Things were going smoothly Wednesday as 23 county officials took part in the massive swearing-in ceremony.
Then along came a spider.
During Circuit Court Clerk Paula Thompson’s oath, a small brown spider appeared on the head of Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck, who was doing the swearing in. Thompson stopped the oath, apologized and flicked the creature off.
“I’m scared to death of spiders,” Thompson said later. “I couldn’t pay attention to what he was saying, watching that spider go up.”
OFFICIALS SWORN IN* Jeffrey Atherton, Chancery Court, Part II* Paula Thompson, Circuit Court clerk* Bill Knowles, county clerk* Gwen Tidwell, Criminal Court clerk* Gary Behler, Juvenile Court clerk* Pam Hurst, register of deeds* Jim Hammond, sheriff* Bill Hullander, trustee* Claude Ramsey, county mayor* Fred Skillern, Commission District 1* Jim Fields, Commission District 2* Jim Coppinger, Commission District 3* Warren Mackey, Commission District 4* Greg Beck, Commission District 5* Joe Graham, Commission District 6* Larry Henry, Commission District 7* Tim Boyd, Commission District 8* Chester Bankston, Commission District 9* Everett Fairchild, School Board District 3* Jeffrey Wilson, School Board District 5* Joe Galloway, School Board District 6* David Testerman, School Board District 8* Mike Evatt, School Board District 9
Laughing, the judge started the oath over and the spider became a running gag throughout a proceeding that was part solemn ceremony and part roast of local public officials by the people who know them best.
At the Chattanooga Convention Center, commissioners, clerks, school board members and other officials took oaths to uphold the state and federal constitutions, some of them also taking oaths not to sell their influence to others.
With the swearing-in, the 23 officials are are officially on the job.
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, who was sworn in for a fifth term, served as master of ceremonies. In his remarks, Ramsey praised the county’s progress over the last four years.
He also shared some advice his father gave him about serving in public office: This isn’t the Army, and elected officials weren’t drafted.
“We have no purpose here as elected officials except to serve the people of this county,” he said.