NASHVILLE - Hamilton County's state legislators on Monday presented a resolution honoring the late Bill Bennett, who served 22 years as the county's property assessor and before that as a county commissioner.
Bennett, who spent 36 years in elected office, died in December at age 82.
The resolution notes that Bennett, as a county commissioner, was a key figure in implementing the county's ambulance service system and also worked to improve fire protection services and helped guide development of county industrial parks, as well as the Little Debbie Parkway.
Amiable with a sharp sense of humor, Bennett was among a group of Hamilton County Republicans dubbed the "Harrison Mafia" who won elective offices. The list includes former Rep. Bobby Wood, R-Harrison, and Bennett's predecessor as property assessor, the late Claude Ramsey, who rose to become county mayor and later served as a top aide to then-Gov. Bill Haslam.
Bennett is survived by his wife of more than 61 years, Marguerite, whom he fondly referred to as "The Speaker of the House."
First elected to the county commission in 1980, Bennett continued to serve in that role, sometimes as commission chairman, for 14 years until he was appointed in 1994 to fill the property assessor vacancy. He won five elections and continued serving until deciding not to seek re-election in 2016.
He was appointed to the State Board of Equalization by then-Gov. Bill Haslam and later became its chairman.
Before entering politics, Bennett served in the United States Army Reserve and was a sportswriter for The Chattanooga Times.
State Rep. Esther Helton, R-East Ridge, read the resolution on the floor of the state House with Bennett family members present. The joint resolution was co-sponsored by Reps. Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain; Robin Smith, R-Hixson; Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga; Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah; and Sens. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and Bo Watson, R-Hixson.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550.