Fresh faces will fill out the new Council
by Brian Conley
In conjunction with this fall's race for city mayor, City Council elections will complete the reconstitution of that nine-member body. Brought on by the imposition of term limits, five seats changed hands in the last election two years ago, and this year four more veteran Council members are being term-limited out of office.
The four new Council members who get elected in November will bring fresh ideas and leadership to city government at a most challenging time. Severe budgetary constraints and pivotal downtown redevelopment decisions head the list of issues that will immediately confront them. For the longer term, however, candidates should be judged not only by their stances on these issues but also by the ways in which they would seek to make the city's decision-making processes more inclusive.
The four races on the Sept. 30 ballot (early voting started yesterday) are council's three at-large seats and one of its six district seats. Voting for the at-large seats will be city wide while only residents of council's North Knoxville District 5 can cast ballots in that race. The top two finishers in each of these primaries will then face off again in a citywide general election on Nov. 4.
The District 5 race pits Bob Becker against Tim Wheeler. Becker, whose platform includes a commitment to move the Public Forum to the start of Council meetings "so that citizens can be heard before decisions are made," stresses that he will be a champion of the public participation process. Wheeler, who is the deputy clerk of the Circuit, General Sessions, Child Support and Juvenile Courts, says he will focus on neighborhood safety and traffic concerns, downtown revitalization and economic development. While both candidates have the potential to be excellent councilmen, MP's endorsement goes to Wheeler.
The At-Large Seat A race will be chiefly contested by Joe Bailey, Hubert Smith and Charles Thomas. Bailey is the heavy favorite because of the broad base of support he built two years ago when he narrowly lost a previous bid for Council to Barbara Pelot. While his detractors characterize Bailey as a "developer-backed candidate," Bailey contends that "neighborhoods are our greatest asset and we need to maintain their integrity." However, the cornerstone of his campaign is economic development. In Bailey's view, this starts with downtown revitalization. Bailey champions realizing the potential of the city's new convention center to draw visitors to Knoxville, thus raising revenue, and support for a new downtown cinema that will spur more investment in our center city.
Both Smith and Thomas are worthy opponents and their platforms, which—among other things—stress alternative transportation needs and urban sprawl prevention, are not without merit, but MP's endorsement goes to Bailey, as I believe, at present, his priorities take precedent.
At-Large Seat B has Chris Woodhull running against long-time former councilwoman Jean Teague. During her tenure, Teague was an outstanding neighborhood advocate and, if elected, her experience could be of value to a Council made up of relative political novices. However, as a proponent of term limits, MP's endorsement goes to Woodhull, who would bring much needed diversity and consensus-building skills to Council. As a resident of Mechanicsville and executive director of Tribe One, Woodhull has a center-city orientation. His commitment to mentoring troubled African-American teens indicates that his heart is in the right place, and his commitment to downtown redevelopment and advocacy of more inclusive decision making speak well of his intellect.
Marilyn Roddy is the prohibitive favorite for At-Large Seat C. Roddy has raised more money than any other candidate for Council and, while her two opponents, Mostafa Alsharif and Nick Ciparro, are also campaigning for the seat, Roddy has run an efficient, hardworking campaign that bodes well for her leadership capabilities. At a recent candidates' forum, her critique of the performance of various city departments was outstanding.
Roddy's campaign themes mirror those of her competition—which include stronger and safer neighborhoods, bringing new jobs and businesses to the community and downtown revitalization—but she seems the most likely to strive for a healthy equilibrium that effectively balances our city's commercial and residential interests. Her experience as president of the Sequoyah School PTA and as a member of the boards of the City Ballet and Ijams Nature Center attest to her educational, cultural and environmental interests. For these reasons, MP's endorsement goes to Roddy.
Brian Conley is also president of Cardinal Construction Company, the general contractor in charge of the Phase I construction of the Market Square redevelopment project.
September 11, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 37
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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