American Notes TENNESSEE

After 39 years as mayor of Smyrna, Tenn. (pop. 12,000), John Sam Ridley could hardly separate his personal business from the town's. He used his city credit card to visit a daughter in Texas, vacation in Florida and attend the Southern Baptist Convention, claiming that as mayor he was on duty 24 hours a day. He and his brother Knox, a former judge, owned Smyrna's Chevrolet dealership, which serviced cars for the city. A conflict-of-interest suit filed against Sam dragged on for seven years, through two of his re-elections. Then, facing an impending decree from a judge that he leave office, the mayor abruptly resigned this month.

But Smyrna's dynasty survives. The five-member town commission took all of ten minutes to name Brother Knox to fill out the remaining 2 1/2 years of Sam's term. Said Knox: "Sam will be my right arm." Municipal policies will remain unchanged, and voters may not even notice that a new man is in charge: born 20 minutes apart 67 years ago, now with the same type eyeglasses and portly build, Sam and Knox are identical twins.