A Swell Inauguration for All

It was an event, that we can say for sure. It was an event at which we knew everyone who was anyone in Knoxville would be, so we felt kind of obligated to go, despite our broken ankle and those long flights of stairs at the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park. (And they were long indeed on the crutches.)

And so we went, and we saw the crowds and we saw the new City Council members and we saw the reason that everyone was there--Knoxville's new mayor, Madeline Rogero. We did not see the opening performance of klezmer music by Tennessee Schmaltz, however, missing what was surely a first in Knoxville politics. But we did hear the invocation by Catholic Charities Executive Director Father Ragan D. Schriver, who mentioned a "living wage" in his speech, surely another first.

Gov. Bill Haslam was on hand, and he received a standing ovation before he even said a word, just for walking to the podium. He told the new council members, "There will be times when you doubt whether winning this race was worth it"--pause from laughter from the crowd--"but don't doubt it." He gave three pieces of advice to Rogero: "Be the mayor," and, "While you're the mayor, you should also be Madeline," and, "Enjoy this."

But the day wasn't Haslam's, nor did it belong to Judge John Rosson or new council members George Wallace, Marshall Stair, Finbarr Saunders, or Mark Campen. The day was Rogero's, and after she was sworn in, there was a full minute of applause and cheers. Rogero thanked the voters and her family, and than launched into her first speech as mayor. 

It wasn't a grand speech, and it barely differed from anything she said during the campaign. She stressed diversity and inclusiveness. She said she wanted to leave Knoxville a better place and make it a more equitable city. She talked about growing a vibrant economy and being bold in charting the city's economic future. There was a lot of stuff about green jobs and doing things for the children.

What was most notable about Rogero's speech was the crowd reaction--or more specifically, the lack thereof in certain parts. Like, when she said something about forgoing the lure of short-term gains for long-term prosperity, you could hear the enthusiasm lessen. When she said, "Good business is environmentally friendly business. ... Good development is environmentally responsible development," there were a lot of cheers but also a noticeable pall. And this was a friendly crowd, mind you. If Rogero's agenda is as ambitious as some think, she's going to face challenges bringing everyone around to the idea that "green" and "business-friendly" can be partners.

Still, it's entirely possibly city government will just putter along, as it often does, with no real revolution anywhere in the air. After the speech was over, we couldn't fight our way through the crowd on crutches to talk to Rogero--or anyone, really--but we did happen to catch new councilman Stair on his way to the reception. We asked him what his priorities would be going into the new year and new council, and Stair had a decidedly unsexy response.

"I think the big issue will be making sure the pension plan is solvent," Stair said. "I'm excited to sink my teeth into this issue."

You might smirk, but Stair really did seem excited about it--he fist-pumped the air after being sworn in, after all. We can only hope Stair's enthusiasm is contagious, and that the entire City Council gets excited to delve into the tedious details of the pension plan and whatever else comes their way. It's not a job we'd ever want, but we look forward to reporting on it.

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