Why do Knox County and Knoxville each have a mayor?
Knoxville and Knox County, though completely separate governments, both are headed by a mayor. Each mayor has executive authority within their government, and one mayor's authority doesn't extend into the other's jurisdiction.
City rules only apply within city limits, and county rules apply only outside city limits. But some services, such as the health department and Knox County Schools, are provided by the county for all residents regardless of whether they live in Farragut, Knoxville or Knox County.
It seems obvious that a city like Knoxville would have a mayor. People are used to associating mayors with city government. Knoxville has been run by a mayor since its 1815 incorporation. Even the town of Farragut has had a mayor since its 1980 incorporation.
But a county mayor? That's not intuitive for people in most of America. County executives in Tennessee have been called mayors only since 2003, and most other states don't use the mayor title for the chief executive of a county.
The Tennessee legislature passed a law in 2003 requiring county executives to be called mayors.
Republicans in the state senate, including then-state Sen. Tim Burchett, championed the change. According to the News Sentinel in 2003, senate Republicans said "Not everyone in the world knows what a county executive is, much less what county executives do. Generally, though, the role of mayor is recognized by the majority of people around the world."
The Tennessean reported in 2003 that the Tennessee Association of County Mayors and Executives – now the Association of County Mayors – said 48 of 52 county executives in a survey it conducted said they would prefer to be called "mayor."
Fred Congdon, the executive director of the association at the time, said when he was the county executive of Unicoi County, people mistook him for an account executive. The term "mayor" gives more respect, Congdon told The Tennessean.
Mike Ragsdale was the first Knox County executive to use the title of mayor. He was elected county executive in 2002 and elected county mayor in 2006.
Tennessee is one of only 11 states that require all counties to have an appointed or elected county executive who exercises decision-making authority, according to the National Association of Counties.
Of those 11 states, only Alaska, Hawaii and Tennessee call their county executives "mayors." (In Alaska, counties are called boroughs.)
The others use a combination of titles to reference their executives, such as county administrator, county executive or county judge.
Only residents of the city of Knoxville who are qualified voters can weigh in on the city mayor, and only Knoxville residents can run for city mayor.
All residents of Knox County, including those in Farragut and Knoxville, can vote for county mayor because the town and city are within the county and all residents pay county taxes. Candidates for county mayor can live in Farragut or Knoxville, or in the county outside the town or city limits.
Know Your Knox answers your burning questions about life in Knoxville. Want your question answered? Email knowyourknox@knoxnews.com.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and find her on Reddit, u/KnoxNewsAllie.
When you get a ticket in the mail from a private company that operates a traffic-light camera at a busy Knoxville intersection, there's a longstanding rumor that there would be no consequences in Tennessee for tossing that ticket in the trash instead of paying the $50. But is it true? Myron Thompson sets out to settle the issue.
The 4.1 magnitude earthquake that shook up East Tennessee on May 10 was one of the strongest to hit the region since 1900. Experts say that should be a wake-up call that Knoxville is indeed "in earthquake country." Devarrick Turner shares what to know before the next one.
Look for McGhee Tyson Airport on some airline websites and you'll come up empty. But change that search to "Knoxville" or "Great Smoky Mountains National Park," or even just the word "Smoky," and there it is. So why doesn't McGhee Tyson Airport, which is busier than ever, switch to a different name? Daniel Dassow explains the reason, which goes back nearly 100 years.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why do Knoxville and Knox County each have a mayor?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
30 minutes ago
- The Hill
Texas House set to vote on redistricting map
The video at the top of this story is of previous coverage from Aug. 19, 2025. AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Wednesday morning, the Texas House will meet to vote on House Bill 4, which would implement a new U.S. congressional map for the state. According to NBC News reporter Ryan Chandler, the House leadership will try to do a second and third reading vote on the bill Wednesday, an unusual move which would expedite the bill being sent to the Texas Senate. Democrats are protesting the map, which President Donald Trump said is an attempt to flip five U.S. House seats from Democratic to Republican. In addition to the map vote, State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, prefilled an amendment tying the change of the map to Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing the Epstein files. 'Trump is in those files, and that's why he's fighting to keep them hidden,' Wu said. 'At the same time he's demanding Abbott ram through racist maps, he's making sure Congressional Republicans block the release of files that could expose his decades-long relationship with a child sex trafficker. This amendment forces Republicans to choose between their loyalty to Trump and their obligation to expose sexual predators.' On the other side of the aisle, Republicans are happy to move forward from the redistricting battle. 'In about 12 hours, the silly games, petulant name-calling and ridiculous publicity stunts of our Democrat colleagues will be met with the resounding and overwhelming adoption of the fair, legal and constitutional congressional redistricting plan, HB 4,' State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, wrote. 'I can't wait to vote YES to send the Big Beautiful Map to the desk of [Gov. Greg Abbott]!' A crowd gathered at the Capitol Wednesday morning to protest the plans for a new congressional map. They could be heard chanting 'put Texans first.'
Los Angeles Times
30 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Both parties expect a GOP map in Texas to clear a big hurdle in a national fight over redistricting
AUSTIN, Texas — Both parties expected Republicans to win an early round Wednesday in a growing national redistricting battle by pushing a new congressional map creating five new potential GOP seats past its biggest obstacle in the Texas Legislature. The Republican-controlled Texas House planned to vote on a redistricting plan that resulted from prodding by President Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives. Texas Democratic lawmakers delayed a vote for 15 days by leaving the state in protest, depriving the House of enough members to do business. Some Democrats returned Monday, only to be assigned round-the-clock police escorts to ensure their attendance at Wednesday's session. Seven who refused were confined to the House floor, where they protested on a livestream Tuesday night, led by Rep. Nicole Collier, who represents a minority-majority district in Fort Worth. Her staff removed a pillow, blanket and bag of personal effects early Wednesday. As lawmakers trickled into the chamber, several Democrats gave Collier a hug, said 'Thank you,' and took photos with her. In a social media post Tuesday night, Collier put a call from 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on her cellphone's speaker. Harris told Collier that, 'We are all in that room with you.' 'We are making a difference,' she said after the call. 'People are watching and they are ready to hold this government accountable.' House approval of the map would send it to the Senate for a vote as early as Thursday. Passage there also is expected, and not enough Democrats walked out previously to prevent the chamber from working. Democrats said they're preparing to challenge the new map in court. Furious national Democrats have vowed payback for the Texas map, with California's legislature poised to approve new maps adding more Democratic-friendly seats later this week. The map would still need to be approved by that state's voters in November. Normally, states redraw maps once a decade with new census figures. But Trump is lobbying other conservative-controlled states like Indiana and Missouri to also try to squeeze new GOP-friendly seats out of their maps as his party prepares for a difficult midterm election next year. As House session was about to begin, about two dozen demonstrators supporting Democrats sang 'Fighting for Democracy, we shall not be moved' outside the chamber. GOP House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced that the public gallery will be cleared if there are disruptions. The public gallery was mostly empty as the session was gaveled in. But the 100 members required to do business were present. About 200 people have gathered in the Capitol's rotunda for a rally supporting Democrats, holding signs saying 'End Gerrymandering — Save Democracy,' 'Defend the Constitution' and 'Fascism is here.' Texas Democrats spent the day before the vote continuing to draw attention to the extraordinary lengths the Republicans who run the legislature were going to ensure it takes place. Collier started it when she refused to sign what Democrats called the 'permission slip' required by Burrows to leave the House chamber, a half-page form allowing Department of Public Safety troopers to follow them. Collier spent Monday night and Tuesday on the House floor, where she set up a livestream while her Democratic colleagues outside had plainclothes officers following them to their offices and homes. Dallas-area Rep. Linda Garcia said she drove three hours home from Austin with an officer following her. When she went grocery shopping, he went down every aisle with her, pretending to shop, she said. As she spoke to The Associated Press by phone, two unmarked cars with officers inside were parked outside her home. 'It's a weird feeling,' she said. 'The only way to explain the entire process is: It's like I'm in a movie.' Dallas-area Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez joined the protest inside the House chamber and called it a 'slumber party for democracy,' and she said Democrats were holding strategy sessions on the floor. 'We are not criminals,' Houston Rep. Penny Morales Shaw said before joining Collier, too. Collier said having officers shadow her was an attack on her dignity and an attempt to control her movements. Burrows brushed off Collier's protest, saying he was focused on important issues, such as providing property tax relief and responding to last month's deadly floods. His statement Tuesday morning did not mention redistricting, and his office did not immediately respond to other Democrats joining Collier. 'Rep. Collier's choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules,' Burrows said. Under those rules, until Wednesday's vote, the chamber's doors were locked, and no member could leave 'without the written permission of the speaker.' Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back after they left the state Aug. 3, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to oust Wu and several other Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent. Democrats outside the Capitol reported different levels of monitoring and some said the officers watching them were friendly. But Austin Rep. Sheryl Cole said in a social media post that when she went on her morning walk Tuesday, the officer following her lost her on the trail, got angry and threatened to arrest her. Garcia said the officer who tailed her home also came in the grocery store when she went shopping with her 9-year-old son. 'I would imagine that this is the way it feels when you're potentially shoplifting and someone is assessing whether you're going to steal,' she said. Vertuno and Riccardi write for the Associated Press. Riccardi reported from Denver. John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, La., contributed to this report.
Epoch Times
32 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
California Republicans File Suit to Bar Democrats' Redistricting Plan
US Citing the state constitution, the plaintiffs asked the California Supreme Court to act by Aug. 20 to either rule on the case or bar any action for 30 days. California Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit on Aug. 18 to block a Democrat-backed redistricting plan. Championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the plan aims to shift five U.S. congressional seats in California from Republicans to Democrats.
