Weston Wamp is clearly the most qualified candidate for county mayor. A very successful business leader that brought in a $61,000,000 investment creating jobs in Hamilton County is an example.
Weston also understands the importance of education. Education impacts lives, reduces crime, and Weston has specific strategies and action plans to help take education to the next level.
Governor Lee knew Weston was the right leader and appointed him to head up and lead Tennessee’s 40 community and technical colleges on the Board of Regents, stewarding a $1.45 billion budget. That was obviously more than a political appointment.
Weston is a proven Conservative Republican, and spearheaded a national nonprofit to combat wasteful government spending. Impressive work.
Weston Wamp knows the importance of creating jobs, focusing on and improving education, with new ideas, addressing crime with action plans, and an aging infrastructure. With nearly 65 percent of the county budget going to public education/schools, Weston has his sleeves rolled up and ready from day one.
Weston thinks like you and me. He is committed to term limits and full transparency on his personal investments. He also knows that bond funds can improve schools without raising taxes while interest rates are low.
The other candidates are fine people, but will have a huge learning curve from day one. It isn’t just about how easy it is to get in touch with a candidate. Nor is it about “the school of hard knocks", which obviously Weston is going through, raising four young kids under age eight, and his kids are not in private schools like some candidate's children are. His children are in public schools like most of you.
I will close by saying Weston is an unbelievable dad, husband and person. His kids love him, and he is extremely involved in their lives. Who you elect is important. The Wamp momentum is heading True North, and it just makes sense to elect a leader.
Hank Tiller
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To be clear - Weston Wamp did not bring in an economic development project with a Capital Investment of $61,000,000 to Hamilton County. All economic development work falls to the hard-working economic developers over at the Greater Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
What we do know is that Weston had offices over at the Lamp Post Group and they have an investment fund(s), so raising money from accredited investors (individuals with two years of $200,000+ annual income or married couples with $300,000 annual income, aka - the wealthy elite), may be what you are referencing here. I'd be curious to see how much was raised by Weston not counting the investments of the co-founders listed in PitchBook (an online resource for venture capitalists and startups).
As a partner in the business, he'd have been a minority owner in the venture at best. Now, this hardly qualifies one as an entrepreneur in my book and here's why.
1. I've been a minority partner in several ventures. You lose sleep when you're the main partner with all the risk. Minority partners may not even have to invest capital in the business. Matt Hullander and Sabrena Smedley know what it's like to put your own money in the game and have full responsibility to make things work. I'm skeptical that Weston has had to fight tooth and nail like true entrepreneurs do.
2. A Venture Capital firm has risk, but it's not like they are out scrambling to make payroll. Ted Alling, Alan Davis and Barry Large are listed as the Team Members in PitchBook. These guys are not stressing out over making payroll. They probably had stressful days with Access America - so yeah, they earned their stripes. Cash flow is real when it's your cash that isn't flowing and you've got people to pay and take care of.
Most likely, Lamp Post Group Principals took a portion of their hard-earned profits from the sale of Access America and created a VC firm. This is not an uncommon move. They hired a few people and raised more money to invest. They acquired or invested in logistics and supply chain companies and one other company; Wamp Strategy. PitchBook shows the status of Wamp Strategy as: Out of Business. June, 2013. Other notable local investments include Rhinogram and PriceWaiter.
Education...
The new Hamilton County Mayor will control 64 percent of the education budget. Money equates to power and influence.
I think it's great that Weston's kids attend public schools. My son and step daughter attended the schools they were zoned for (Big Ridge, Hixson Middle, Hixson High). I have a feeling that Weston's kids probably drive right on by Lookout Valley Elementary and head up to Lookout Mountain - a top elementary school in the county.
Here is a direct question for Weston. Please reply.
If elected, are you willing to commit to sending your children to the public school in which your family is zoned for?
- Lookout Valley Elementary. Currently ranks #263/983 on School Digger. This is the school Black Creek residents are zoned for?
- If your kids are not attending this school today, please tell us why this school is not good enough for your kids?
- If elected, do you believe in yourself enough to improve Lookout Valley Elementary?
Regarding the board seat on the Tennessee Board of Regents. Let's be clear. This is an appointed board position. Weston is not single-handedly leading this group or controlling the budget. He also stated in one of his essays that his University of Tennessee education was overrated. If you're sending your kids to UTK, you might be paying too much for an over-rated education. Family connections got him appointed. It's not because he's some miracle worker with deep insight and experience in higher education.
The composition of the Tennessee Board of Regents is set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated 49-8-201. The board consists of 19 members: 12 lay citizens appointed for six-year terms by the governor, with one each from the state's nine congressional districts and three grand divisions; two faculty members from among the system institutions appointed by the governor for a two-year term; one student from among the system institutions appointed by the governor for a one-year term; and four ex-officio members - the Governor of Tennessee, the Commissioner of Education, the Commissioner of Agriculture, and the Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, who is a non-voting member.
The Non-Profit thing. Most of us think of non-profits as charity organizations designed to help people. Then there are political nonprofits like the Millennial Debt Foundation. This group appears to go around to six or so events a year where they have small forums. The events are filmed, edited and posted on youtube. From what I can tell, Millennial business owners are invited to talk about the national debt and what to do about it (complain, cry and vote for our candidates are the calls to action).
Feel free to give your hard-earned money to these folks for more speeches. Then again, you might want to check out the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. This is where anyone can get involved and give money to local folks that need real help.
In summary: Hamilton County does not need a privileged, inexperienced, untested 34-year-old running the county. I sincerely hope that Weston loses this race. I'd love to see what he can do beyond running for political office. It sure seems like winning an election is the only plan he's got and he's been lying in wait for this chance. If you're a wealthy millennial or a Wamp loyalist - we know where your vote is headed.
I'm voting for Matt Hullander.
Tom Wengler, Founder & Managing Partner
Convergence, LLC - Certified HubSpot Partner
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I'm a young baby boomer supporting a seasoned millennial for Hamilton County mayor.
Weston served as founding director at Lamp Post Group working with some of the most successful business ventures in Hamilton County to include Steam Logistics, Dynamo Ventures, Bellhops Moving and Chattanooga Whiskey just to name a few.
Weston made a strong bid for the US House to reclaim the seat his dad held for 16 years. He more than held his own against the incumbent garnering over 49 percent of the vote, falling short by 1 percent of the votes cast.
Weston hosts a podcast called Swamp Stories, "Cash and Corruption in Washington", which demonstrates his exceptional knowledge of not only local but national issues.
Weston was appointed by Governor Bill Lee to the Tennessee Board of Regents which governs the state's 40 community and technical colleges. This opportunity has given him a unique perspective regarding public education.
Weston currently leads a national nonprofit, the Millennial Debt Foundation, which he founded along with other business leaders and a cohort of members of Congress to fight wasteful government spending.
Weston is the son of one of the most popular and influential conservative Republican congressmen in our state. Having spent time knocking on doors with his family, I know his mom and dad are proud parents.
Weston and his wife Shelby are public school parents raising their four children in the Lookout Valley area. They are actively involved in Young Life which is a Christian ministry making a difference in the lives of middle school, high school and college students in all 50 states in the US and many countries abroad.
As his resume shows, Weston's passion for our community and public service didn't start with the announced retirement of Mayor Jim Coppinger who has provided outstanding leadership for over a decade serving with honor and integrity.
I'm impressed with his exceptional resume, but in a time when there's so much negativity, finger pointing, pessimism and anger in our country and community, Weston's optimism, ability to clearly articulate his positions and his calm demeanor is not only refreshing, but necessary to be an effective leader during these challenging times.
Early voting begins Wednesday, April 13. Please consider joining me and my family in support of Weston Wamp for Hamilton County mayor.
Michael S. Kirk