Meeting over Hamilton County attorney transition turns tense

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Earlier this year, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp named attorney Janie Parks Varnell as his pick to replace long term attorney Rheubin Taylor.

After taking office in 2022, Mayor Wamp announced he wanted to replace Taylor, which led to a legal dispute.

A judge ruled in that case Taylor had to be allowed to serve out his contract, which ends on June 30.

The Hamilton County Commission’s legal committee meeting, discussing the county attorney plan on Wednesday.

Despite Varnell being named special advisor in preparation for that transition, it’s been anything but smooth.

Attorney Taylor was visibly upset over a memorandum requested by Commission Chairman Jeff Eversole.

He wanted the Commission’s legal committee to spell out a transition plan for the office.

This led to this back and forth exchange between Taylor and the legal committee’s chairman, Joe Graham.

Taylor: First of all, this memorandum is insulting to everyone on my staff

Graham: I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it to be.

Taylor: It is, because number one, no predecessor coming into the attorney’s office or any other department of county government have never been required to go through these procedures.

Attorney Taylor, who has served as the county attorney for 32 years, says he has been left out of these discussion.

He said, “Mrs. Varnell and I have been talking but this other stuff that we’re laying out, I have not been involved in it, so when I hear the word ‘we’, so I can tell you ‘me’ ain’t in it.”

Varnell said that in her understanding of a February resolution passed by the Commission, that a transition plan should have already been in place.

She said, “I left a career, with the understanding that I would enter into a transition, starting on February 3rd. Then with a July vote, I would be appointed county attorney.

She says that given Taylor’s contract, she’s taken the special advisor and used it to learn about the county attorney role, but says she has faced hostility.

Varnell said, “I have asked to learn from the county attorney, I have asked to learn from his staff. I have asked to be allowed to help him with cases, I have asked to be a resource, and I was denied. To say this ball and it was a late transition is unfair to me, because I’ve tried.”

Some commissioners, including Warren Mackey, challenged the idea that a new attorney had already been picked legally, leading to this exchange between Graham and Mackey.

Graham: What are we assuming?

Mackey: Well, one, you’re assuming that someone is the new county attorney, you assume that. 

Graham: The res-

Macey: You assume that!

Graham: Let me finish.

Mackey: How would you not when you’re ready to vote on this person?

Graham: When you’re done I’ll go ahead.

Mackey: Go ahead.

Graham: Are you done?

Mackey: Answer.

Varnell says she just wants to get to work.

She said, “His staff is leaving, and I need a staff, and I need them to be in place by July 1. Okay? So this is why we came up with this.”

Commissioners indicated they plan to put a resolution at next week’s meeting to formally confirm Varnell as the new County Attorney July 1, so she can begin hiring staff.