County Commissioner Joe Graham said Wednesday he would not go along with an idea by County Mayor Weston Wamp to install a two-term limit for the office of county mayor.
He said the reason Hamilton County government is so well run and has a AAA bond rating is that the major department heads and administrators have longevity.
Commissioner Graham said with term limits "at the fifth or sixth year those administrators are going to start looking around for other jobs."
Also, he said when a county mayor is getting near being termed out "he may not take on that big project."
Commissioner Graham said, "The voters - there's your term limit."
County Mayor Wamp said he had been considering the term limit idea for a lengthy time and had gotten positive feedback about it.
He said it might be achieved through a Private Act of the Tennessee General Assembly and would likely involve a referendum.
County Mayor Wamp said, "This proposal is not a novel one in Tennessee. Term limits of two four-year terms are already in place for the mayor of the City of Chattanooga and the mayors of Knox County, Knoxville, Shelby County, Memphis and Nashville.
"While I intend to serve to the best of my ability for two terms, I believe term limits on the county mayor will ensure accountability, new ideas and transparency in county government for generations to come.”
He said he will "self impose" a limit of two four-year terms on himself.