Chester Heathington, an independent candidate for Hamilton County Clerk, has levied accusations of nepotism against long-time incumbent William Knowles, who counters that he follows the law and there are multiple layers of supervision between him and the one relative remaining in his office, his grandson.
Heathington, who also ran for Chattanooga mayor in 2013, claims Knowles violated state law by employing several relatives, including his son, son-in-law, grandson and a nephew.
“The whole county knows what this man has been doing for 50 years, and they turned a blind eye,” Heathington said by phone. “This is not good government, it’s bad government.”
Knowles has served as county clerk for almost 50 years and told the Chattanooga Times Free Press by phone this week that Heathington is sharing incorrect information. His son, William F. Knowles Jr., and son-in-law, Donald Kunselman, no longer work in the clerk’s office, Knowles said.
Additionally, he has never had a nephew working in the clerk’s office, Knowles said, and there are four layers of supervision between him and his grandson, who he said works full-time in the mailroom.