(This is the second of 10 essays about why I’m running for County Mayor between now and Primary Day on May 3.)
Through countless conversations across Hamilton County as a candidate for county mayor, I’ve encountered both curiosity and confusion about the role of county mayor. After all, County Mayor Jim Coppinger is the only living person who has served as Hamilton County mayor, and we have not had an open seat race for the position in 28 years. Furthermore, we have *never* had a contested Republican Primary for mayor of Hamilton County.
The vast majority of America’s counties do not have an elected head of county government. County commissions typically nominate one of their own into an executive position or hire a county manager. Only two states use the title “county mayor” in all counties – Tennessee and Hawaii. Arkansas and Texas use the title “county judge,” as Tennessee did prior to 1978.
Over the last eight weeks, I have emphasized that public education makes up 64 percent of the county’s budget and that measurable improvement in our schools will positively impact everything from crime to workforce development to the recruitment of high-paying jobs.
As a father of four, a public school parent and member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, overseeing our state’s largest college system with 40 technical and community colleges, the quality of public education is very personal to me. And, I believe that an education-focused county mayor could profoundly, and permanently, transform public education in Hamilton County for the better.
So what is a “county mayor” in Tennessee? The County Technical Assistance Service, an agency within the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service, says, “The county mayor should have a better picture of the total government operation than any other county official, and should also have the knowledge, information and leadership ability to steer the county in the direction most beneficial to the county’s future.”
Between now and May 3, 2022, I will make the case that modernizing the facilities within our school system, recruiting and retaining great educators and expanding career training are almost undeniably the direction “most beneficial to the county’s future.”
But that brings us back to the CTAS statement that “leadership is the most important responsibility of a county mayor.”
Leadership is the word that should define the first-in-a-generation 2022 campaign for Hamilton County mayor. This kind of leadership is not a part-time job; it is a “seven days a week job,” as County Mayor Coppinger has often told me.
Anyone looking for a clear job description for county mayor will be disappointed because the job itself is poorly defined by state law. “Many of the duties and responsibilities of the county mayor are not specifically addressed in the Tennessee Code,” says CTAS. But CTAS goes on to pivot back to leadership, saying, “the county mayor is expected to provide leadership and direction to the county in most policy areas.”
The mayor is the county’s “fiscal agent” and “chief accounting officer,” solely responsible for creating a budget that exceeds $800 million annually. Considering Hamilton County’s 74 public schools comprise 64 percent of the budget, it’s no surprise that County Mayor Coppinger recently told Doug Daughtery of Hamilton Flourishing in an interview that education is a major focus of his job.
“Public education is one of the things we focus on every day,” said County Mayor Coppinger in response to a question about his priorities as county mayor. “It’s all about relationship building. The county mayor works closely with the superintendent … at the end of the day it is a joint relationship between county general government and the Department of Education."
Hamilton County Schools’ new superintendent, Justin Robertson, will get an eight-month jump start on Hamilton County’s next county mayor when he takes over in January.
With the right leadership in the office of Hamilton County mayor, the “joint relationship” between the county mayor and the superintendent of schools will thrive and lead to an incredible era of career-focused education across our public school system, inspiring hope in our most challenged neighborhoods and earning the confidence of all Hamilton County parents.
But the politics can wait. For now, Merry Christmas from Shelby and I, along with River, Griffin, Aldridge and Smith.
Weston Wamp