In previous posts in our Knox County Government 101 series, we’ve discussed the elected offices of county mayor, county commissioners, and county sheriff. You might be surprised to find there are a number of other officials that are elected by the citizens of Knox County. Today we will briefly discuss the Board of Education, Knox County Trustee, and Register of Deeds.
Board of Education
The Knox County Board of Education consists of nine members who are elected by districts in the city of Knoxville, Knox County and the town of Farragut to a four-year term. According to the Knox County Charter, the board “shall have all such duties, powers and authority necessary or reasonably implied to manage and control the County School System…”.
When you look at this, it’s a lot of responsibility. The Knox County Board of Education manages and controls the entire Knox County School system. This isn’t just a figurehead position. These board members control every aspect of the county school system. It is sobering to know our children’s education is dependent on electing knowledgeable, ethical, and transparent board members.
In addition, under Tennessee Code § 49-2-301 (2024) each local board of education appoints a director of schools (who may also be called a superintendent). The Superintendent serves as the chief executive officer of the Knox County School System.
The superintendent acts “for the board in seeing that the laws relating to the schools and rules of the state and the local board of education are faithfully executed.” They do this in addition to a long list of other responsibilities.
All too often, the board of education positions are often an afterthought in Knox County voters’ minds. Sometimes voters simply choose the name they’ve heard the most. Unfortunately, that person might not be the best choice. After seeing the amount of power the Board of Education holds over our children’s education, each voter must be reminded of the importance of researching which candidate fulfills the requirements of the position.
Knox County Trustee
According to the Knox County Trustee website, the “Knox County Trustee manages a professional business office that collects and accounts for over $1 billion annually in State, Federal, and local funds used to operate the Knox County Government. The Trustee also manages the investment of temporarily idle funds and supervises the cash flow for Knox County Government.”
In simple terms, the Knox County Trustee is responsible for the collection of property taxes and the management of Knox County’s cash flow. This is a position that needs to be filled by someone who can be trusted with large sums of money. Unfortunately, all too often, voters don’t understand the importance of the position and simply vote for the first name that appears on the ballot. But now that you know more of what the Knox County Trustee does, you can do your research and determine which candidate is the best for the job.
Register of Deeds
The Register of Deeds is elected by the citizens of Knox County and serves a four-year term. The Knox County Charter lists the duties of the register of deeds, including but not limited to the responsibility for the filing or recordation of documents that affect the legal status of real or personal property…
According to knoxcounty.org, the Register of Deeds is an office established by the State Constitution as the official record keeper of legal documents pertaining to real property. These documents include Warranty Deeds, Deeds of Trust, Releases, Powers of Attorney, Liens and other miscellaneous documents designated by state law to be recorded by the Register of Deeds.
Let’s just be honest here…. When you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house, you want to know that the person responsible for handling those financial documents knows what they are doing. In addition, you want to know that they are trustworthy and not the type of person to show preferential treatment to their “best buddy”.
Knox County Clerk
I almost feel ridiculous adding this government office because almost everyone in Knox County has experience with the County Clerk’s office. But in the interest of staying consistent and covering every elected office in Knox County Government….here goes.
According to the Knox County Charter, the general duties of this office shall include, but not be limited to, the responsibility for the collection of business taxes, motor vehicle registration and licensing, the collection of wheel taxes, the issuance of marriage and other licenses, and the keeping of records of the county’s notaries public.
How Do We Get the Right People for the Job?
As you can see, individuals elected to each of these offices have a great deal of authority. For Knox County government to function properly, these offices must be filled by honest, responsible, reliable, and trustworthy individuals.
And that’s where you, our readers, fit in. As voters, it is our responsibility to elect individuals who can effectively perform the duties of each office, faithfully represent the citizens of Knox County, remain accountable and transparent, and professionally carry out these responsibilities. It is our privilege, and yes, our responsibility to research the candidates before we vote.
To help you with that research, Knox County Conservative Republicans publishes a voter guide each election and publishes information about our endorsed candidates. While not every office is included, in every election we give you a great place to start learning more about the candidates.
Join us next time when we’ll explore the final elected officials in Knox County Government.