The Hamilton County commission voted 7-4 on Wednesday to defer a resolution that sought to impose term limits on the county mayor’s position.
The resolution presented by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp last week requested that the county’s delegation of state lawmakers introduce special-purpose legislation to impose a two-term limit on the mayor’s office and to submit the act for voter approval.
Commissioner Lee Helton, R-East Brainerd, immediately moved to table the resolution, which means to set it aside indefinitely.
“On the surface, I support term limits. I think it’s probably a good thing for some offices to have them,” Helton said. “However, I think there are some items that are not clear with this resolution. Just for the sake of more clarity, because this will fundamentally change county government and how people serve, I would like to put this item on the table.”
Wamp told the commission that he didn’t realize “this would be what would happen.”
“There is a perception in my two years of learning about county government, that putting things on the table is one of the ways to kill something without voting against it,” he said. “So I think my question would be, if we are looking for more information about how this would work and how it would only apply to one office and what the impacts would be, what is the path to something coming off the table?”
County attorney Rheubin Taylor said that it would take a supermajority of eight votes on the 11-member commission.
“Is there an intention this come off the table? Or that this just go away this way?” Wamp asked the commissioners.
“On an item like this, it is my contention, that when we got to petition the state we really need a supermajority anyway,” Helton answered Wamp. “When I have talked to the state delegation about other private acts, they said we need to have eight before we approach. So I assume when we have a consensus of eight to move forward, it should come off the table.”
“OK, that’s fair,” Wamp replied.
Wamp said it is worth discussing with legislators in the future if they would consider requests for special-purpose legislation that go to voters for approval if there is only a majority, or six votes, on the commission.
Commissioners Chip Baker, R-Signal Mountain; Greg Beck, D-North Brainerd; Mike Chauncey, R-East Ridge; and Gene-o Shipley, R-Soddy Daisy, voted against tabling the term-limit resolution.
Chair Jeff Eversole, R-Ooltewah, voted with Helton to table the resolution, along with Commissioners Joe Graham, R-Lookout Valley; Steve Highlander, R-Harrison; Warren Mackey, D-Lake Vista; David Sharpe, D-Red Bank; and Ken Smith, R-Hixson.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Mayor Wamp fields questions after proposing term limits)
Later in the meeting, commissioners called out a social media post by Hamilton County Director of Development Services Nathan Janeway, which criticized the commission for the vote.
Janeway, who was appointed by Wamp to the position and confirmed by the commission in December 2022, was hired to work with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, as well as commissioners such as Eversole, Highlander and Helton, on planning in rapidly growing districts, Wamp told commissioners at the time.
“Nathan, would you come up for a second?” Baker asked from the dais, toward the end of Wednesday’s meeting. “I just need to verify this.”
Baker went on to read a social media post by Janeway that he said had been sent to him by a constituent.
“‘Unbelievable cowardice on the part of Hamilton County commission this morning, tabling county mayoral term limits. Completely embarrassing,'” Baker said the post read.
“Did you write that?” Baker asked Janeway.
“Yes, sir,” Janeway answered.
“OK,” Baker responded. “That is all I needed to know.”
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Commission moves forward with new county lobbyist)
After Janeway left the podium, Eversole said he disagreed with Janeway’s comment.
“I totally respect everybody’s opinion, I totally do, because I have my own. But ultimately it’s how we come together when we share each other’s opinion,” Eversole said. “I think that is not how we as a party should approach things.”
“There was clarity needed around the term limit resolution, in order for that to pass,” Eversole added. “Not everything is as simple as checking a box. Our goal as a commission is to make sure we are making the right decisions, not only for today, but for the future.”
Eversole said he had no issue with term limits, but even if they pass the commission, they will not affect the current mayor.
“It impacts future mayors,” Eversole said.
According to the mayor’s office, the intent of the proposal is for it to apply to Wamp as well.
“I applaud Mayor Wamp for bringing that forward, for putting it on the table,” Eversole concluded. “But Nathan, brother, I have always been in your corner and always will be in your corner, but that is probably not the way to handle it.”
Haley Burton, the press secretary for the mayor’s office, sent a statement from Janeway to the Chattanooga Times Free Press later in the day, in response to a request for comment.
“I take full responsibility for the error in my judgment during today’s meeting and have reached out to all 11 commissioners to apologize personally,” Janeway’s statement said.
Contact Joan McClane at jmcclane@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6601.
Note: This story was updated on Feb. 6 to clarify to whom the term limits would apply.