Chattanooga council interviews three candidates for District 6 interim seat; vote to follow after recess

Chattanooga City Council on Jan. 28 heard five-minute presentations from three applicants for the interim District 6 seat left vacant by the death of Councilwoman Carol Burrs and scheduled nominations and a roll-call vote after a short recess.

The interviews matter because the interim appointee would represent District 6 during a roughly nine-week period before the March election, including ongoing local initiatives such as Midtown Connect and a planned study of the Airport Road area. Applicants answered questions about neighborhood engagement, Midtown Connect’s recent 501(c)(6) designation and efforts to reach marginalized residents.

Jenny Burrs, an applicant and daughter of the late councilwoman, said she applied to “ensure her legacy would carry on” and to continue projects already underway. Burrs described 15 years of community work and roles on the Mayor’s Council for Women and the Family Justice Center, and said she would prioritize accountability, transparency and constituent responsiveness if appointed. “It is essential that for the next 9 weeks, district 6 has a voice and that its concerns are addressed,” she said.

Mark Holland, who identified himself as director of the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga and a longtime nonprofit worker in District 6, told the council he has organized community food programs and entrepreneur education. Holland said the incubator has run 49 community events, passed $120,000 back into entrepreneurs’ pockets and distributed weekly food support. He described efforts to partner with Brainerd and Howard high schools on culinary programs and said he would press developers and city partners to include affordable housing options in new projects.

Jennifer Gregory, who said she works in real estate and has decades of experience in food service and community service, emphasized fiduciary responsibility and said she would prioritize affordable housing, safer neighborhoods and support for small businesses. “People wake up just wanting fair and decent wages, the best education system for their children, and safe neighborhoods and streets,” Gregory said.

Council members asked each candidate identical neighborhood-focused questions. Councilwoman Dotley asked candidates to name the neighborhood association in which they were active; each replied with varying degrees of current involvement. Councilman Electric asked about Midtown Connect and town-hall events that were scheduled for Jan. 17 and Jan. 23; Burrs and Holland described roles in organizing district summits and town halls and noted the group’s recent designation as a 501(c)(6). Holland said he served on Midtown Connect’s executive committee and discussed a $600,000 city grant to study the Airport Road area that Dan Reuter had described at a recent meeting.

Multiple council members asked whether each applicant would remain engaged in District 6 if they lost the March election. Each candidate said they intended to remain active in the community whether or not they were appointed.

Council discussion before the recess included comments about outside communications. Vice Chair Hill said the council had received many emails — some from people outside District 6 — asking the council not to fill the seat; Hill said she preferred a short-term custodian but acknowledged all three applicants were also candidates in the upcoming election. Councilwoman Ledford said 76 days remained until the next elected representative is sworn in and expressed support for filling the seat sooner rather than leaving it vacant.

On other business during the same meeting, administration staff requested deferrals for two agenda items: a set of pilot-policy resolutions and a separate item related to Novonix. The administration asked that the pilot policies be deferred to Feb. 11 and the Novonix item be deferred to March 11 to allow additional work. Council members discussed the requests and acknowledged ongoing staff work on the items.

The council approved procedural minutes for the meeting by unanimous consent with a proper second; there were no objections.

Nominations for the District 6 interim seat were opened under other business; the council recessed for about 30 minutes and said it would return to take nominations and a roll-call vote to fill the seat. The March election will determine the next elected District 6 representative for the full term.

Votes at a glance

• Approval of meeting minutes — Approved (no objections; motion with proper second; minutes to stand as recorded).

• Deferral requests by administration — Pilot policies: deferred to Feb. 11 (administration request); Novonix item: deferred to March 11 (administration request). The council confirmed the requested dates during discussion.