PDF: Heathington Press Release
The Hamilton County clerk's race pits an incumbent attacked for employing family members in his office against a man with a record of several misdemeanor offenses.
Hamilton County Clerk Bill Knowles, a Democrat, said he is proud of his record as he seeks a 10th term, saying he has modernized the clerk's office.
Chester Heathington said the clerk's office is not as modern as it should be, but he didn't want to discuss his candidacy over the phone this week. He sent the Times Free Press a statement accusing Mr. Knowles of "wasteful spending and unethical practices" because Mr. Knowles employs members of his family in the clerk's office.
In a statement, Mr. Knowles called Mr. Heathington's comments about his family "derogatory" and "inappropriate."
He said there are three members of his family working in the office. His son, who is a certified public administrator with a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee, is the chief administrator; his son-in-law, a graduate of Anderson University in Anderson, Ind., is an inventory control clerk; and his grandson is a mail clerk, he said.
In January, Mr. Knowles laid off five deputy clerks, citing weak fee collections.
"State law is stringently enforced where no appointees are ever supervised by a family member," Mr. Knowles said. "My 59-member staff includes three family members, and their compensation is equitable with qualifications and job responsibilities."
Rebecca Hunter, the county's director of human resources, said the county's nepotism policy says no person can work in a county office in which a member of their immediate family is employed without written approval from the county mayor or the person in charge of that division. No relative directly may supervise another relative.
She said the county's nepotism policy applies only to offices that report to the county mayor or to elected officials who have adopted the policy. The County Clerk's Office has its own policies, she said.
HEATHINGTON BACKGROUND
Hamilton County Republican Party Chairwoman Delores Vinson said Mr. Heathington has not sought party assistance and said he has an "unfortunate criminal past."
"I haven't seen anything that makes me think (he is) qualified to handle that job," she said.
Mr. Heathington declined to discuss his record, which consists of misdemeanor offenses.
According to newspaper archives, Mr. Heathington was arrested in 1982 on charges of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was accused of throwing liquor on a park policeman, striking the policeman with his fist, taking the officer's gun and nightstick and threatening to kill him. He pleaded guilty to assault and received a six-month suspended sentence.
Also in 1982, he was charged with assaulting a U.S. Postal Service employee and unlawfully entering a post office, then refusing to leave. He pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful entry and refusing to leave as part of a plea bargain, records show. He was placed on six months probation, but had that probation extended another six months after he was convicted in city court in 1983 for driving under the influence.
According to court records, he pleaded guilty in 2008 to possession of a gambling device, and he pleaded guilty in 1990 to driving on a revoked license and driving under the influence, all of which are misdemeanors, according to the Hamilton County General Sessions Court.
Several prominent Hamilton County Republicans on Wednesday sent out a letter saying they cannot support Mr. Heathington because of his record. They do not, however, suggest Republicans should support Mr. Knowles.
The letter was signed by, among others, Lill Coker, former National Republican Committee member and former Hamilton County Republican Women president; Charlie Peavyhouse, former Hamilton County Republican Party chairman; former state senator David Fowler and former state representative Jim Vincent.
Mr. Knowles claims a number of firsts during his run as clerk. According to his website, he was the first to bring Internet license plate renewal to Tennessee and the first to introduce license renewals at the clerk's office. He said he has developed the "best County Commission record-keeping system in the state."
"I've changed the office from an analog society to a digital society," he said.
In his brief conversation with the Times Free Press, Mr. Heathington said he wants to make the clerk's office more transparent but did not discuss what he meant before ending the conversation.
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