The son of Hamilton County Commissioner Bill Hullander recently was reappointed to the county Board of Zoning Appeals.
He’s one of at least three relatives of county commissioners who serve on county boards, a situation one county government expert and the county attorney say is not a problem — as long as there are no conflicts of interest.
Commissioners on June 16 reappointed Matt Hullander to the county Board of Zoning Appeals, which approves exceptions to zoning laws. Bill Hullander abstained from voting. Matt Hullander serves as chairman.
It’s unclear who recommended appointing him. Commission Chairman Fred Skillern and Matt Hullander said it was Mayor Claude Ramsey’s appointment. Mr. Ramsey said he did not appoint Matt Hullander, and an employee at the County Commission office said he was appointed by the commission as a whole. There was little discussion about it when he originally was appointed in July 2007, according to commission meeting minutes. Bill Hullander abstained from voting both times.
“I don’t see any problem (with it) whatsoever,” Matt Hullander said of his service on the board, adding, “I’m volunteering for the county and the citizens.”
Matt Hullander owns a home improvement business, Hullco Exteriors, he bought from his father. Bill Hullander owns more than one dozen pieces of rental property throughout the county, records show. Bill Hullander once served on the zoning appeals board before becoming commissioner, and county records still list him as an “associate member as needed.”
Ryan King, another board member, is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty. The others members of the board, Jim Parks and Wayne Henry, are not in the real estate or home improvement business, according to Pat Payne, director of the county building and zoning department.
Both Matt and Bill Hullander said if a conflict of interest came up, Matt Hullander would abstain. They said the board has not handled any requests that could pose a conflict of interest for him.
“We’re taxpayers, and if we had a variance come up, we’d have the right to bring it before that board and … we would abstain from it,” Bill Hullander said.
Other commissioners have relatives on county boards. Commissioner Richard Casavant’s sister-in-law, Phyllis Casavant, serves on the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Health Council, and Commissioner Larry Henry’s wife, Patsy, serves on the Hamilton County Health and Safety Hearing board.
Phyllis Casavant works for the Southeast Tennessee Development District. Larry Henry said Patsy Henry is a homemaker and is involved in several civic organizations.
County Attorney Rheubin Taylor sees no problem with family members serving on county boards.
“Anybody on any board is admonished not to make any decisions or participate in any discussions that could be perceived as a conflict of interest,” he said.
Gary Hayes, a county government consultant for the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service, said there are no state laws prohibiting relatives from serving on boards.
“Generally, it’s hard to find people who want to serve on the boards,” Mr. Hayes said. “Often they’re not compensated.”
Dr. Casavant, who recently lost his re-election bid in the county primary, said his sister-in-law is highly qualified for the job.
“She just happens to operate from the liability for having me as a commissioner,” he said. “That won’t last much longer.”
Mr. Henry said he never talks with his wife about her work on the board.
“A lot of time it’s difficult to find people who want to serve (on boards),” he said. “You’ve got to have the time to do it and willingness to do it.”