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Article published Jan 8, 2009 Huddleston nominated for County Commission seat
By Joel Davis of The Daily Times Staff
Dale Huddleston, an environmental manager with ALCOA Inc., has been nominated to succeed Robert Ramsey as 5th District County Commissioner.
Commissioner Bob Proffitt, who also represents the 5th District, announced the nomination on Wednesday. Traditionally, the recommendation for a replacement is made by the fellow commissioner in that district, but the commission is accepting resumes from other interested candidates as well.
Proffitt said that Huddleston would make a good commissioner.
“One thing is the fact that he has been so active in the community, particularly in civic activities,” he said. “I feel he has the interest in the county, particularly in the environmental arena, that would be meaningful and make him a very helpful member of the commission. He is a good communicator, and he is one that would encourage more competent people to go into public service and run for public office.”
The County Commission will vote on Ramsey’s replacement on Jan. 15. It takes a simple majority vote for the commission to approve a replacement. If appointed, Huddleston would serve until 2010 when the seat would be up for election.
Huddleston, 56, is a Maryville resident. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Purdue University. He has been employed by ALCOA for 33 years. Among his civic activities, Huddleston has served on the Little River Watershed Association Board of Directors, as a past chairman of the Blount County Red Cross and served on the Blount County Community Health Initiative Environmental Health Action Team.
“I have experience in management and working with people,” Huddleston said. “I think I would be a very good listener. I would evaluate issues in pretty good detail. I want to make the best decisions for the interests of the whole community.”
This would be Huddleston’s first foray into politics. He is a Republican. Proffitt, one of the three Democrats on the County Commission, said that he did not make his nomination based on political affiliation.
“We never discussed party,” Proffitt said. “Getting people to run for public office has always been somewhat difficult. Sometimes very competent people don’t want to deal with conflict that is going to occur from time to time. I feel his views are somewhat central politically. He will be the first nomination, and there will likely be others. It’s up to the commission. It’s their choice.”
Tuesday was Robert Ramsey’s last day as a county commissioner. He resigned after winning the 20th District State House of Representatives seat in the November election. He will be sworn in to the Tennessee General Assembly on Tuesday. Commission Chairman Steve Samples previously said the County Commission would follow the same procedures in replacing Ramsey as it did in September, when it chose Assistant District Attorney General Robert L. Headrick to succeed David Duggan as the new General Sessions Court judge. The commission accepted resumes from interested individuals before the meeting and allowed them to talk about their qualifications before making a decision.