To hear Mitt Romney tell it, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is a terrible lout, a real stinker of a guy who has been spectacularly lousy in public office and even worse as a three-time husband. At the same time, Gingrich, who swears he always tells the truth and fancies himself as a noble public servant, wants to convince us that Romney, who has so much money he doesn’t have to “care about poor people,” ain’t fit to apply for a driver’s license, much less drive a car.

So as these two Republican dandies viciously smack each other down at every turn for a chance to run against a seated Democrat who, as America’s 44th President, has spent more of the taxpayers’ money than all 43 of his predecessors combined, it comes as heartening news that Scottie Mayfield has just entered the race to be the next Congressional representative in Tennessee’s Third District.

Mayfield, a 61-year-old business leader from Athens, Tn., is far more than the dairy “mogul,” as some unlearned news reporters have tabbed him. I’ve known of him my whole life, whether watching him as he played basketball as a Baylor boarding student or delighting in his sons when they played for the Red Raiders, too. While I wouldn’t call him a close friend of mine, I have so much respect and admiration for his family I wouldn’t dare buy any milk other than Mayfield’s.

My deal goes back to birth. My family was in the dairy business, too, in the earliest stages of my life, and our large herd of Jerseys was in Sale Creek, just south of Dayton. We would sell Honeymoon milk and churned butter and ice cream, made it our own  creamery, at our grocery stores that were once the Home Stores. The Mayfields, who had a much larger operation in Athens, were beloved by my family and, my goodness, I’ve now known four generations of the gentle and caring family.

So as Scottie becomes what I believe will be a tremendous candidate for office, my heart leaps because the other two Republican front runners are incumbent Chuck Fleischmann and youthful Weston Wamp and I’m looking at such an impressive threesome that today I would have a tough time trying to decide which one will best serve those who I love in the newly-remodeled Third District.

Candidly, I don’t think Chuck has done a bad job in his freshman role. Oh, I would have liked to see more happen – the lock at the Chickamauga Dam, for example, is downright embarrassing – but learning the ropes in Washington with people like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid clogging up the works is admittedly a daunting task. I wish Chuck could escape his lustful image of constantly begging for campaign money, but I’m still eager to hear his promises before the August primary. I could vote for him in a second.

Weston, whose young age and obvious inexperience is in play, is delightfully refreshing and I share his contempt for a stale and snooty Congress that has gotten mired in bipartisan bickering and is now increasingly scorned by the public. He has some great ideas, a sparkling vision and – to again be candid – I’ve enjoyed friendships with his grandfather, his dad and the extended Wamp family my entire life. I could easily vote for Weston right now.

In truth, no one yet knows what Scottie will bring to the race in the way of solutions for a Washington I feel is badly askew. I really believe his values, his character and his principles are solid and that he has a good political footing with cronies like Governor Bill Haslam and Senator Bob Corker. Then there is one more thing: in all the years I have known him and a lot of his friends and many Mayfield employees, I have never heard one disparaging word about Scottie. To me that is huge so, yeah, I could vote for him real easily even though he’s not said anything yet.

On the Democrat side, I’m eager to learn more about Dr. Mary Headrick, a physician out of Union City, and am told Bill Taylor is a good candidate. My problem, which I hope will disappear in the next few months, is that I know so little about these two good people who believe they can also help fix what is broken in our nation’s capital. Believe this, I really want to hear what they have to say.

I keep waiting for some exciting news in the upcoming race for mayor of Chattanooga. Andy Berke, a Democrat who is a state senator, has dropped a hint or two but still has to decide what road he’ll follow. The rumors are gaining traction; there are several good names being bandied about along with some that should never be in public office, so it is still a wait-and-see proposition.

The City Council has a few who need to be voted out, in my way of thinking, and while the County Commission is a bit more stable, I’ll never be happy until we adopt a “home rule” form of government and merge into a progressive and modern system that will better serve all of us.

I can vividly detect an ever-widening chasm between city and county government -- I’ll guarantee you everybody within 50 miles of Market and MLK will suffer unless we confront the dragon and slay it. I think Erlanger Hospital is a good barometer -- the failure of the county and city to properly help subsidize the increasing indigent care is a shameful and loathsome reflection of every politician currently in office.

Ah, but I regress. At least we’ve got a Third District Congressional race where, for the first time in years, I’ll be voting “for” a candidate instead of voting “against” some moron. That’s what every political race should aspire to present to all of the voters and, brother, I’m absolutely delighted it is happening right here. 

royexum@aol.com