In 2002, Haslam's son, Bill, ran for mayor of Knoxville, bringing greater public scrutiny to the Haslam family. His opponent in the race, Madeline Rogero, consistently tried to portray Bill Haslam as a puppet of his father and the region's oil interests, which Bill Haslam staunchly denied. She also blamed Jim Haslam for UT's hiring of controversial president, John Shumaker, in 2002. During Bill Haslam's 2010 gubernatorial campaign, his opponents consistently brought up price-gouging allegations levied against Pilot in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.