Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams refused Thursday to answer several questions about his new job as Crossville's city manager.
Before the County Commission meeting, he walked away from a Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter attempting to ask him questions to clarify how Mr. Adams got the city manager's job.
"Don't ask me a question," Mr. Adams repeated several times. "Did you hear what I tell you? Leave me alone. ... Do you understand what I said? ... What do you not understand about 'no,' pal?"
Among the questions about Mr. Adams' job in Crossville are:
* Did Mr. Adams contact Crossville about the job or was it the other way around? Crossville Mayor J.H. Graham III said Mr. Adams called him. Mr. Adams said it was someone in the city who called him about the job.
* What is his response to Crossville Councilman Jesse Kerley's claim that Mr. Adams' hiring as city manager was a "done deal" before the council voted?
* What is his response to Crossville Councilman Earl Dean's desire to seek other applicants?
* How was Mr. Adams' salary determined? At $105,000, minus retirement benefits, he will be one of the highest paid city managers in Crossville history.
* Does he think Crossville Councilman Boyd Wyatt committed an ethics violation by not disclosing his $1,000 contribution to Mr. Adams' 2006 commission campaign before voting to hire him?
City manager salaries* Red Bank -- $90,000; population: 12,418* Collegedale -- $86,200; population: 7,947* Cleveland, Tenn. -- $136,104; population: 39,753* Summerville, Ga. -- $75,000; population: 5,010* Crossville, Tenn. -- $105,000; population: 11,599
Crossville's city's attorney thinks Mr. Wyatt might have.
David Folz, professor of public administration at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, said it's "good practice" for a city to advertise to find a new city manager. Mr. Graham said the job was not advertised.
Dr. Folz said the process for hiring the city manager is spelled out in a city's charter.
Crossville's charter does not specify advertising the job, although it has a provision about the basis for hiring a manager.
"The manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications," the charter reads.
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