Kim McMillan | nashvillepost.com

Power play

The AG has been asked for an opinion on the controversial hiring of former Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper by the city's Power Board:

Five board members agreed in December to hire Piper to the CDE Lightband superintendent job, a position that had been held on an interim basis since mid-2009. Two CDE board members did not attend the meeting. The board members were all Piper appointees, and the hiring ran afoul of a city ordinance that puts employment restrictions on former elected officials.New Mayor Kim McMillan sent the delegation a letter last week asking that they request an opinion. "Clearly there are questions here that need answers: legal questions, governing questions, and most important, ethical questions," State Sen. Tim Barnes said in a released statement. "When an elected official agrees to take a six-figure government job while still in office, there should be all kinds of questions."

Jan 14, 2011 10:44 AM

McMillan drops out, McWherter last major Dem standing for Gov

Former state house majority leader running for mayor of Clarksville

Mar 31, 2010 4:12 PM

Memphis mayor endorses for governor

Wharton says he supports McWherter

Mar 25, 2010 11:20 AM

Kyle Withdraws From The Governor's Race

So state Sen. Jim Kyle has indeed dropped out of the race for governor. I must say, I don't really see why. He has as good a chance at the nomination now as he did when he got in -- maybe more. Nothing has really changed. Everything he cited in his press release he knew long ago. And while it is true that it's not looking like the Democratic nomination will be worth much, that, also, has always been the case. It's not like McWherter could promise him a cabinet position or something like that in exchange for his withdrawal because, given the givens, it is unlikely that McWherter will be elected governor. Haslam, maybe, could make a deal like that with an opponent because it would seem like a real job offer, something that could actually happen. McWherter, not so much. So now what for a while threatened to be an exciting nomination fight is now back to what it started as: a boring contest for a sacrificial lamb. The only side benefit to this is that Kim McMillan may now finally get the attention she deserves as a serious candidate. McMillan was the first one in the race, announcing before the year 2008 had even finished, but her candidacy has never caught fire. Now she represents the only hope to stop the coronation of a boring, conservative legacy case. Will progressives rally around her or will they relent to the inevitable conclusion of a McWherter victory? The Democratic Party is clearly at a crossroads. There have been many battles and skirmishes by different factions hoping to define what it means to be a Tennessee Democrat. Whether the nomination is ultimately useless because of the inevitable election of a Republican is immaterial. The battle for the soul of the Tennessee Democratic Party demands a true fight. If Kim McMillan's campaign now continues to go down in flames in a one-on-one fight with McWherter, it says something about the party. The question Democrats have to ask is if it's something they want to be saying. SEE ALSO: Ken Whitehouse Sean Braisted Speak to Power Tom Humphrey Commercial Appeal R. Neal poll

Feb 26, 2010 1:17 PM

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Campaign cash reports rolling in

From the gubernatorial campaigns to Congress to the state Senate, the money is coming from all sides -- UPDATED with info from several Democratic candidates

Feb 1, 2010 8:01 AM