Public records show that R. Dee Hobbs, an assistant county attorney for Hamilton County, has worked on 51 cases in probate court since Jan. 1, 2017, although he said in a phone interview Friday that he maintains a separate phone system, computer and printer to distinguish those two roles.
“I make an effort to segregate all my private work from my public work,” Hobbs said. “I don’t receive mail here. I have a separate address.”
In October, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp attempted to fire County Attorney Rheubin Taylor, citing as part of his justification private work that his office stated Taylor performed on public time. County commissioners have thrown their support behind Taylor, reaffirming his four-year contract — which officials have said allows him to conduct private work — and passing a resolution reasserting their authority over Taylor’s office space and equipment.
The mayor’s office, meanwhile, has restricted Taylor’s access to his county computer and email. Taylor has since filed a complaint in Chancery Court. He has asked the court to declare that Wamp did not have the unilateral authority to terminate Taylor’s contract and to order the mayor return documents covered by attorney-client privilege.