Hamilton County will soon have a new advocate in Nashville.
County commissioners voted Wednesday morning to authorize County Mayor Weston Wamp to hire Chris Devaney of Lookout Mountain and his firm, Poplar Group, to represent and lobby for county interests at the state level.
The commission’s vote was unanimous, although the resolution they adopted shifted slightly from its original language to add in a prohibition on conflicts of interest. And although it was unanimous, the vote followed a lengthy discussion about how to handle potential conflicts in the role, Devaney’s obligations and communication between the commission and the mayor’s office.
Devaney is a former journalist who has been a U.S. Senate staffer and head of the Tennessee Republican Party. He also managed Gov. Bill Lee’s successful 2018 campaign and served in Lee’s cabinet before he and two others founded Poplar Group.
Devaney and his firm will succeed Will Denami, whose lobbying contract with the county expired at the end of 2024. Denami’s other clients include counties from East and Middle Tennessee, along with a Tennessee development district and the Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers.