Pam HurstAge: 55Political experience: Elected Register of Deeds, 1994Family: Charlie Bearden, husband; Nicole Rogers, 33, Stephanie Hardin, 31, and Daniel Hurst, 30, children
Hamilton County Register of Deeds Pam Hurst said her years managing a countywide office give her the experience to be the county’s next mayor.
Late last week, she asked county commissioners to consider appointing her.
Hurst said her office, which oversees recording of deeds and mortgages, has cultivated a reputation of always being accessible. She describes herself as a hard worker, with an eye on efficiency and a vision for Hamilton County.
“Somebody’s got to step in and represent Hamilton County well,” she said.
Mayor Claude Ramsey is stepping down Jan. 11 to work as deputy to Gov.-elect Bill Haslam. Hurst, a Republican, is one of nine people running for his office, including County Commissioner Jim Coppinger and Mike Carter, special assistant to Ramsey.
On Tuesday, the County Commission office added Chester Clark to the list, saying Clark had submitted a letter of intent before the Dec. 17 deadline but the commission staff forgot to give his name to the media.
Commissioners plan to select a new mayor on Monday. The commission is not planning to interview candidates publicly. The replacement will serve until 2012 when a special election can be at the same time as the assessor of property race.
Hurst moved to Hamilton County in 1969 when her father transferred jobs at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Before running for county register in 1994, she was a title examiner with a real estate title attorney.
Early on, she said she realized the role the Internet would play in the running of the register’s office. Hurst said she wanted to make records accessible by computer.
“That point of difference (with other candidates) put me over the top to win the race,” she said.
John Rogers, an associate broker at Liberty Commercial Real Estate, said Hurst has done “an exceptional job.”
“She keeps developing easier and better ways for us real estate people to be able to go in there and look up information,” Rogers said.
Her second accomplishment is her office’s reputation for customer service. She said sometimes voters contact her office for information about other county offices. She also takes pride in making sure someone is there to answer the phone when calls come in.
Hurst started off with 18 employees in 1994 and said she’s down to 15 with the slump in the real estate market.
“Real estate has not been as vibrant,” she said. “When people left, we didn’t rehire.”
CANDIDATES* Mike Carter* Jim Coppinger* Edward Ector Jr.* Chester Clark* Pam Hurst* Richard Rankin* Harry “Buddy” Rogers* Denise Russell-Ford* Guy M. SatterfieldSource: Hamilton County Commission
Hurst said her experience working with a budget and personnel is a natural steppingstone to the county mayor’s job. She said she wants to cut costs and build up the county’s infrastructure.
Rogers said Hurst would make a good mayor because she would “apply herself as much or more than anyone to get the jobs done that need to be done.”
Not everyone agrees.
Jeff Brown, the local chairman of the Democratic Party, ran against Hurst this year and doesn’t think she’s a credible candidate. Brown took issue with Hurst wanting a permanent satellite office for the register, which she said would save money in the long-term because the county no longer would have to rent space at the Bonny Oaks administrative complex.
During county budget hearings in May, Hurst requested $400,000 for the new building, which the Register’s Office would pay with data processing fees.
Brown said Hurst’s stated desire to save money amuses him.
“Pam Hurst couldn’t stop spending if her purse were taken at gunpoint,” Brown said. “To suggest otherwise is to ignore the facts.”
Richard Wilson, a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said Hurst is “extremely personable” and said he was impressed by her vow to never answer voters’ phone calls with a recording.
“That sounds corny, but my reaction is that was a very nice thing to do. She does little things like that that make people happy,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he thinks Hurst has substantial support within the party, particularly among women. Republicans hold a 7-2 majority on the County Commission.
Delores Vinson, chairwoman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, said Hurst would be a great fit for the county mayor’s job. She said the party sees Hurst as someone who is efficient and careful with taxpayer money.
“She’s a fine woman and she’s done an awful lot in her office,” Vinson said.