Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs is “extremely disappointed” that Property Assessor Phil Ballard and Knox County Trustee’s Office Director of Operations Jason Dobbins have been charged with official misconduct. Both men have been indicted, following a state investigation of allegations of misuse of taxpayer funds. Justin Biggs, the Trustee himself, avoided an indictment Friday.
Jacobs was named the Treasurer for Senator Marsha Blackburn’s gubernatorial campaign this week. Some have questioned whether Jacobs has exercised proper oversight of these officials as County Mayor.
Dobbins, the former Knox County Trustee’s Office director of operations, was charged Aug. 8 with two felony counts of official misconduct in connection with a wide-ranging investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s into whether some elected officials and their employees took advantage of their public positions for personal gain. The comptroller investigation examined how the trustee’s office used taxpayer dollars to pay for lavish hotel rooms.
Property Assessor Phil Ballard was charged August 7 in connection with his personal use of a county-owned SUV while also accepting payments from a travel allowance.
The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury – the state’s watchdog agency – spent months investigating the misuse of taxpayer dollars in some Knox County offices, that operate independently of the mayor’s office.
Jacobs released a statement Friday, immediately making sure to note that his office was not implicated in any of the policy violations.
“I am extremely disappointed to hear this news. While the property assessor and the trustee’s office both operate independently, and are not under the purview of the mayor’s office, allegations of misconduct by any elected official or employee undermine confidence in government, which is already rightfully low,” he said.
“As public servants, the term “servant leader” takes on a whole new meaning. Your job is to serve the public, not to use your position to your own benefit. It is devastating when an individual’s ego or pocketbook causes them to act in a manner inconsistent with the highest levels of ethical conduct. Corruption has no place in Knox County. The people we serve deserve better,” Jacobs noted.
The trustee’s office is responsible for a large chunk of the county’s funding. For instance, the office collects all state and county property taxes, disburses county funds and invests idle county dollars.
Steve Gill is Publisher of TriStar Daily
