Barnes To File For Recount Monday
Posted on August 24, 2008 at 11:29 pmThe man Senator Rosalind Kurita beat by 19 votes will wait until the eleventh hour to file:
Barnes had earlier said his petition to the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee would be filed by Wednesday or Thursday of the past week.
“We’re still working on getting people with affidavits to come forward to tell of the irregularities they saw and experienced,” Barnes told The Leaf-Chronicle.
Over the past couple of weeks, election commissions in Montgomery, Cheatham and Houston counties have all certified the Aug. 7 election results, showing that incumbent state Sen. Rosalind Kurita defeated Barnes by 19 votes.
The combined vote across the three counties on Election Day was 4,477 votes, or 50.06 percent, for Kurita, to 4,458 votes, or 49.93 percent, for Barnes.
Kurita has maintained that the vote speaks for itself, and that Barnes threatens to divide local Democrats by contesting the election.
“It is my hope that calmer and wiser heads will prevail,” Kurita said Friday.
Barnes, by rule, had five days from Monday, when the last vote in Montgomery County was certified, to contest the election. That means today is the fifth day
“Technically, the civil procedure deadline is (today), but because it’s a Saturday, we’ve got until Monday to file,” he said.
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There Shall Be A Recount
Posted on August 19, 2008 at 6:07 amSenator Rosalind Kurita’s primary challenger has confirmed officially that he has requested not only a recount by has asked for the TBI to investigate irregularities:
Barnes is challenging the results and calling for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate the matter. The election results were verified Monday in Montgomery County.
Kurita should head back to the state Senate, but her opponent is not giving up. He contends that she broke the law and poll workers misinformed voters.
“It was perceived by many people as the race that would determine whether the Democrats or Republicans control the state Senate,” Barnes said.
“But for those irregularities, we could have had a different outcome in this race,” he said.
Those irregularities? Barnes, who is also a Democrat, has affidavits from voters claiming they were misinformed by poll workers.
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Photographer: Your Committee Owes An Apology, Senator
Posted on August 17, 2008 at 7:04 pmThe campaign of state Senator Rosalind Kurita stands accused of copyright violation:
Safco said she was surprised when she got a negative campaign ad in the mail from Barnes’ opponent, Sen. Rosalind Kurita, that featured a familiar photo.
“The first thing I thought is, ‘How did she get those pictures, and why didn’t anybody call me?’” Safco said.
Safco doesn’t know for sure how Kurita got her photos, but said she assumes they were probably taken off of Barnes’ campaign Web site.
Safco called Kurita’s campaign office.”I explained the situation,” said Safco. “They were using images that belonged to me. They did not have my permission to use those images.
“She claims Kurita’s campaign then referred her to a Nashville advertising agency. Safco said that agency won’t return her calls.Kurita sent a statement to Channel 4 News saying that candidates for office have a very broad freedom of speech, and have the freedom to get their campaign message out.
Calls to Barnes and the Nashville advertising agency were not immediately returned.
Safco insists that this is not about politics for her, and that she only wants her copyright settled. Safco said anytime someone uses her work for their gain, she should get paid. Safco has requested $500 from Kurita and an apology.
“I think that would take care of it for me,” Safco said.
Barnes & Ignoble: Kurita Vexed By Plans To Challenge Election Result
Posted on August 16, 2008 at 12:45 pmTim Barnes has decided to call for a recount and the state senator who narrowly defeated him by 19 votes in the 22nd District Senate race is not pleased:
Kurita declined to listen to Barnes’ claims, saying the results speak for themselves.
“I won. It’s over,” she said Friday while in Memphis at a Governor’s Energy Task Force meeting.
“(Barnes) can do or say whatever he wants,” she said.
Barnes also said he has at least one affidavit from a voter who saw Kurita entering a polling place and walking into a room marked “No candidates allowed” with her deputy campaign manager.
Barnes said the sighting happened about 2 p.m. Election Day at the Harpeth High School in Kingston Springs.
“All I can tell you is we’re dealing with a state senator for 12 years who knows the rules and chose to violate them,” Barnes said, adding that he would never do such a thing.
“I would never intrude on a place where people are voting,” he said. “I am appalled at the lack of respect for the sanctity of the polling place.”
Kurita refused to listen to Barnes’ claims.
“I’m not going to listen to any accusations he may make,” she said. “I don’t even want to hear them. He can make any kind of accusations he wants. The fact is I won the election. It’s time to move on.”
Kurita said she has not spoken to Barnes since the election.
“It’s been a week now, you think you would have heard,” she said, adding that he was “grasping to find anything.”
Barnes also said he has affidavits from voters claiming to have received harassing phone calls at odd nighttime hours from people claiming to be part of his campaign.
Additionally, Tennessee Journal reports that Senator Kurita has retained former state senator Bob “The Reptile” Rochelle to represent her if the election is contested.
Tim Barnes Doesn’t Want To Be Left Out Of All This Recount Fun
Posted on August 14, 2008 at 8:01 amWhile Rep. David Davis is getting a lot of ink for his increasingly likely intention to challenge his election result, Tim Barnes wants us to know that he too believes interlopers affected the outcome of his race against Rosalind Kurita:
Tim Barnes, who lost by 19 votes in the state 22nd Senate District Democratic primary, said in an interview that there are reports of a similar effort to have Republicans vote for his opponent, Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville.
Both Barnes and Davis say such activities violate a provision of state law that says a voter can vote in a party primary if he or she is a bona fide member of the party or declares allegiance to the party and states an intent to affiliate with the party.
“I think that statute is designed to prevent the very situation that Mr. Davis complains of in his race and that I complain of in my race. That is not letting the other party play the role of spoiler,” said Barnes, an attorney.
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You Mean If Someone Other Than The Partisan Of the Partisan Showed Up?
Posted on August 8, 2008 at 11:49 amChristine Anne Piesyk bemoans the turnout in Montogemery’s primary election day and implies that the squeaker primary between Rosalind Kurita and Tim Barnes would have been different had there been more of an impressive display of civic engagement.
The tally may have been different, but the result would have likely been very much the same. Low turnout in a Democratic primary means, usually, only the very partisan, activist voters showed.
For Rosalind Kurita, after voting against her party in the legislature on key votes, like Speaker, this would not have really been her crowd. The more people who showed up to that election the safer Kurita would have become.
Apathy is not always working against agents of change, sometimes, they depend on it.
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Like Jobu’s Rum: It Is Very Bad To Try And Take Ros’s Seat
Posted on August 7, 2008 at 8:21 amClarksville Online again knocks the negative campaigning of Senator Rosalind Kurita, displaying both the television ad and the mailer produced by a noted Nashville political consulting firm:
The ads in question, was likely designed by the Nashville firm, Fletcher and Rowley, whose company logo is “It’s all about winning!” The postcard dealt not with the heated issues of the campaign or the issues — everything from the economy to health care to jobs — that challenge residents across the district and the state. Instead, it targeted the kind of legal services offered through Barnes’ law practice. Although Barnes’ legal practice is rooted in family and adoption law, he, like many other attorneys in every city and county in America, has defended people facing charges that may include driving under the influence, spousal abuse/domestic violence, and other crimes. But that is far from the whole story.
This eleventh hour ads came across as a rant against both the lawyer and his clients; by denegrating the former, defendants are also deemed not worthy of being afforded a defense as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Without the dedicated work by prosecution attorneys, defense attorneys, and judges, there is no justice under the law. Not every defendant is guilty, or found guilty under the law. No individual is less worthy of defense than another.
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Pressed Or Simply Cautious?
Posted on August 6, 2008 at 12:17 pmTurner McCullough editorializes on the recent negative campaigning by Senator Rosalind Kurita against her primary opponent Tim Barnes:
Financial reporting records show Kurita had a substantial war chest with which to wage her re-election bid. The good senator is reported to have retained the services of Fletcher and Rowley, the renown Nashville public relations firm, known for negative advertising. Nashville media political pundits have speculated whether she was feeling stressed enough to releash the hounds at Flecther as the campaign draws to an end. Judging by the caliber of her recent campaign mailings, it would seem that she has decided time has come to get down and dirty with this campaign. How else would you explain mailings criticizing an attorney for providing constitutionally guaranteed legal counsel to those who need it?
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Kurita Makes A Mail Call
Posted on at 7:38 amFollowing up on her negative television ad, Senator Rosalind Kurita, Clarksville Online reports, has issued a mailer to residents of the 22nd district leveling some of the same charges:
The new mailing attempts to paint Barnes as specifically tailoring his law practice to represent spouse abusers, drunk drivers and repeat offenders. Mind you, the yellow pages are filled with ads by a myriad of attorneys offering their services for a wide of array of legal situations. Tim Barnes has no exclusive lock over legal representation for anyone needing it. Thus, it would seem the declared ‘three strikes’ of this flyer are invalid. Voters must be vigilant and diligent in reviewing campaign material that ends up in their mailbox.
This media outlet is reminded of a previous refrain by the senator when her ban proposal failed, “I’m a nurse, not an attorney.” Fortunately for her, we are all U.S. citizens with guaranteed rights and protections of the U.S. Constitution and Tennessee State Constitution.
When contacted for a response to this last minute mailing effort, Barnes, who is challenging Senator Kurita for the Senate District 22 seat, would only say, “Either this an intentional attempt to deceive the public or an appalling display of ignorance of our constitutionally protected rights in a criminal proceeding.”
Why You Gotta Go And Do That Tim Barnes?
Posted on August 5, 2008 at 2:03 pmSome enterprising young Kurita supporter has posted a clip of State Senator Rosalind Kurita getting rudely rebuffed trying to shake the hand of her Democratic primary opponent Tim Barnes:
Democratic Senator Rosalind Kurita Fights Back
Posted on August 4, 2008 at 11:14 amAs we mentioned last night, Senator Rosalind Kurita has gone negative in her Democratic primary race for her state Senate seat.
After voting for a Republican Speaker in 2007 and refusing to commit to supporting the Caucus candidate in 2009, several of Kurita’s Democratic colleagues have lined up with money and district visits to help Tim Barnes defeat Kurita.
Until now, Kurita had been running warm and fuzzy media not even mentioning her party affiliation or her opponent. Not anymore. Ros has unleashed the dogs:
Kurita Opens Up On Primary Opponent
Posted on August 3, 2008 at 10:49 pmLeaving nothing to chance, Senator Rosalind Kurita, the swing vote who gave Republican Ron Ramsey the Speaker’s chair, goes negative on her primary opponent Tim Barnes, a man backed by members of her own Democratic Caucus:
In an ad that ran on Meet the Press this morning, Sen. Kurita ran a negative ad which claimed Barnes was “risky” because as a lawyer he represented clients for DUI offenses while she worked in the Senate to increase punishments for drinking and driving. The ad also made the claim that Barnes failed to (or improperly filed) taxes on 4 separate occasions.
RELATED: Ed Cromer says Kurita’s still the favorite.
Kurita Wants A Crackdown On Employers Of Illegals
Posted on July 24, 2008 at 2:14 pmClarksville Online recaps a debate between state Senator Rosalind Kurita and her Democratic challenger Tim Barnes:
How to deal with illegal aliens? Barnes: Get the Feds to do their job. Kurita: I have a serious problem with just wishing it on the Feds. Stiffen fines on people who hire them. Documentation and tax paying should be required of all working peoples.
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Senator Thelma Harper Abandons Senator Kurita
Posted on at 6:57 amSenator Thelma Harper comes out full bore against the woman who made Republican Ron Ramsey Speaker of the Senate:
Harper addressed the audience with the kind of fire that has made her one of the most powerful senators to ever represent Tennessee. but the sadness in her voice could also be heard every time she mentioned the name of the current senator Rosalind Kurita.
It was Thelma Harper who some time ago came to Clarksville to lend her support to a young up and coming candidate from Montgomery County. It was Thelma Harper who walked these same streets with Kurita and it was Thelma Harper who welcomed her with opened arms when she arrived for her first day on Capitol Hill. Senator Harper, the first African American woman elected to the Tennessee State Senate, knew how it felt to not only to be a minority but also what it meant to be one of the few women senators serving her state and country on capitol hill.
On this night, Thelma Harper told a story of how Rosalind Kurita crossed party lines and cast a vote giving the Republican Party control the Tennessee state senate. It was a speech about trust, a word Senator Harper repeated several times during her emotional speech.
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Girls Gone Wilder: Kurita Impedes The Senate From Being The Senate
Posted on June 27, 2008 at 8:57 amIn what has to be a relatively unprecedented move, former Lt. Governor John Wilder travels all the way from Fayette County to Clarkville to campaign for Democratic state Senate candidate Tim Barnes and holler at his opponent, Democrat incumbent State Senator Rosalind Kurita:
It was Kurita who cast the deciding vote to end Wilder’s run as Senate speaker in January 2007, enabling Republican Ron Ramsey to claim a key post that had been controlled by Democrats for 140 years.
At the time, Kurita said the change would end the “stagnant environment” that had blocked progress in the Senate and the state.
Kurita also stepped up to the role of Senate Speaker Pro Tempore after casting the vote against Wilder.
Both Wilder and Barnes stopped short Thursday of pointing to that pivotal vote as the single reason why they’re working together to replace her in the Senate’s 22nd district.
“I’m not going to criticize Senator Kurita for voting for a Republican,” Wilder told an audience of about 100 people at the Barnes barbecue event.
Instead, he said the Tennessee Senate needs “statesmen,” implying that Barnes brings more integrity to the job, and is more in touch with the voting public’s wishes, than Kurita.
“His (Barnes’) family came out of the cotton fields of (Crittenden County) Arkansas, and I came out of the cotton patch. Anybody that grew up on a farm knows that being involved in agriculture teaches you values,” Wilder said.
“We need this gentleman up there, because we need the Senate to be the Senate.
Keeping The Fire Going On The Kyle/Kurita Feud
Posted on May 19, 2008 at 5:11 pmJohn Rodgers reports that Senator Rosalind Kurita had a bit a fun today needling Senate Democratic Majority Leader Jim Kyle. The Rodgers report is sort of disturbing in and of itself considering Kurita’s role in electing Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey but the fact that it was Jim Kyle’s bill compounds the issue.
Kyle beefed with Kurita in the press recently with Kyle’s attempt to play up the talk that Kurita had proposed an amendment to outlaw attorney’s advertising their expertise in DUI cases because her primary Opponent, Tim Barnes, is DUI Lawyer.
That was certainly not the first time, however. While many Democrats have either forgiven or attempted to forget Kurita’s vote for Ramsey, that vote on January 9th, 2007 seems to be a sin Jim Kyle will not forgive.
Kurita’s Primary Opponent’s Legal Practice Includes DUI Defense
Posted on April 23, 2008 at 8:21 amJohn Rodgers points out that it just so happens that Senator Rosalind Kurita’s Democratic primary opponent is a lawyer who somes takes DUI cases. Kurita, yesterday, attached an amendment to a bill which hampers the ways in which such lawyers can advertise:
In August, Democrats may have their chance for revenge as Kurita will face primary opposition from Tim Barnes, a Clarksville attorney.
Part of Barnes’ area of legal practice includes DUI defense, although he is not a certified specialist.
Barnes advertises that he does DUI defense work, as well as several other areas, in the Yellow Pages, in a local newspaper and on radio stations.
While Barnes says his ads don’t promote what Kurita’s amendment bans — and therefore may not be affected — Barnes said Kurita’s move had “three or four constitutional problems.”
“Even a fundamental understanding of the Constitution would inform somebody that that’s an amendment that you can’t have — that’s a First Amendment right,” Barnes said.
Barnes said the only DUI attorney he could recall who noted a DUI specialty was the late “DUI Mike” Fox.
Kurita said Barnes’ advertising activities didn’t have “any bearing” on her amendment.
“I certainly would not want that to color my intensity on this issue,” Kurita said of cracking down on drunken drivers. “I can’t help extraneous activities.”
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Tom Humphrey
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