Chattanooga’s mayoral election is heading into a runoff on April 13. The election itself took place on March 2, and the main race was between Wade Hinton, Tim Kelly and Kim White. Of the three, Kelly and White will proceed to the run-off election.
The first candidate, Kelly, is a born-and-raised Chattanooga resident who has spent a lot of his career working for non-profit organizations. The three main campaign platforms in the election this year are education, COVID-19 response, and sustainability. For Kelly, his main focus on education is his “Five Core Principles,” which are opportunity, excellence, access, voice and partnership. He wants to focus on key areas, notably quality pre-K, support of Hamilton County schools, community partnerships, and skilled trade schools.
On the topic of COVID-19 response, Kelly has two main points that he wants to start with. The first is establishing a policy director to coordinate with the health department, and the second is to expand COVID-19 testing and access to the vaccine.
In regards to sustainability, Kelly has “Five Core Principles,” namely, localism, governance, employment, education and justice. He plans on focusing on efficiency, waste reduction, public transportation, land use and watershed protection.
White, the second candidate in the run-off, is also a Chattanooga resident. For the past 11 years, she has worked as the CEO of a private business. On the same topics as Kelly, White plans to focus on making up for the harmful impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For education, her website says, “we must provide additional opportunities for our youngest students to make up any ground that they may have lost.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, White has said that her plan is to “focus on safely reopening business and public spaces along with equitable distribution of the vaccine.” She plans to focus a lot of her attention on those who have lost their jobs, housing and education throughout this time.
Her point of view on sustainability is not specific. Her website simply states that she wants to make sure that companies pay attention to air and water quality, alongside further mass public transportation.
Overall, the two candidates worked hard throughout their campaigns, and the people of Chattanooga voted in a very close race. Kelly received 8,562 votes, or 30 % of the votes, and White received 8,289 votes, or 29 % of votes. There was a difference of only 273 votes between the two candidates.
The race is going to a runoff on April 13 because neither candidate received 50% or more of the votes. Early voting runs from March 24 until April 8. Absentee ballots will be accepted through April 6.