Mayor Burchett Speech to the KJN staff.

On Monday, January 31, 2011, awards were presented to the Knoxville Journal Newspaper's staff for achievement in the business side and the writing/reporting/photography side of the company by owner/publisher, Renee Wheeler. Mayor Tim Burchett was the invited speaker. Also in attendance were county commissioner, Amy Broyles, City Councilwoman Marilyn Roddy, candidate for mayor, Madeline Rogero, and the mayor's media administrator, Michael Grider.
The mayor was asked to speak from 5 to 10 minutes about the roles of women as business owners.
This is the text of the Mayor's Speech:
I thought I was going to sing.
I appreciate you very much.
I was sitting here thinking, we have been friends, Renee, since I was doing the mulch pile business about 20 to 23 years ago.
I say hello to Amy Broyles, our county commissioner, and the birthday girl (Broyles' daughter). Hello also to Madeline and Marilyn. We can have a cage fight when this is over. It will get a lot of coverage. We think about women in non-traditional roles and we have two women very viable running for the office of city mayor. I am sure glad I don't have to run against either of them.
Talk about the men's club--that's the mayor's race, yet we have two women in great shape to win--one of them very well may win. I think that is great.
Talk about women in very non-traditional roles as we think about the Journal being owned by a woman.
I think about my Momma and how non-traditional she was--while my dad was off fighting the Japanese in the Philippines, my mom was flying a plane. She got certified and was flying a plane and that was very non-traditional for a woman.
When they came back from the war and got married, in that part of the ceremony where they say, "obey", Momma had them to take that part out.
In the 40s in Cheatmam County when you got educated, you became a teacher, and that is what Momma did. I think my Momma has been a great success and I am proud of her and she has been a great role model.
I am also proud of my relationship with the Knoxville Journal. We politicians get aggravated at the papers and think they are a thorn in our sides, but they keep us honest. The reporting you do--it is what you should be doing in a free society and we are glad for you and proud of your achievements.
Some people say, "well, adults do not need awards". Well, in pro football, these guys are so big you could not get them in that door over there and yet every one of them plays for a sticker on the back of their helmets. So they earn millions and millions of dollars, but they wear helmets with stickers to show a great play they made. We never outgrow the need to have our work honored, and that is what this day is about.
I am honored to be here and to have this small opportunity to share with you and I am glad to be here.
I like coming back here and what I like now is there is less smoke---that is all I am going to say about that, so thank you.