It was hot outside the DoubleTree hotel, but it got even warmer for the District 6 candidates for the Hamilton County Commission on Friday.
District 6 Republican candidate Joe Graham and incumbent Democrat John Allen Brooks traded barbs at the Southeast Tennessee Political Action Committee forum.
The forum also featured Republican Jim Fields and independent David Cantrell, who are running for the District 2 commission seat.
Candidates were given the opportunity to ask opponents questions.
In the District 6 race, Mr. Graham asked whether Mr. Brooks was spending his county discretionary money to get elected.
Mr. Brooks shot back, saying it was Mr. Graham’s brother, Ed Graham, who asked him for $10,000 to redo some ballfields for the Lookout Valley Recreation Association.
“The person contacting me for the check is his brother,” Mr. Brooks said.
“It sure is,” Mr. Graham said.
Afterward, Mr. Graham declined to discuss his brother, but confirmed he does serve on the baseball board for the group.
Mr. Graham also questioned whether Mr. Brooks had anything to do with ensuring the county received more state education funding.
Mr. Brooks has said he ran in 2006 because he felt the county was not getting its fair share of money from the state’s Basic Education Program. He said it was his threat to sue the state over the inequity that led to increased funding. Mr. Brooks provided a copy of remarks made by Commissioner Larry Henry during a County Commission meeting thanking him for taking a nonpartisan view on seeking the additional funding.
When Mr. Henry was asked about the remarks Friday, he said he gives more of the credit for getting the additional funding to the county’s state legislative delegation. Mr. Brooks said the delegation did have much to do with it, but also thinks he and other commissioners contributed by putting pressure on the state.
“Do you really think I didn’t have anything to do with BEP being changed?” Mr. Brooks asked Mr. Graham.
“Yes, I really do believe that,” Mr. Graham said.
He said he had spoken to “several state legislators” and said none of them saw Mr. Brooks at meetings on BEP funding.
Mr. Cantrell and Mr. Fields, the District 2 candidates, also questioned each other.
Mr. Fields asked Mr. Cantrell if his work as a pilot would keep him from responding to the needs of his constituents. Mr. Cantrell said he only works a few days out of the month and that allows him free time to focus exclusively on county issues.
Mr. Cantrell asked Mr. Fields why he has only recently begun to address public education on the campaign trail.
Mr. Fields replied that public education wasn’t an issue he had to deal with in the county primary election.
Early voting continues through May 31. The county general election is Aug. 5.