A trend towards nepotism is a noticeable – and not very attractive – element in this year’s Hamilton County GOP primary races. More than 240 years ago, the colonies threw off the idea of a divine monarchy established on the basis of blood relations rather than meritocracy. Indeed, a comparatively youthful America rose to worldwide prominence mostly on the basis that anyone who worked hard enough and long enough could step up the ladder of opportunity to greater success based on their individual ambition, ability and proven expertise. That ladder of opportunity elevated the prosperity of millions of Americans for more than two centuries.
Unfortunately, money talks, particularly in politics, and the money this year in particular seems to be attracted more by family ties than earned merit. Now old money has influenced, if not dominated, Chattanooga and Hamilton County politics for generations. Well-known families on Lookout and Signal mountains frequently have had a strong say regarding our political leadership and local government officeholders. Such has long been the way of the world. Whether that has worked well for the greater benefit of most if not all Hamilton County residents over the years is for each voter to decide.
But for a political party that ostensibly prides itself as the party of opportunity, the dual appearances of Wamps, Hullanders and Heltons on the May Republican primary ballot are a bit jarring to say the least. It doesn’t take a cynic to believe that those individuals, foundations and institutions financing these campaigns (including a fair amount from outside Hamilton County) believe they are “investing” in politicians they believe they can control for their own personal or business purposes.
That is not to say that some of these candidates representing these families don’t have qualifications to be among the candidates for the posts for which they are running. Bill Hullander has proven to be an effective trustee who runs an efficient office with a good customer service record. His son Matt, a county mayoral candidate, capably ran and grew the family business for years before selling it last year. Coty Wamp is young for a DA candidate, but has proven to be a very capable attorney and made the right call regarding a wrongly-accused man in Soddy Daisy while promising to more stringently prosecute criminal cases that seemed to have been overlooked or dropped by the current DA. Brother Weston Wamp is a well-spoken venture capitalist who has run a national foundation to reduce our national debt and is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents. Esther Helton represents Tennessee House District 30 in the state legislature and her son Lee runs a construction company and is running for the Hamilton County Commission for District 7.
That said, surely the Hamilton County GOP is capable of attracting or encouraging a more diverse collection of potential officeholders than some of the above family-business candidacies suggest. While Bill Hullander has proven himself an effective public servant over time, son Matt – with no public office track record - has leveraged the sale of the family business into at least three real estate and land development businesses. Considering the hot topic about the proper development of northern Hamilton County for area residents, does this not suggest potential conflicts of interest – not to mention an additional conflict if he is elected county mayor and his father serves as trustee? Shouldn’t that bother voters?
While Weston Wamp’s father, Zach, served in Congress for several terms as the 3rd District representative to the U.S. House, his son has less of a track record to recommend for public office than the other two mayoral candidates, including Sabrena Smedley, who has ably served two terms on the Hamilton County Commission as District 7 representative. Considering Weston’s focus on education, it seems he would have been better served (as would his district) if he had run for a school board seat or even the County Commission, which each have a greater influence on local education than the mayor. Again, the potential of a county mayor being brother to the DA is a conflict of interest that should be avoided from the start.
Which brings up the Heltons. Esther has served as District 30 representative in the Tennessee legislature since November 2018. With son Lee now a candidate for County Commission, does it not seem that the HC GOP is following a “family business” model of recruiting candidates for public office a bit much? Is Lee running so he can be prepared to take over his mother’s “seat” when she steps down? Perhaps that question is a wee bit insensitive, but it certainly is legitimate.
With more than 200,000 registered voters in Hamilton County and nearly 70,000 registered Republicans, you would think the chances of seeing one or maybe two instances of family ties on the same ballot would be rare. But to find three? How many generations does it take a family to serve in government offices before its members start to feel entitled to an “elected” position?
Of course, taking advantage of family name recognition is a convenient and practical approach for candidates for public office. And it’s fair for these candidates to seek the public offices they are seeking – they stepped up when others didn’t. But shouldn’t the party of opportunity do more to encourage other qualified candidates to seek public office, and encourage their leading donors to do the same? Voters only have so many choices, but ultimately have no one to blame but themselves if nepotism proliferates.
Brendan Jennings
Birchwood