The way private practice attorney Janie Varnell was announced as Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp’s pick to replace Rheubin Taylor as county attorney has left lingering questions about the transition.
“This is not about the person. Not at all,” Hamilton County Commissioner Chip Baker, R-Signal Mountain, said during a meeting Wednesday.
But he said that the process behind the plan felt rushed and that he’d had only a little time to review the transition plan.
The county attorney’s split responsibilities — representing county residents, the mayor’s office and the commission — were also an issue for some commissioners.
Varnell addressed those concerns directly in response to questions from Commissioner Joe Graham, R-Lookout Valley. She understood, she said, that the county attorney represents “all of the county.”