By no means am I the sharpest knife in the drawer. However, if I was employed by the county and wanted to run for City Council, I would have checked the legalities of such a run.
The fact that Mr. Byrd or anyone associated with his campaign did not is disturbing.
Let's hope he shows more insight and common sense as a city councilman.
Sam Taylor
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Mr. Taylor,
I, too, am a man that appreciates a sharp knife. But after reading your comments, I’d venture to say you’ve never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Anthony Byrd. If you had, I very much doubt you’d be comparing your steak knife to his.
I do some work down at Criminal Court and have been fortunate enough to bump in to Mr. Byrd on occasion. He works in the Court Clerk’s office helping people of all varieties to sort out their legal affairs. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of one of our Criminal or General Sessions Court judges’ lashings, Mr. Byrd is likely the next person you’d see. And there’s not a more friendly and calming face in the entire courthouse. I’ve never seen Mr. Byrd when he wasn’t smiling, joking, or consoling another person in need. Public scolding from an elected judge can be quite a hard pill to swallow for anybody (attorneys included), but Mr. Byrd has a unique way of making a person realize that things are going to be alright.
What Mr. Byrd did in this last election is nothing short of extraordinary. He beat an entrenched incumbent with decades more experience in the political theater. He got people excited in every corner of District 8, from Fortwood to East Chattanooga. He went door to door, shop to shop, person to person, and came out ahead. And he did so on a $40,000ish salary after 22 years on the job. Mr. Byrd and his “campaign” may have missed the tiny statute hidden somewhere deep in the law library that prevents simultaneous employment for the City Council and County Clerk’s office. But that’s no reason to doubt the sharpness of that man’s knife.
Anthony Byrd possesses the two traits that a good politician needs: an ability to do hard work and an innate decency. Rather than challenging Mr. Byrd’s sharpness, why not challenge the law that prevents a person like Mr. Byrd from simultaneously serving on the City Council and for the County Clerk’s office. In my humble opinion, we could only be so lucky to have a politician that works on the ground floor like Mr. Byrd does. What better way to keep his blade sharp?
Willie Glascock