistics like these, the theme for the 2009 Summit will again be senior health, fraud and abuse. We will focus on financial fraud, identity theft, crime prevention, and other issues.
This year’s Summit will be a part of the Blue Cross Healthy Living Expo. As always, its free to seniors, their families and caregivers. The event boasts free health screenings, a family fit area, cooking and activity stages, and an appearance from Dr. Bob from the Dr. Bob Show.
We are proud of what we’ve done for seniors and we will do more in the future. We will continue serving seniors in every way we know how and as always welcome suggestions from you.
I’m Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and thanks for listening to our pod cast.
