Mayor, Council inaugurated before election results OK’d

Mayor Ron Littlefield and the City Council were inaugurated Monday, one week before the Hamilton County Election Commission certified the results.

City officials said they were aware the inauguration would take place before the official certification and checked with the city attorney’s office to make sure the swearing-in ceremony was OK.

Carol O’Neal, clerk of the council, said she was notified that, because the results were not in question, it would be OK to proceed.

Election officials said last week they did not recall an inauguration ever taking place before results were certified.

“fake ron” comments on consolidation

“Fake Ron Littlefield,” an anonymous blogger who posts on Chattarati.com, has made his satirical thoughts of the real mayor’s consolidation suggestions known on Twitter.

“Keeping my metro gov, I mean ‘consolidation of services,’ plans quiet during campaign season was exhausting,” Fake Ron said in a post on the social networking site. “Vote (Fake Ron) Metro Mayor 2013!”

Earlier Twitter posts from Fake Ron Littlefield include one from the mayoral campaign in which he states that he is “not regretting this V-dub tatt(oo).”

Council office overwhelmed

The City Council Web site still lists old members of the council, including those who sat on the council almost a year and a half ago such John “Duke” Franklin and Marti Rutherford.

With four new members coming on board, things have been hectic, said Carol O’Neal, council clerk.

“We’ve never had four new members before,” she said.

Ms. O’Neal said the office was aware the Web site needs updating and had requested some biographical information from all council members. Photographs also need to be taken, she said.

“We’ll update it as soon as that information becomes available,” she said.

adams announces run for chairman

With about four months to go before the Hamilton County Commission picks a new chairman, Commissioner Curtis Adams said he wants to hold the gavel again.

“I’ve been around a long time, got a lot of experience,” he said.

Mr. Adams said he was spurred to seek the chairmanship by Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield’s announcement that he wants to consolidate some city and county services. He said he wants city and county officials to sit down and determine the best places to streamline.

One example Mr. Adams gave was in the city, county and schools’ health plans.

The senior commissioner stopped short of saying his announcement was a sign he would run for re-election next year, however.

“There’s a lot of time to think about that,” he said.

ANN Coulter coming to utc

Attorney, author and columnist Ann Coulter will speak at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga at noon on Oct. 5, according to an announcement from the university. Ms. Coulter will deliver a lecture titled “Changes in American Government” as part of the Burkett Miller Distinguished Lecture Series.

The lecture takes place in the University Center auditorium and is free to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Ms. Coulter is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers and writes a syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate. She has also been a frequent guest on television shows, including “The Sean Hannity Show” and “Wolf Blitzer Reports.”

Alexander: Be like the French on energy

In the weekly Republican radio address Saturday, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., used France as an example of how the United States might want to direct its energy policy.

“Thirty years ago, the contrary French became reliant on nuclear power when others wouldn’t,” he said. “Today, nuclear plants provide 80 percent of their electricity. They even sell electricity to Germany, whose politicians built windmills and solar panels and promised not to build nuclear plants.”

Sen. Alexander went on to say that the United States has avoided building a nuclear plant in the last 30 years. He said renewable energy efforts could create “a potentially a dangerous energy gap” if nuclear power isn’t part of the equation.

“We’re not about to let the French also outdo us on electric and gasoline bills, clean air and climate change.” Sen. Alexander said.

Committee leaders selected

City Council at-large committee chairmen and chairwomen were selected this week, according to a news release.

Councilwoman Carol Berz was selected to head the budget, finance and personnel committee; Councilwoman Deborah Scott will lead the economic development, environment and planning committee; Councilman Manny Rico heads up the public works committee; Councilwoman Pam Ladd takes control of the safety and security committee; Councilman Peter Murphy will lead the legal and legislative committee; Councilman Russell Gilbert remains as parks and recreation chairman, Councilman Andraé McGary takes over education, arts and culture; and Councilwoman Sally Robinson becomes head of health, human services and housing opportunities.

candidates at lincoln day dinner

All four of the announced Republican candidates for Tennessee governor will speak at the Hamilton County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner, scheduled for May 15.

But they won’t be the only guests of honor at the dinner. Jonathan Krohn, a 14-year-old “GOP political prodigy” who has written a book about conservatism, will also be a guest.

A table for eight in the section nearest to the podium will cost $1,500.

For more details, call the Hamilton County Republican Party at 423-266-9351.