A Hamilton County Commission resolution calling for the Tennessee Democratic Party to pay the county’s legal fees stemming from last year’s lawsuit filed by the party over the 2018 House District 26 race failed Wednesday.
The resolution, introduced by District 3 Commissioner Greg Martin, called the lawsuit “frivolously political litigation” just a day after oral arguments began in the Tennessee Court of Appeals.
“This lawsuit that has gone on, that was introduced last July, has been dismissed 3 times. It keeps getting appealed, it’s costing the county taxpayers money through the election commission,” Martin said. “I think it’s one thing that is costing the taxpayers and I think it would be advantageous for us to recoup some of that money when it’s settled because it keeps going and going and going.”
The resolution failed in a 6-2 vote, after several commissioners balked at Martin’s move. Only Martin and District 8 Commissioner Tim Boyd voted for it.
“Commissioner Martin, you keep talking about staying in our lane. I think this is so far out of our lane, we’re going to get hit by a tractor-trailer or a train,” District 9 Commissioner Chester Bankston said. “We have nothing to do with this, and I don’t think we should be doing anything with this.”