Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 21, 2011
County Clerk Bill Knowles reflects on 36 years of service
David Laprad
Bill Knowles has served as the court clerk of Hamilton County for 36 years, making him the longest serving elected official in the courthouse. During his time in the office, he’s devised and implemented numerous innovations that have streamlined its procedures and made taking care of certain matters at the courthouse easier.
- David Laprad
Hamilton County Court Clerk Bill Knowles has a lot of stories to tell from his 36 years of service, and his old-fashioned charm makes it easy to forget everything else and get wrapped up in the tales, especially the humorous ones.
“Sometimes, we need a person to verify the VIN of their vehicle, so we’ll ask for a pencil tracing of the number. I was told of a case in which we asked a gentleman to provide a pencil tracing of his car’s VIN, and he came back with a sketch of the vehicle,” Knowles says, a huge grin crossing his face.
“Another time, we asked a gentleman if he had the lien on his motorcycle, he said, no, he just propped it up against his house.”
Knowles laughs, brightening up his office. He’s occupied the room since 1974, when he defeated a county councilman and the chief clerk of the criminal court clerk’s office to become county clerk. Knowles never had another opponent until last year, when the people of Hamilton County chose him for a tenth term, making him the longest serving elected official in the courthouse.
“The people of this county have been good to me, so I’ve tried to do a good job,” he says.
One would be hard-pressed to find someone who believes Knowles has done a bad job, as he’s devised and implemented numerous innovations that have streamlined the procedures of his office and made taking care of certain matters at the courthouse easier.
“The only campaign promise I made was to implement mail service for license tag renewals. We started doing that my first year. I met with the state commissioner of revenue and worked that out. It helps the public. There are busy people out there,” he says.
In 2001, Knowles’ office was the first in Tennessee to offer tags over the Internet. He’s also computerized all of the marriage licenses dating back to the early days of the county, spearheaded the creation of a Web site offering downloadable versions of the forms his office requires people to complete, implemented a way for people to renew their license tags online, and opened the first branch office for license tags and vehicle titles.
“My interest has always been in uncomplicating bureaucracy. I have a heart for the public. I know that sounds trite, but it’s true. People are looking for things, and we should do everything we can to make it easier for them,” he says.
Knowles’ office has also started producing MP3 recordings of county commission meetings, which local media outlets make available online. His office won a National Association of Counties award for the innovation. He says his goal was to bring his office out of the analog age and into the digital age.
While Knowles is comfortable talking high tech, in his effort to serve the public, he’s held on to some of the old ways.
He stocks the back seat of his car with forms for when people stop him at the grocery store and ask for a particular document; he once issued a marriage license on a weekend to a couple that had arrived at their church to tie the knot and realized they’d forgotten to obtain the document that would legalize their union; and he once took a call at home at 2 a.m. from someone who had a question about a driver’s license.
“I’m service oriented,” he says, smiling.
Knowles was 39 when he became county clerk. Before that, he was the director of manpower training for the City of Chattanooga, a program that trained disadvantaged citizens and placed them in jobs throughout the community. Going back even farther, Knowles worked as a barber
for six years and did a stint with the old Railway Express accounting department.
Public service is in his blood, though – his father was a city detective, one of his brothers was the chief of the Chattanooga Fire Department, and another brother was the head of the election commission in Hamilton County – so he was drawn in that direction, too.
“I’d always been interested in politics, so when I heard this office was going to be open, I decided to run. At the time, I was chairman of the juvenile court commission, which involved a lot of public speaking, so I was in the public’s eye. The newspapers endorsed the other candidates, but I won the election,” he says.
Through his more than three decades of service, Knowles has performed his job with integrity. He’s refused to appoint staff members politically, but rather has hired people based on their qualifications, and has regularly received high marks from auditors, including those from outside firms.
In addition, he requires his staff to provide regular reports on their activities and has read nine volumes of the Tennessee Annotated Code page for page.
He also reviews every attorney general opinion that impacts his office.
The reason for his dedication is simple: he says he loves his job and is thankful for the opportunity to serve.
Knowles was born in a house in St. Elmo and grew up with four brothers and one sister. He went on to marry his childhood sweetheart, Marlene, to whom he’s been married 55 years. Together, they have three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild, all of which are a source of great pride and joy for Knowles.
The county clerk also loves the city he’s called home his entire life.
“I’ve traveled as county clerk to other major cities, and visited smaller counties to see how they do things, and you can’t beat Chattanooga. It’s the greatest, and right now, we’re experiencing the best things that could happen to us. This city has a bright future,” he says.
Knowles will likely be around to see it. His current term runs through 2014, and he has no plans to stop working.
“Sometimes I think about retiring, but I don’t like to travel. I enjoy my work, and I’m challenged every day to try to do it better,” he says.
Knowles does take time to relax. He and his wife are members of Woodland Baptist Church, where he serves as an alternate usher, and he enjoys photography, though he admits to being leery about giving up his 35mm camera for the digital one his family gave him for Christmas.
Throughout his career, Knowles has served as president of three statewide associations, including the County Clerks Association, the County Officials Association and, he adds with a twinkle in his eye, the Tennessee Association of Barbers.
Since public employees
receive a paycheck, some might say their work can’t be considered a public service. But Knowles has performed his job reliably and with integrity through some of the most industrious years of Chattanooga’s history.
During his 36 years as county clerk, he’s avoided getting bogged down under the weight of bureaucracy, but has instead found ways to keep his office running smoothly and efficiently.
And he considers it a matter of policy to go the extra mile for any individual who needs his help. With these things in mind, it’s easy to see why Knowles is considered, and will always be remembered as, a public servant of the highest caliber.
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