Former city attorney and current mayoral candidate Wade Hinton defended his actions in a settlement with Global Green Lighting that were criticized in a City Council resolution.
The council passed the resolution on Tuesday night that said Mr. Hinton should have alerted them to the settlement and they only found out after a city audit years later.
Mr.
Hinton said, "My job as city attorney was to represent the best interests of the city and taxpayers. The settlement we worked on with the administration saved the city future out-of-pocket expenses in exchange for equipment that for the city was obsolete.
"The transfer of the lights required City Council approval and that was clearly stated in the agreement. I was both surprised and disappointed the approval of the settlement had not taken place after I transitioned from the city. Nonetheless, I’m pleased that the City Council has taken appropriate action by ratifying the agreement.
"Chattanoogans should know that in my first 100 days as your mayor, we will review the controls and process to ensure there are proper safeguards and complete inventories of all city equipment."