County Mayor Weston Wamp on Thursday told members of the Rotary Club that he wants to see a new high school built near downtown Chattanooga.
He said it has been since the 1960s that one was built.
The county mayor said the school would have both a college and career preparatory program.
County Mayor Wamp also spoke about the surging Latino population in Hamilton County, saying it has seen an 83 percent growth.
He called it "an overwhelmingly positive trend," and said citizens "both white and black" should embrace them.
He told club members that county government "had been controlled for the past hundred years by a very small group" until his recent election. He said, "It was the first competitive race for county mayor we have ever had."
Speaking against "careerism", he said he hopes to serve this four-year term, then a second term, "but no more after that."
County Mayor Wamp said, "A county government steeped in tradition can protect the status quo and can thwart excellence if we're not careful."
He hit the attitude of "that's the way it has been done for 29 years."
Concerning McDonald Farm, he said its focus may not be as an industrial park. He mentioned its use as parkland, a unique recreational area, for residential development, "and, I hope, Sale Creek's first modern restaurant."
Concerning his legal battle with County Attorney Rheubin Taylor, he said his transition team was highly impressed by most county staffers, but felt attorney Taylor should step down.
County Mayor Wamp said, "I thought he was ready to retire and I asked him to retire." Instead, attorney Taylor vowed to stay on through the end of his contract in 2024.
He bragged on Finance Director Lee Brouner and Public Works Administrator Todd Leamon, but said attorney Taylor "doesn't do a very good job."