Weston Wamp
Republican county mayor nominee Weston Wamp is headed for the county mayor office after an election win on Thursday.
Weston Wamp (R) 28,188
Matt Adams (D) 20,494
Mr. Wamp, 35, will take the seat long held by Jim Coppinger, who decided not to seek re-election.
It was the first political try for Mr. Adams, an Avondale resident who was raised on a farm and later served in the military.
The race heated up near the end with the release of emails between Weston Wamp and his father, former Congressman Zach Wamp, and the Chattanooga Lookouts. Mr. Adams said they showed the Wamps turning against the stadium project after Weston Wamp was not given a job he had sought with the local minor league team.
Then, Mr. Adams announced that current County Commission Chairman Sabrena Smedley was considering serving as a senior advisor in a "bi-partisan" administration. County GOP officials said that move was "beyond disturbing."
Mr. Adams offered his congratulations, saying, "Last night, election night, did not go as we had hoped, but we have an obligation as a county to get behind the new administration. I called Mayor-elect Wamp last night to congratulate him on a hard fought campaign. My campaign was always focused on bringing people together and bridging divides that have continued to deepen. I hope and pray that Mr. Wamp has that same focus at the forefront of his mind as he leads this county.
"President Theodore Roosevelt once said ‘To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.’ We must hold all of our leaders accountable to include our county officials. Mr. Wamp can be successful if we do just that.
"I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the nearly twenty one thousand people who put their faith in me to be their next county mayor. That support did not go unnoticed. I am deeply humbled by the outpouring of support from folks across the political spectrum. As my mamaw would say, we went out and did the Lord’s work. As the days and months progress that is exactly what I will continue to do, serve the people of this great county."