Tim BoydIn Hamilton County’s Republican primary election for District 8, it would be nice to be able to put the three candidates in a blender to cook up the perfect commissioner.
Incumbent Tim Boyd’s common-sense approach to problems would be a good mix with East Ridge Mayor Brent Lambert’s policy-wonk understanding of government. Just a dash of former six-time Commissioner Curtis Adams would add schmooze — an often necessary ingredient of negotiation and compromise.
Since that’s not possible, the best pick is Boyd. What he may lack in tact and policy finesse, he makes up for in an ability to analyze a problem and a fearlessness about refusing to be rushed into uninformed votes.
He points proudly to his suggestion in August not to raise the county’s property rate. The commission acted on that suggestion and kept the 2012 rate even though property values overall decreased in Hamilton County which meant lower tax revenue. The county’s administration had submitted a proposal to set the tax rate higher to produce the same amount of revenue, and County Mayor Jim Coppinger had proposed a budget built around that planned rate increase.
Boyd, a business manager, also questioned the budget’s $635,000 increase in “miscellaneous” spending.