Johnson City news and politics » Pork

Ron Ramsey says Zach Wamp is too close to AkinsCrisp

Ethan Flynn — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:45:37 +0000

Zach Wamp has been under fire recently for his cozy relationship to AkinsCrisp. Ron Ramsey commented on the issue in a release earlier this month. “I’ll just say I’ve always thought it didn’t pass the smell test in the fact that there was an awful lot of money coming from Washington, D.C., that ended up getting to (public relations firm) Akins-Crisp,”

What was Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey referring to? Here’s a quick rundown of recent coverage on the issue:

Wamp set up the Tennessee Valley Corridor in 1995. (Tennessean)
AkinsCrisp received %60 of the revenues of the Tennessee Valley Corridor in the past two years (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Most of the revenue from the Corridor comes from organizations that get federal money (Zach Wamp is on the Appropriations Committee). (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Wamp is paying AkinsCrisp $9,000/month for campaign consulting. (Tennessee Registry of Election Finance)
Weston Wamp, the congressman’s son, is working full-time for AkinsCrisp on his dad’s campaign. (The Examiner)

Does it pass the smell test? What do you think?

Interesting article on Dale Ford

Ethan Flynn — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 10:29:12 +0000

I have no idea why we haven’t heard more about this race. Dale Ford is running for re-election against Republican challenger Kevin Flanary. This article highlights some of what Rep. Ford has accomplished.

http://timesnews.net/article.php?id=9024013

“Fish is the new Pork!” Tn budget held hostage

Ethan Flynn — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:45:51 +0000

John Lundberg dropped the one liner “Fish is the new Pork,” as Speaker Williams holds out for his fish hatchery. Hopefully Speaker Williams will let it go. $16 Million is too much.

http://www.examiner.com/x-20988-Tennessee-Statehouse-Examiner~y2010m5d25-Fish-hatchery-holds-up-the-Tennessee-budget-legislative-adjournment