Image Credit: Hamilton County Pachyderm Club / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
In his Monday talk with Republican organization the Pachyderm Club, Hamilton County mayor Weston Wamp issued a warning against creating a civil service system for county employees.
Wamp said that he hopes county commissioners will reconsider their recent decision to change to civil service, after they unanimously approved it in last Wednesday’s closed meeting. The resolution was introduced by Commissioner David Sharpe of Red Bank who stated that he had heard a number of complaints about a “hostile” work environment in the county.
According to Wamp, civil service was an idea that came from the time of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and first made it to Tennessee in 1939. He believes it is not what is best for the people.
“In modern America, conservative leaders have fought tooth and nail to roll back, if not eliminate altogether, civil service,” Wamp told those in attendance.
He continued, “It – like a lot of government solutions – was well-intentioned. What it has realistically led to is propelled, entrenched, strengthened bureaucracy, and I can certainly say as the chief executive of county government, it sent chills up the spine of our administrators, who go to work every day trying their best to serve this country in a very difficult job market.”
Chris Acuff, assistant professor of public administration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that civil service employees typically have better job protection than political appointees and can only be fired if they have done something wrong.
“Generally, civil service systems were instituted in the United States in the late 19th century to insulate public servants from termination, demotion, or retribution based on political allegiances or a change in executive leadership,” Acuff said.
Wamp also noted that Governor Bill Lee had already decreased civil service in the state and that former President Donald Trump had spoken out against it as well. He believes that civil service leads to corruption in the government and that the county needs to find employees who are qualified for the jobs they are doing.
This comes after the Commission also reinstated the contract of County Attorney Rheubin Taylor who had been fired by Wamp on October 14. Taylor continues to work at the instruction of the commission.
Wamp said he believes that new leadership provides the chance for the county to update many of their policies and procedures.
“The county has been doing a lot of things for a long time because it could cover its tracks. It’s not the right way to go,” Wamp stated.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
