The man looking to unseat Hamilton County's mayor is criticizing how the county handles its budget and the recent purchase of furniture for the mayor's office.
Richard Ford, an independent, said Republican Mayor Claude Ramsey intentionally is delaying passage of the county budget until after the Aug. 5 election to raise taxes.
He also criticized the county's purchase of nearly $89,000 worth of furniture for the mayor's office, conference room and filing room.
"I think it's a total waste of taxpayer money," Mr. Ford said.
Mr. Ramsey said there is no tax increase planned and said the budget has been delayed so county officials can get a more accurate picture of revenues. It's also not the first time the county has passed a continuation budget, he said.
And he said not all of the furniture is for his personal office because the bid also includes furniture for a conference room and filing room. The furniture is for whoever has the job, he said.
"There's not going to be (a tax increase)," Mr. Ramsey said. "I haven't had any commissioner mention one. I don't know how many more ways you can say it than that."
Louis Wright, the county administrator of finance, recently told the commission the county likely would adopt a budget Aug. 12. He said the budget will not contain any sort of tax increase. He also noted the county adopted a continuation budget last year.
Richard Wilson, a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said Mr. Ford's criticisms probably won't get him anywhere. He said the mayor's office furniture makes up a small percentage of the county's budget, and he said the county is "very good about doing the budget in a timely manner."
"I think that, while there may be a symbolic value to talking about how much office furniture costs ... it's not a significant issue for the county as a whole," he said.
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