Republican Jared Hawkinson is the new Chair of the Knox County Board after a close vote amongst board members Monday, December 7th. He defeated 4-year incumbent, Democrat Pam Davidson. Looking at issues the board will face under his leadership, Hawkinson says the county’s revenue stream has been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, like many government entities. He credits last year’s budget committee and treasurer for dwindling down a $2.6 million deficit in the summer to a balanced budget by “trimming (the) fat”. Hawkinson also notes there more no layoffs of county employees either. However, he says if revenues continue to suffer then layoffs could possibly be on the table. “There are no promises on anything when it comes to money,” Hawkinson said. “Especially when we’re relying on solely, publicly-generated funds for public services. Obviously, we would rather make reductions everywhere we could to ensure people have jobs.” Hawkinson says if there are members upset by the vote on Monday, he thinks they’ll be able to work together anyhow. He says that local elected officials are generally far less partisan than politicians at the state and federal level.
