Throughout the upcoming campaign for County Mayor, I intend to write a series of ten essays about why I’m running -- ranging from the experiences that have prepared me to serve to the hopes and plans I have for the future of the county. This is the first of those.
Being a parent has taught me that what you’re grateful for, is what you serve.
Those of you raising children, or who have raised children, know where I’m coming from. Nothing matters more to me than the four little ones I tucked into bed tonight before writing this.
Over the next five months, for the first time in nearly 30 years, we’re going to debate and discuss the future of our county and who is best to lead it.
There will be plenty of time to compare the experiences and ideas of different candidates, but on this Thanksgiving 2021, as a way of sharing my heart, here’s what and who I’m grateful for this year:
I’m grateful for my wife, Shelby, who gave birth to our fourth child in May of this year. We once dreamed of a large family and now we live in the perpetual joy, and chaos, of raising four children six and under. She’s not at all political, but she’s a willing partner in the campaign journey to come.
For our four children, three boys and a darling little girl. The oldest is a Hamilton County first grader.
For the legacy of public service I’ve inherited. Not just from my parents, who served our region in what seems like a bygone era of decency and cooperation, but also my grandfather, Don Wamp, an architect, who passionately designed many of our county’s finest elementary schools.
Speaking of elementary schools, I’m grateful for the indelible mark that my teachers at Big Ridge Elementary left on me in six of the most formative years of my life. Some of those teachers are among my greatest encouragers to this day.
For my mentor, David Haskins, and Young Life, the middle school and high school ministry that has changed the lives of thousands of young people in our community like me. Shelby and I now raise money for Young Life and have taken our kids to the same Young Life camps that brought me such joy in my teenage years.
For those in our community who have given so much more than they’ve taken -- and inspired me along the way. Missy and Kelly Simmons of the Forgotten Child Fund and Paula and Joe Smith, foster parents to many and the founders of Y-CAP, come to mind.
For my high school basketball coach, Eddie Salter. A true gentleman -- and the person who instilled grit in me as a short, slow white kid who didn’t have much business playing basketball.
For Hixson, where I was raised; for Ooltewah, where Shelby was raised; for East Ridge, which originally welcomed the Wamp family to this area in the 60s, for Red Bank, where I grew up in church and where my grandparents were the 1957 Homecoming Queen and star quarterback; and to Lookout Valley, where we’ve put down roots.
For all those who have supported my entrepreneurial endeavors, from starting a successful fund to invest in new companies to launching a national nonprofit to advocate for fiscal stewardship in Washington. I have been incredibly fortunate to have had friends and mentors who believed in the big ideas I’ve pursued.
I’m grateful more than ever for the experience of running for Congress in my twenties and losing. Losing, I’ve found, is an important part of life and I’m a better person for having worked tirelessly and come up short. The 45,000 people who voted for me nearly eight years ago gave me the confidence to get back up and do other important work in the years since.
For the deeply rewarding privilege of serving our state’s technical colleges and community colleges on the Tennessee Board of Regents. It’s in our forty colleges that tens of thousands of nurses, EMTs, welders and plumbers are trained every year.
For those whose shoulders we stand on who have put Hamilton County in its best position ever. From Mayor Jim Coppinger, whose lifetime of public service is nearly unmatched, to county leaders like Charlotte Vandergriff and Harold Coker who passed in recent years, our county has a great legacy of servant-minded leadership.
Lastly, I’m grateful for this forum, Chattanoogan.com, for its unique and valuable role in our community. I’ve been an avid reader for well over half of my life. In fact, my second paying job was covering local prep sports for $33 an article for this website when I was 16, 17 and 18 years old.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Weston Wamp
Candidate for Hamilton County Mayor