On October 17, after having received several inquiries about the missing/late Lenoir City property tax bills. I called city hall to ask about it. I called the city hall number and it rang several times before someone answered. I suspect it was rolling from one phone to the next. When answered, it was the finance director, Maggie Hunt. Ms. Hunt told me about the printing issues experienced by the company that prints the tax bills. I told her about some folks thinking the bills were being held up due to the election. She assured me the problem was due to the printers. On October 24, I reported the exact events from our conversation. I even said, there was no reason to doubt this information. Then things got crazy. I did go on to tell her that there were some folks who thought there was a conspiracy to hold the tax bills till after the election. Never did I say to anyone or in my story that there was a conspiracy by anyone.

At the next city council meeting, the first eight minutes was taken up with discussion about me and the late property tax bills. Ms. Hunt was brought to the podium to go through the conversation between she and I. After she was finished, that's when several council persons and others took up bashing on me, apparently for just simply asking a question. 

I've known Ms. Hunt for many years and if she tells you something, you can take it as fact, and that's just exactly what I did. To be honest, Ms. Hunt is a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark, dark administration.     

According to the News Herald:

Aikens, City Administrator Amber Scott Kelso and Councilman Eddie Simpson condemned Shaver for inquiring about the accusation. City Recorder and Treasurer James Wilburn III called Shaver’s assertion appalling.

I'll tell you what's appalling, is that city officials would get so worked up about someone asking a simple question. That the elected treasurer recorder, Jim Wilburn, sat behind the table and while his finance director had to explain the circumstances. Mr. Wilburn was the one who should have been the one doing the talking.

If the mayor, council and administration want to be concerned about something, maybe they should be concerned why many of their citizens have so little trust in them and suspect them of underhanded actions. 

I want to apologize to Ms. Hunt for getting her in the middle of all this. I sure wish somebody else had answered the phone that morning.