How the Knoxville City Council races are shaping up for the November election

The Knoxville City Council's two incumbents up for reelection – Lynne Fugate and Amelia Parker – took the top spots in their respective primary races Aug. 29, but both face significant challenges in the general election Nov. 7. Fugate will face Cameron Brooks in at-large Seat A and Parker takes on Tim Hill in at-large Seat C.

All three council seats up for election this cycle are at-large, meaning the councilmembers represent the entire city, not just a portion of it like the six other district-elected members.

In the race for at-large Seat B, newcomer Debbie Helsley finished first by a huge margin and will face challenger R. Bentley Marlow.

Here's a look at who won, what they stand for and how the general election is shaping up.

Knoxville City Council At-Large, Seat A

Incumbent Lynne Fugate paired an emphasis on her role in economic development issues with an impressive bipartisan slate of endorsements to take the top spot in the primary race with 46% of the vote. She will face longtime Knox County Democratic Party leader Cameron Brooks, who won 43% of the vote.

“I am pleased to come in first in a three-way race, but it was a close race and I’ll continue to work hard to win votes going into the general election and hope to come out there and serve the citizens of Knoxville again,” Fugate told Knox News.

Fugate began her first term as Knoxville's At Large Seat A councilperson in 2019 and received endorsements from Mayor Indya Kincannon and former mayors Bill Haslam and Madeline Rogero. She previously served two terms on the Knox County Board of Education.

Brooks, who also served previously as Knox County election commissioner, announced earlier this month he has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And while his campaigning slowed, he remained on the ballot, facing Fugate and fellow challenger Darin Worsham.

Worsham received just shy of 11% of the vote.

Fugate and Brooks will face each other in the general election on Nov. 7. Worsham is eliminated.

Knoxville City Council At-Large, Seat B

A year ago, Debbie Helsley surprised many by taking away a larger-than-expected slice of votes from Glenn Jacobs in the Knox County mayoral race. This time around, she topped R. Bentley Marlow by more than 39% in the primary.

But it won’t matter. Because of the city’s unique voting system, the top two vote-getters move on to the general election on Nov. 7 regardless of how the primary shakes out, and Helsley and Marlow were the only two candidates.

Helsley's campaign themes mirrored her career work as a labor organizer.

Her top priority? Ensuring the city is delivering basic services reliably, such as streetlights, curbside pickup and recycling.

Marlow, a home developer, said he was the most qualified candidate for tackling the city's housing crisis, thanks to his experience, knowledge and background.

Knoxville City Council At-Large, Seat C

Incumbent Amelia Parker finished first in the primary with more than 41% of the vote, setting up a general election contest with developer Tim Hill on Nov. 7.

Parker became the first member of the City Council Movement group, a group she cofounded, to be elected to office four years ago.

"There are a lot of residents of our city want to be heard right now, they have not only just a wish for their city, but they have a real need for their city to really take seriously some of the challenges that we're facing, particularly affordable housing," Parker told Knox News. "And so that's what I'm hearing most is to continue the work that I do, and to continue to uplift these issues that are really important to the residents of our city like affordable housing, like just the affordability of our city in general."

Parker, one of two Black women on the council, spoke about the challenges facing people of color in Knoxville.

"The work absolutely will continue," she said, pointing out a workshop happening Thursday, initiated by her, to address reports of racism, sexism and harassment faced by some Knoxville Police Department officers.

"And so this is a study of our Equal Employment Opportunity program within the city to see what we can strengthen, so that we do not continue to see, particularly with women, and staff who are of color, particularly Black staff, leaving city government because of their work environment."

Hill, president of Hatcher-Hill Properties and chair of the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission, received almost 37% of the vote to finish second.

During his campaign Hill said he is passionate about protecting neighborhoods and communities, serving in a number of roles that promote revitalization and preservation of land.

“We knew that since term limits, an incumbent has never been unseated, but we still wanted to take on that challenge because we knew how important our city was, and we wanted our campaign to be more reflective of the values of our city,” Hill told a group of supporters Aug. 29.

As he cleared the first hurdle of the primary, Hill said his campaign would focus on expanding its message of so-called “Knoxville values” to a broader audience.“Tonight was an interim report card for our campaign, and so it’s gonna tell us how we did,” Hill said. “We’re gonna learn from that and move forward and make sure we expand our message.”

Matthew Best, executive director of the East Knoxville nonprofit Change Center, received 22% of the vote in Tuesday's primary and was eliminated. Best picked up significant endorsements, including former mayor Madeline Rogero and Black leaders such as the Rev. Harold Middlebrook and state Rep. Sam McKenzie.

Best said he was proud of his campaign and humbled by the people who voted for him.

“This doesn’t change anything, in terms of the work I do in the community and the city,” Best said. “My focus turns back to East Knoxville, which is where I am, where I do my work, where I spent my time and where I live. That never changes. Trying to get businesses to invest in East Knoxville is on my agenda.”

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville City Council candidates facing off in the general election