Adams suggests talks with Georgia over water issue

NASHVILLE — Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams, of East Ridge, said he isn’t amused by the Tennessee and Georgia border battle and thinks officials on both sides should discuss the issue at the center of the fight — water.

“They do have a serious problem,” the commissioner said. “What I think we ought to do is instead of making jokes about it and back and forth, we ought to sit down with Georgia and say what can we do to help. Work out some kind of way to help them.”

Not having water “is a serious problem,” he said.

Georgia lawmakers, faced with exploding growth in Atlanta and drought, are trying revisit a disputed 1818 boundary survey of the two states in an acknowledged effort to gain access to the Tennessee River in Marion County.

Volunteer State officials say they have no intention of revisiting the border issue. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has accused Georgia lawmakers of “grandstanding.”

But Georgia lawmakers led by Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, say they are serious and believe that if necessary they can make a credible case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has original jurisdiction over state boundary disputes.

“If it went before the Supreme Court, we’d all be gone and buried before they made a ruling on it,” scoffed Commissioner Adams, whose district includes East Ridge, parts of which lie within the disputed territory.

FAVORS HOLDS

SEMINARS

Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, hosted nearly four dozen Hamilton Countians last week at the state Capitol as she held her District 29 assembly.

She said the event marks the “beginning of a series of seminars that I’ll be having over the next several months.” The purpose, she said, is “energizing people to be more active in the political process.”

Attendees rode up on a chartered bus, watched committee meetings and heard from House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, D-Covington, and House Clerk Burney Durham among others.

“It’s been great and really informative,” said Sherene Bryant, an attendee.

She said the most surprising thing she learned about was the complex and often difficult process of passing legislation.

Meanwhile, the Hamilton Countians even learned a little bit about lobbying, courtesy of Speaker Naifeh, whom Ms. Bryant said made a pitch to them in support of House Democrats’ education lottery spending proposals.

DAVIS MAY GET

COMPETITION —

IN BID FOR GOVERNOR

U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, DTenn., may need to look in his rear-view mirror as he ponders a 2010 bid for governor.

Former state House Majority Leader Kim McMillan, DClarksville, said, “I’m certainly considering” running for the Democratic nomination.

“I can’t say I’m running yet,” said Ms. McMillan, who briefly worked as a senior adviser to Gov. Phil Bredesen before becoming executive director of community and business relations at Austin Peay University. “What I’m doing is I’m just thinking about it like a lot of other people.”

Rep. Davis is openly weighing a bid, although he has backed off statements made in October to the Times Free Press that he was running. Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., continues to consider running. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., is eyeing the contest as well.