The Oak Hill Slideshow

By Kleinheider Posted on August 16, 2008 at 1:08 pm

The Oak Hill Gazette posts the full PowerPoint presentation by Oak Hill Mayor Tommy Alsup designed to refute accusations made by Commissioner Chip Throckmorton, former City Manager Bill Kraus and others at a forum for citizens at the Woodland Hills Church Of Christ.

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Tags: Bill Kraus, Chip Throckmorton, Oak Hill, PowerPoint, slideshow, Tommy Alsup  

Former Oak Hill City Manager Under Investigation

By Kleinheider Posted on July 24, 2008 at 7:57 am

Bill Kraus, the former City Manager of Oak Hill currently embroiled in a controversy over what he says was a forced retirement, is now under investigation by an organization overseeing Tennessee city managers. Paul Boyer, City Manager of Columbia, Tennessee, representing the Tennessee City Managers Association confirmed the investigation. Boyer could not confirm the nature of the investigation only that it was ongoing.

Ken Whitehouse reported last month that Kraus had retired as City Manager of Oak Hill. It was subsequently revealed that Kraus had lent both his name and his money to the reelection campaign of then Oak Hill Commissioner Tommy Jacobs. Both Tenn. Code Ann. 6-21-106 and the International City/County Management Association’s Code of Ethics would seem prohibit this type of activity.

Kraus disagrees saying that he had cleared his actions with more than one attorney. Kraus also asserts that the Oak Hill Mayor Tommy Alsup coerced his letter of resignation and that his retirement was forced, never acted upon by the board and thus, invalid.

During the battle over renovations at Tennessee’s Executive residence, which is in Oak Hill, it was revealed that Kraus had been convicted of felonies while serving as a City Manager in California. Kraus was also found to have attempted to conceal that fact on his Davidson County voter registration form. Temporarily relieved of his right to vote, Kraus is now, again, a registered voter in Tennessee.

SEE ALSO:
Kraus fights his retirement at raucous Oak Hill town meeting

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Tags: Bill Kraus, Chip Throckmorton, Oak Hill, Tommy Alsup  

Former Oak Hill City Manager Speaks At Commisioner’s Meeting

By Kleinheider Posted on July 18, 2008 at 8:04 am

Oak Hill Commissioner Austin McMullen recounts a raucous Commissioners meeting in the City Of Oak Hill last night:

[Former Oak Hill City Manager Bill] Kraus also had an opportunity to address the Board of Commissioners and those present for the meeting. Unfortunately, Kraus chose to make several false statements or claims that were inconsistent with his previous statements. Kraus, who retired from the position of city manager last month, asserted that he was “forced” to retire based on what he claims is an incorrect interpretation of the law. Yet Kraus, in his letter dated June 21, wrote that he consulted with “five well-known and renowned attorneys” who he says told him that the law he violated did not require his termination. Despite this advice, he chose to retire. A person who consults with five attorneys before acting can hardly claim that he was “forced” to do anything.

There is no question whatsoever that Kraus violated Tennessee law when he openly campaigned for and contributed monetarily to the efforts of a candidate for the Board of Commissioners in last month’s election. In tonight’s meeting, Kraus claimed that the postcards he wrote for a candidate “specifically said” that they were “not an endorsement.” You can read the postcards and decide for yourself. I don’t see anything there “specifically” saying that Kraus’ signature is “not an endorsement.”

Although Kraus’ conduct in violation of Tennessee law raises concerns — especially in light of Kraus’ previous felony conviction — it probably does not matter in the end because Kraus retired from the position of city manager. Several questions were asked about Kraus’ resignation and whether it had to be accepted by the Board in order to be effective. My understanding is that Tennessee is an “at-will” employment state. This means that a person can terminate his employment “at-will” and without any acceptance by the employer of the employee’s decision to quit.

Commissioner Throckmorton falsely claimed that I campaigned on a promise to get rid of Kraus. I walked throughout Oak Hill during the campaign and talked to hundreds of residents. My position on Kraus was always the same — his undisclosed felony conviction raised concerns for me, but I was keeping an open mind because I felt he had done a number of good things for our residents. The fact that the City of Oak Hill would hire a city manager without conducting any background check or even requiring the completion of a job application — all while Commissioner Throckmorton held the position of Mayor — was a serious concern to me, one that I expressed on the campaign trail. The more recent revelation of Kraus’ additional violations of Tennessee law raised even more concerns for me, but Kraus ultimately decided to retire. It is noteworthy that during the citizen comment portion of the agenda — long before the end of the meeting — Commissioner Throckmorton walked out of tonight’s meeting without any explanation.

SEE ALSO: Oak Hill Gazette

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Tags: Austin McMullen, Bill Kraus, Chip Throckmorton, Tommy Alsup, Tommy Jacobs