The Hamilton County Ethics Committee got a new member Thursday as county commissioners appointed Jim Fields to fill the seat previously held by former Commissioner Richard Casavant.
Fields defeated Casavant in the May primary election, then beat independent David Cantrell in the general election.
When asked what he would do as a member of the committee, Fields joked, “I’m going to be ethical.”
Other Ethics Committee members are County Attorney Rheubin Taylor, County Clerk Bill Knowles, Administrator of Finance Louis Wright and County Auditor Bill McGriff.
The Ethics Committee investigates complaints against employees and elected officials and meets when needed. But committee members said the county has not received any complaints recently.
Taylor said the Ethics Committee hasn’t received an ethics complaint since it was formed in 2007.
In other business, commissioners voted to offer a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for vandalizing and stealing property from Wallace A. Smith Elementary School in Ooltewah.
Commissioner Chester Bankston said the school was vandalized twice in October, but he was not sure what was stolen. He said the commission has offered rewards in the past.
Wright said the money would come from the commission’s budget.
Taylor said offering taxpayer money as a reward is “highly appropriate” because it’s an effort to recover county property.
Commissioner Greg Beck said after the meeting that he would like to see reward money for tips allocated to the sheriff’s budget “so it won’t be something we have to vote on.”