Due to recent changes in state law, Knox County Executive Mike Ragsdale is now the Mayor of Knox County. With two mayors inside the boundaries of Knox County, the Knoxville City Mayor’s office has passed a resolution retitling the position of city mayor to King of the Dominion. This will avoid confusion because without the change, “the mayor” refers to more than a single individual, and clarification will be needed to determine which mayor’s office a particular ordinance comes from. Now all Knoxvillians will know that “the mayor” refers to Mike Ragsdale and “the king” refers to Victor Ashe. The resolution is subject to state review, but is effective immediately. Reporters from local papers were pleased with the change, and one anonymous News Sentinel reporter said, “This really helps to maintain clarity in our reporting. And, it takes fewer column inches to refer to an individual by title rather than by name, and ‘the mayor’ or ‘his highness’ are both clear and concise.”
