Whichever candidate is elected Hamilton County mayor in next month's general election will become the youngest and most inexperienced mayor since the county switched to a mayor/commission form of government in 1978.
Fortunately, as current Mayor Jim Coppinger told this page just before May's primary election, the various department administrators run the day-to-day operations in most of the work areas, so government inexperience may not seem so glaring.
The election pits 35-year-old Republican Weston Wamp, entrepreneur and son of former U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, against independent paralegal and Army veteran Matt Adams, 26, a Democrat.
We endorse Wamp because his leadership is likely to align more closely to this page's advocacy history of smaller government, family values and fiscal responsibility.
He has a keen interest in the continuing improvement of public education in the county, in workforce readiness and how they work hand in hand with the county's growth and future.
Adams, who once served on the parks and recreation board in Calhoun, Tenn., says his top priority is equitable investment in all county schools. He also is an advocate for the Southside stadium project, which Wamp says needs more study.
In a battle of two inexperienced candidates, we endorse Wamp because his background of education (Tennessee Board of Regents member), fiscal soundness (he heads the Millennial Debt Foundation) and business acumen (he helped co-found a Hamilton County start-up investment fund) give him expertise his opponent can't match.