Victor Ashe and Bill Haslam
April 3, 2008By:
As this issue marks Knoxville Voice’s annual Voice Choice accolades, we thought, “Who better to talk to about Knoxville’s greatest features than the city mayors, two men who represent us and have come to know this place best?”
Though Victor Ashe, former mayor of Knoxville (1987-2003), has a schedule that stays jam-packed with his present duties as U.S. Ambassador to Poland, and current Mayor Bill Haslam has the day-to-day tasks of running this fair city, each took the time to chat with KV about themselves, their current jobs and, of course, their thoughts on Knoxville.
Ashe may be overseas now, but even he concedes there just aren’t many reasons to leave this town:
What is your favorite annual event in Knoxville?
UT football season.
What’s your favorite Knoxville art gallery?
Jim Gray.
What’s the best reason to move to Knoxville?
There are year-round recreational activities and wonderful new neighbors.
What’s the best reason to leave Knoxville?
There isn’t any.
What’s your favorite Free Knoxville activity?
I always enjoyed using the greenways.
What does Knoxville need more of?
It needs more citizen involvement in local government, both city and county.
What does Knoxville need less of?
Air pollution and the Orange Route, which will wreck Hardin Valley.
What do you think is the best recent Knoxville development?
Chancellor Fansler and the jury's decision in the Sunshine Law lawsuit.
What’s your favorite city aside from Knoxville?
Washington, D.C.
Who do you think is the best Knoxville ambassador?
Howard H. Baker Jr.
What’s the best thing about living in Poland?
It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, experience different cultures and be involved in highly significant international issues.
What’s the worst thing about living in Poland?
Not seeing my friends from Knoxville.
What’s your favorite Polish restaurant?
There are lots of them in Warsaw. Traditional Polish is one of my favorites.
What’s your favorite annual event in Poland?
Corpus Christi day, a national religious holiday with colorful ceremonies.
What’s the best thing that’s only available there?
Polish crystal and amber.
Haslam, current mayor of Knoxville, also told KV some of his favorite Knoxville things:
Who is your favorite Knoxvillian?
Chrissy Haslam, my wife.
What is your favorite local bar?
I’m not much of a bar guy, but I am really grateful for the investment that’s been made in the Crown & Goose downtown.
Who has the best pizza?
I’m probably partial to Tomato Head and some of the create-your-own varieties they offer.
What about the best Mexican food?
I’m not a huge Mexican fan, but I do like Chez Guevara.
What’s your favorite local music venue?
I love going to concerts at the Bijou.
What’s the best local band or artist?
I really appreciate R.B. Morris and the fact he’s been here and committed to his hometown for a long time.
Who is the best Knoxville ambassador?
You know, it’s hard to beat Pat Summit, somebody who kind of exemplifies excellence and has done it all the right way.
What’s your favorite local art gallery?
For a long time, I was on the board of the Knoxville Museum of Art, so I’ve always had a prejudice towards it.
What’s your favorite annual event?
In the last few years, it really has turned into the Knoxville marathon. Hundreds of volunteers show up, people come in from out of town and it’s a great way to see different parts of town on foot. This was the first year I couldn’t run it, I had a hurt foot, but that almost made it better because I got to see all the work that goes into it.
What do you think Knoxville needs more of?
I’d say more of a sense of pride in who we are instead of worrying about what we aren’t.
What do you think Knoxville needs less of?
My pet peeve about Knoxville is that we tend to think of ourselves directionally too much. Like, ‘I’m from West Knox or North or South or East.’ I think that’s held us back as a city in some really unhealthy ways.
What’s the best reason to move to Knoxville?
It really is a great place to live. It’s easy to say that about a lot of cities, but you can really do things here. You can be in the mountains, be at the lakes or go to events around the university. The ability to do fun stuff isn’t just theoretical.
What’s the best reason to leave Knoxville?
I can’t imagine one.
What’s your favorite city aside from Knoxville?
Well, I went to college in Atlanta, so I’ve always had a great feeling about Atlanta. It’s kind of a nice change of pace to Knoxville every now and then.
There are many reasons to leave Knoxville. Perhaps the biggest reason of all is the people. Where ever you go, there is always someone who has something bad to say about someone. You cannot even go into a restaurant and have a peaceful meal without overhearing someone bad mouthing another person across the room. Every job I have had here, it is always the same thing, one person or a group of people maliciously spreading rumors. Oh sure, gossip is every where you go, but in the Knoxville - Maryville - Alcoa area, it is more extreme than any other place I have ever been. The people who were born and raised here have a real bad habit of bad mouthing people, and they are constantly causing drama. Those who move here, and are easily influenced end up becoming just like them. Knoxville is in the heart of the Bible Belt, yet the people here do not know how to get along, live and let live, and apparently no one knows the true meaning of "The Golden Rule." Several large corporations have moved here in hopes of increasing their profits by paying lower wages and less operating expenses due to less stringent environmental laws. They spend millions of dollars to move their manufacturing plants here, but after only a few years of the lower class mentality of the populace, they spend millions of dollars to move out. Examples of this corporate defection is Levi Straus, John Deere, and now Newell-Rubbermaid. I moved here 5 years ago from Houston, and I am absolutely appalled at the way people act here in Knoxville. The people here is what makes Knoxville the worst place for employment that I have personally ever seen in my entire life. I have given this area enough time, and now I am making arrangements to move back to a city where there are better job opportunities, better wages, and a higher class of people to associate myself with. KNOXVILLE SUCKS!!
I'll help you with any UHAUL fees, "Disgusted with Knoxville." Go back to the paradise known as Houston, why don't you?
Well it is not the best place in the US, but its not the worst. Low crime rate, and it is a comfortable location. I can agree sort of agree with DWK. K-town is clanish and not very friendly. At least in west Knoxville and downtown.
I can't believe your interviewing Victor Ashe after all the scandals he was involved in.
From wikipedia:
"After African-American city councilor Danny Mayfield died while in office, many felt that his widow deserved that seat. Mayor Ashe moved to appoint Raleigh Wynn, instead, in retaliation for Mayfield campaigning for mayor[8]
"The night it all came down I could not stop shivering. It changed the way I viewed a lot of things. For the first time, sitting on Council [with mayor Victor Ashe], I really felt I was in the presence of evil. I had disagreed with people on many occasions and felt strongly about many things, but I never ever had felt something I could describe as the presence of evil. Until that night. There was just darkness. Hopelessness. But never, until Danny's death and the appointment of someone other than his wife, and knowing the orchestration that took place to make it happen, did I realize that I could never again go back to that body without carrying with me my belief that they were capable of the worst possible actions."
—City Councilwoman Carlene Malone, Metro Pulse, "Malone Alone", December 13, 2001
Malone eventually sued mayor Ashe and city council, for holding secret meetings in violation of Tennessee Open Meetings Act [7].[9]
Mayor Ashe was sued for political retaliation against firefighters. Ashe was cited for contempt of court, for telling a TV news crew that he won the civil rights lawsuit, which was a misrepresentation of the judge's order.[10]
Felony criminal charges were also filed against Mayor Ashe, for his role in approving car-theft and extortion rackets run by city wrecker contractors [8] [9]. As a result, Ashe and city council terminated the contracts of five towing contractors, banned them for five years from future contracts, and filed a class action lawsuit against them, in his final week in office".
A.T.: That is very generous of you to offer to help with my moving expenses, but I am straight. Thanks anyway! By the way, before you start bad mouthing Houston due to your ignorant small town mentality, which is your inherent nature being a Knoxvillian, follow the link below and watch a video on Houston. Educate yourself with the other videos on the site, and read the amazing information from a multitude of sources about why Houston is such a wonderful city. Video: One Day in Houston - http://www.visithoustontexas.com/shared/video.display.php?id=33&width=720&height=405&autoplay=true ----- Houston Facts and Figures: http://www.visithoustontexas.com/media/ghcvb_press_kit/houston_statistics ----- Knoxville just does not compare, and it never will.
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