This week, I am proposing a one-year transition plan for the county attorney’s office and appointing an exceptionally qualified local attorney, Janie Parks Varnell, as the next county attorney, effective July 1, 2025. My hope is that this thoughtful transition plan and the unique track record of our appointee will create alignment between my office and the Hamilton County Commission on what has previously been a divisive subject.
My previous attempt to bring in a new county attorney was settled in Hamilton County Chancery Court when Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton ruled current attorney, Rheubin Taylor, could remain in his position until his contract expired June 30, 2025. In that same ruling, Atherton said, “this does not intrude upon the appointment authority of the county mayor.”
In a matter of weeks, 2025 will be upon us. It’s time to agree to a cooperative transition of the county attorney’s office for the first time in nearly 32 years. As it was the authority of Dalton Roberts, Claude Ramsey, and Jim Coppinger, it is my duty to appoint a county attorney to represent Hamilton County government.
For several months, my staff and I have met individually with county commissioners to discuss agreeable terms for a transition and necessary qualifications for the new county attorney.
In my conversations with commissioners, there was consensus that a six-month transition from January through June would be best for everyone involved: the county mayor’s office, county department heads, county commission, and constitutional officers, especially the sheriff’s office.
Some commissioners asked for Taylor to have the option to remain with the county in an advisory capacity for an additional six months after the new county attorney officially takes over on July 1.
During the transition, it is most important that trust is developed and that the county’s ongoing legal cases are handled appropriately.
Janie Parks Varnell is the perfect attorney to guide the county through this transition. As the attorney for both the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Association, Varnell has earned a sterling reputation among the law enforcement community in Southeast Tennessee. Her experience spans civil litigation and criminal law in the local, state and federal court systems.
Although, at times, I have had my differences with the county commission, members have repeatedly praised the high-caliber people I have hired into important roles. Since taking office, I have appointed new directors to lead the county’s highway department, parks department, development services department, accounting department, IT department, economic development department, emergency medical services and auditing department. All of these appointees were approved by the county commission unanimously and are serving with expertise and diligence in their respective roles.
I have as much confidence in Janie Parks Varnell as any person I have appointed to serve in county government. Her readiness for this role is evidenced by the trust placed in her by law enforcement officers across our community when their careers are on the line.
Between his time on the county commission and as county attorney, Rheubin Taylor is closing in on 47 years in county government. As my administration has tried to demonstrate every day, new blood is good and should bring more creativity and more accountability to government.
As we initiate this important transition within county government, my office’s goal is to work together with the county commission to strengthen and modernize the county attorney’s office as we prepare for exciting days ahead for the people of Hamilton County.
Weston Wamp is the mayor of Hamilton County.