Hamilton County Commissioner David Sharpe, D-Red Bank, said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp told all the commissioners, who were gathered for a private legal meeting, that Sharpe could no longer be trusted and wouldn’t be given information in the future.
“He (Wamp) declared, in no uncertain terms, that he would no longer provide crucial financial information to the people of District 6 through their elected representative,” Sharpe said from the dais Wednesday morning. “Deliberately withholding information from a duly elected official is petty and immature, at best, and at worst it’s a willful violation of the oath of office. Regardless, it’s a slap in the face to the people I represent, and I won’t abide by it.”
Fellow commissioners didn’t contradict what Sharpe said happened. They also didn’t address what was said by Wamp to Sharpe during the legal meeting last week. After the meeting, several commissioners told the Chattanooga Times Free Press they couldn’t comment on the private legal meetings.
“Our office continues to focus on carrying out the important work of county government,” Wamp, a Republican, said in a statement after Wednesday’s remarks by Sharpe. “Unfortunately, again this morning, David Sharpe used a commission meeting to air personal grievance. By his own admission last week, Sharpe often does not understand what he is voting on, which makes it difficult for him to advocate for his district. I am hopeful the chairman of the county commission will prevent similar partisan outbursts in the future.”
When asked whether Sharpe would have access to county financial records, Mary Francis Hoots, a spokesperson for the mayor, said by text, “David Sharpe has never been denied county records and will continue to have access to county information.”