Public records show Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams has more connections to the city of Crossville, Tenn., than he initially claimed when he announced he would serve as Crossville's new city manager.
Dean Bennett, a Crossville real estate developer, and Crossville City Councilman Boyd Wyatt gave money to his campaign in 2006, records show. After he announced in March that he was going to become city manager of Crossville, Mr. Adams told the Times Free Press that he never met the council members who voted to give him the job.
PDF: April 10, 2006 Curtis Adams campaign financial disclosure statementPDF: July 10, 2006 Curtis Adams campaign financial disclosure statementPDF: July 27, 2006 Curtis Adams campaign financial disclosure statement
Mr. Adams confirmed the contributions and said his original statements about his connections to Crossville are still true.
"I didn't mean I never met (Mr. Wyatt)," Mr. Adams said Tuesday. "I met Boyd Wyatt several years ago. I meant I didn't meet them before that meeting that night (when he was hired).
"There wasn't anything underhanded or sneaky or anything about me knowing Boyd Wyatt," he said.
In February 2006, Mr. Bennett donated $1,000 to Mr. Adams' campaign for the District 8 commission seat, records show. In July of that same year, he gave $500 to Mr. Adams' campaign.
Mr. Adams noted that Mr. Bennett is the brother of Hamilton County Assessor of Property Bill Bennett. Attempts Tuesday to reach Bill Bennett for this story were unsuccessful.
Also in 2006, Mr. Wyatt gave Mr. Adams $1,000 for his campaign, records show.
According to a story in the Crossville Chronicle newspaper, Mr. Wyatt seconded the motion to hire Mr. Adams as Crossville city manager. According to the newspaper, the City Council decided not to seek additional applicants after it interviewed Mr. Adams.
When contacted Tuesday, Mr. Wyatt at first said he did not remember giving Mr. Adams money. After he was informed the donation is listed on a public record, Mr. Wyatt acknowledged that he did give Mr. Adams money, but said it did not influence his vote in favor of hiring Mr. Adams.
Mr. Bennett also confirmed that he is friends with Mr. Adams and Mr. Wyatt. He said he did not influence anyone on the council to vote for Mr. Adams because he only learned Mr. Adams was being considered two days before he was hired.
"If I could have (helped), I would have because I think Curtis is a very good hire," Dean Bennett said.
He added that Mr. Adams also has asked him if he could find a house in Crossville where Mr. Adams could live.
Mr. Adams said he has been friends with Dean Bennett and Mr. Wyatt "for years." He said the night he was hired in Crossville was the first time he'd seen Mr. Wyatt in more than a year.
Mr. Adams said the city contacted him after he announced he was not running for another term on the Hamilton County Commission. Crossville Mayor J.H. Graham III is the only person on the City Council with whom he discussed the job, Mr. Adams said.
East Ridge Mayor Mike Steele said he didn't understand why Mr. Adams first said he didn't have any connections with Crossville.
"Nobody would have cared," he said. "If he knows those folks over there and they knew him, and if he had answered on the first round when the questions were asked, it wouldn't have mattered one way or the other."
Mr. Adams was city manager of East Ridge for five months in 2008. He resigned under a cloud of acrimony after he and several council members disagreed on city policy, most notably a proposed property tax increase.
Mr. Wyatt and Dean Bennett also have a connection, according to both men and other sources familiar with the situation.
Minutes from a Sept. 8, 2009, meeting of the Crossville City Council show that, in an item about rental office space for the city, Mr. Wyatt made a motion to accept a proposal from Crossville Realty over one from GPM Apartments. Mr. Wyatt said Crossville Realty made a "superior" proposal, according to the city's official record.
Dean Bennett is listed as president of Crossville Realty, according to the company's Web site. Retiring Crossville City Manager Ted Meadows, whose departure opened up the job for Mr. Adams, said Dean Bennett owns that company.
A company Mr. Wyatt formerly worked for, Averitt Express, rents office space from a building owned by Crossville Realty, according to Mr. Meadows and Mr. Wyatt. In campaign finance records, Mr. Wyatt is listed as a "retired" employee of the company. Mr. Meadows said the office space is for city staff because the city has outgrown its current space.
Mr. Meadows said he recommended the city use a different building, but Mr. Wyatt advocated renting the building owned by Dean Bennett, according to Mr. Meadows and meeting minutes.
Speaking by phone Tuesday, Mr. Wyatt confirmed that some of Dean Bennett's real estate holdings include Crossville City offices and that his former employer rented space from Dean Bennett's company.
"He's just a friend of mine," Mr. Wyatt said.
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: What commissioners will do with Adams' seat is a mystery