Assessor Of Property Bill Bennett Will Not Seek Re-Election

  • Monday, July 27, 2015
Bill Bennett
Bill Bennett

Bill Bennett, a longtime fixture in Hamilton County government, announced Monday that he plans to retire at the end of his current term as assessor of property.

Mr. Bennett said, "After careful thought, prayer and encouragement from my family, I have made the decision to retire at the end of my current term and not place my name on the ballot for assessor of property in the 2016 election.

"First and foremost I would like to thank Marguerite, my wife of 58 years, and our wonderful children Lee Ann, J.B. and Brad and their families for supporting me throughout the 35 years of public service.  I am looking forward to spending my time with my family and especially our granddaughter, Dottie.

"I want to thank all those who helped me so many years ago throughout Hamilton County. I express my deepest gratitude to all those men and women who helped me win every single election. Together we won 10 primary elections and 10 general elections.

"I am thankful to our outstanding staff in the assessor’s office. They have my respect for their commitment, knowledge, and expertise in the job they do each day. They have made our office a model in the state of Tennessee.

"For 14 years, I served on the Hamilton County Commission, serving three terms as chairman.  I thank the county mayor and the County Commission for their support through the years."

The election will be in March.

County Commissioner Marty Haynes from Hixson is expected to be a candidate.

Also expected to run is Sterling Jetton, a former employee of the office.

Another name mentioned is County Commissioner Tim Boyd.

A possible candidate is Jelena Butler, a realtor who ran on the Democratic ticket in the 2012 contest.

Mr. Bennett was one of six boys, along with one girl, born to Ernest and Mary Roberts Bennett on the Cumberland Plateau.

He attended a two-room schoolhouse with grades 1-4 were in one room and grades 5-8 in the other.

The Bennetts moved to Cookeville when Bill was 14, and he played football and basketball for the legendary Eddie Watson.

He studied at Tennessee Tech and, while there, he met Marguerite Cooper of Sparta on a blind date in 1957. He has been married 58 years to the one he refers to as "The Speaker of the House."

He went into the Army for six months, then was in the Reserves for five and a half years. A buddy there told him about Combustion Engineering in Chattanooga. Bill got a job in the engineering department, working there from 1959 to 1986.

He became good friends with Bobby Wood, and they decided to form an insurance company together. They operated Carriage Hill Insurance until 1994. Both got involved in politics, with Bobby having a long career in the state House.

Mr. Bennett became active in several political campaigns and was part of "the Harrison Mafia" that included Claude Ramsey and others.

He was elected to the County Commission in 1980 after Mr. Ramsey moved from the commission to assessor, and he served as chairman three times. At the time he arrived at the County Courthouse, there were only three Republicans in office. He notes, "It was Gary Gerbitz, Claude Ramsey and me."

Though he was the sole GOP representative on the commission, he recalls, "We had a good group that worked together with County Executive Dalton Roberts."

He is proud of his involvement in industrial parks, extending sewers, bringing better fire protection and making ambulance service countywide. He helped get the Little Debbie Parkway built.

After winning five general elections, he again followed Claude Ramsey. When Mr. Ramsey moved to county executive, Bill was named assessor by his fellow commissioners in 1994.

He was statewide Assessor of the Year in 1996 and president of the state association in 1999-2000. He was presented a lifetime achievement award by the state assessors in 2009. Two years later, he was appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to the State Board of Equalization, where he became chairman.

The Bennetts have been active members of Lake Hills Church of Christ for 47 years.

His children include daughter LeeAnn, who is married and lives in Tampa, Fla. She is an executive with Abbott Laboratories. 

Son J.B., who is married to Robin Morrison, serves as judge in Circuit Court.

Another son, Dr. Brad Bennett, has moved to Birmingham after doing research at the University of Virginia. He has accepted a position at Samford University. His wife, Kathleen Pridgen, is a doctor, who earlier served at the University of Virginia Hospital. Brad and Kathleen are the parents of Dorothy Frances.

 

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