The Shelby County law department has told county commissioners that it’s OK for them to privately lobby their colleagues for appointment as interim mayor.
Even if the practice is technically legal, it’s a clear violation of the spirit of the Open Meetings Act, which calls on local public officials to deliberate and make their decisions in public.
We could see a similar scenario play out in Knoxville next year if Bill Haslam is elected governor. The City Council will have to appoint an interim replacement, and the internal jockeying could get intense.