Tom Decosimo said he will run as a write in candidate for the Hamilton County School Board.
The move comes after incumbent Kathy Lennon had qualified to run for the District 2 seat, then quickly withdrew.
That left Marco Perez as the only candidate on the ballot.
The Good Government PAC, which Mr. Decomiso leads, called Mr. Perez a "protege" of Ms. Lennon.
Mr. Decosimo said, “I have enthusiastically entered the race as a write-in candidate and will face Marco Perez, protégé of Kathy Lennon. We have a plan to lock in a strong majority of the District 2 votes. We are very confident our strategy will lead to a significant victory at the ballot box.”
He also said, "Today, I am pleased to announce that I have entered the August 6, 2020 race for the Hamilton County District 2 School Board seat. Public service is one of the highest callings and I believe I am uniquely qualified to serve the citizens of District 2 specifically, and Hamilton County generally, on the School Board. Well-educated children, armed with the skills of literacy, math and science, are the key to happy and productive families, an attractive work force, and a healthy and thriving business community. These fundamental skills lead to understanding history, civics, and geography; grammar and literature; science and technology; and the arts. We know that a well-educated populace is a requirement for our representative form of government to survive.
"District 2 is blessed with outstanding students, teachers, and schools; and, very importantly, a high level of parental engagement. We must work to maintain this excellence. Unfortunately, there are students and schools within the county that are in desperate need of attention and improvement. Hamilton County has far too many students who are challenged from the earliest age, who are brought to the schoolhouse door suffering from lack of nutrition, lack of vocabulary, and impacted by significant emotional and physical trauma. We have large numbers of students graduating from high school who are functionally illiterate, and many more who never finish the 12th grade. These issues must be addressed.
"Our schools, entrusted with the lives of 44,000 children, must be operated in an efficient, transparent, and business-like fashion. With a $450 million annual operating budget and immense capital needs, our School Board needs to include more experienced business people who understand financial stewardship. Never again should the School Board present a budget requiring an unjustified $34 million tax increase to fund a social experiment in our public schools.
"Our success in Hamilton County is based on the three-legged stool of family, faith and community; and government and schools. We must have strong families that deliver children ready to learn. We must have strong churches and community organizations that support families. We must have schools that deliver on the promise to educate children.
"I have spent a lifetime preparing for this position. I am a fifth generation and lifelong resident of Signal Mountain. Two of my most formative years were spent at Signal Mountain Junior High School, where I experienced a nurturing learning environment with caring and dedicated teachers. I attended the University of Tennessee where I graduated with a BS in Business Administration - Accounting. I spent 40 years as a partner in the Decosimo CPA firm where I specialized in mergers, acquisitions, business valuation and financing. Today I am the Managing Principal/CEO of Decosimo Corporate Finance, LLC, a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, were we provide investment banking and business valuation services to businesses. I am married to Anita, have two grown children, and attend St. Augustine Catholic Church and the Little Brown Church. I am a strong advocate of giving back to the community having served as a two-term chairman of the United Way Campaign and two-term chairman of Richmont Graduate University and the Chattanooga Bible Institute. I am an avid student of history.
"I believe I can make a positive difference and would consider it an honor and privilege to serve the citizens and schools of District 2 as a member of the Hamilton County School Board."
The Good Government PAC announced its endorsement of 16-year School Board member Rhonda Thurman in District 1, businessman and civic leader Decosimo in District 2. and business women and civic leader Debbi Meyers in District 7 for August’s non-partisan election for seats on the Hamilton County School Board.
Mike McGauley, one of the founders of the PAC and the Good Government Coalition, said, “Last fall we set a goal to elect strong, conservative candidates to the school board, voices that would challenge the status quo on behalf of the conservative majority in Hamilton County.
"In Rhonda, we have a proven public servant and the person with more valuable institutional knowledge about the school system than any person on the board. She stands firm publicly on her conservative beliefs and is not afraid to challenge the administration on behalf of taxpayers."
“Debbi will be a strong addition to the board because she comes with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective to the School Board. She’s a leader, not a follower, and will bring strong guidance to the board.
"Ms. Thurman, who will be opposed by Stephen Vickers, is the longest serving elected official among the nine members of the school board, having been first elected in 2004 and re-elected three times by the voters of District 1. As a consistent conservative she represents the citizens of Soddy-Daisy, Falling Water, Bakewell, Sale Creek and the surrounding mountains in north Hamilton County.
"Ms. Meyers, who will oppose incumbent Joe Wingate, spent 28 years in the private and non-profit sector as a human resource professional working 13 years with a Fortune 500 company. She retired in 2015 and has played an active administrative role in her church. Her husband, Brad, is an engineer at Volkswagen. They have a daughter who teaches in the school system and three grandchildren in Apison Elementary School. District 7 includes the East Brainerd and Apison areas of the county.
“There are currently few board members with strong business backgrounds, which was in full display as the board voted to support the unnecessary $34 million budget increase. With Debbie, Rhonda, and Tom, the taxpayers of Hamilton County will have three board members who will look at issues, like the budget, from a fiscally conservative, business perspective."