Race for Amelia Parker's City Council seat shaping up as competitive | Georgiana Vines

Monday is the first day for candidates for mayor, four City Council positions and city judge to pick up qualifying petitions for this year’s elections at the Knox County Election Commission offices, with the political talk around council candidates right now centering on the at-large seat held by Amelia Parker.

Parker is in her first term in Seat C, having won four years ago as an active founding member of Black Lives Matter Knoxville and the Knoxville City Council Movement over Amy Midas, a community activist in the Bearden area and a financial analyst.

Parker has not supported some of Mayor Indya Kincannon’s major projects, including the Tennessee Smokies Stadium or infrastructure improvements for the area, which supporters said were needed for the success of the baseball complex. She also has been critical of the way programs are run, especially the city’s treatment of the homeless.

She already has drawn two opponents should she choose to seek another term — Matthew Best, executive director of the Change Center, and Tim Hill, real estate developer and chairman of Knoxville-Knox County Planning.

Kincannon has contributed $250 each to their campaigns, financial disclosures filed through January show. Candidates often name treasurers so they can raise money before they can pick up petitions to seek the office.

Hill has raised substantial money and had $128,535 on hand in reports filed through Jan. 31. Among $1,600 contributors was Bill Haslam, former Tennessee governor and Knoxville mayor. City Council member Lynne Fugate, running for reelection to at-large Seat A, contributed $500, and County Commissioner Terry Hill donated $300. Managing Hill’s campaign is Pavlis Public Strategies, run by former Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis.

Real estate developer Phil Lawson contributed $1,600 to each of the campaigns of Best and Hill.

Best reported raising $3,245 in the disclosure filed for the reporting period of Nov. 23-Jan. 15, with a balance of $1,470 after expenses. Former Mayor Madeline Rogero also contributed $250 to Best. The Change Center that Best directs provides first-job opportunities for high school students and serves as a safe space for youth and young adults to find fun and recreation.

Parker’s latest disclosure shows she had $1,593 in January after raising $1,275 that month. Her expenses include $18 for ActBlue, software used by left-leaning, progressive groups and Democratic candidates to raise money online.

Knoxville government’s elections are nonpartisan, although candidates often have party leanings.

Kincannon is running for reelection for a second four-term. The other council positions open are those of Councilwoman Janet Testerman, representing at-large Seat B, and Charles Thomas, representing the 5th District. John Rosson is a longtime city judge running for his 10th four-year term who circulates at both Democratic and Republican events.

Those who have appointed treasurers to raise money for mayor include former Fraternal Order of Police President Keith Lyon, who recently lost a race to become chairman of the Knox County Republican Party, and Constance Every, who was among those arrested at a County Commission meeting in April 2021 after demonstrating for police reform after a Knoxville police officer shot and killed Anthony Thompson Jr., 17, inside his high school.

Realtor Cameron Brooks, a former Democratic election commissioner and county party chairman, is running against Fugate for seat A. Debbie Helsley, Democratic nominee for Knox County mayor in 2022 who did well inside the city, is seeking the City Council at-large Seat B held by Testerman.

Neither Testerman nor Parker could be reached Friday to determine their plans to seek reelection.

The city primary is Aug. 29 with the general election on Nov. 7.

∎ CITY ELECTION CHANGE COMING? Proposed legislation in Nashville would change the way the city general elections would be held, if passed by both houses, but Knoxville Vice Mayor Andrew Roberto is hoping it can be stopped.

Compass reported last week that state Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, has agreed to sponsor a bill changing the way Knoxville district elections are held after Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, declined to move the bill. Briggs said he would move the bill only if it was determined the process was unconstitutional. The House bill, which passed 73-20, is sponsored by state Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville.

In the city at present, candidates for district seats run in districts in the primary but are elected citywide in the general election. The bill would change the district races to be held only in districts in the general election with at-large positions unaffected.

Roberto said six council members discussed the proposed legislation on March 1 in Nashville with seven members of the Knox County legislative delegation. In addition, he said Thursday he is attempting to have a special meeting of City Council on Wednesday to pass a resolution asking the legislature to keep the current election system in place.

The bill is expected to be put on the calendar for consideration by the Senate State and Local Government Committee this week. If it passes, is signed by the governor and is not challenged in the courts, only the 5th District would be affected this year.

Knoxville’s city election system was approved as a City Charter amendment in 1968 and went into effect in 1969. Columnist Theotis Robinson Jr. wrote about the process in the News Sentinel in 2017, pointing out it was done to ensure the election of an African American representative for the 6th District, which basically covers East Knoxville and parts of the inner city. Robinson was the first Black Knoxvillian elected to the 6th District under the new system.

The thinking at the time, under guidance from the Municipal Technical Advisory Service, was that candidates and then council members would think about issues at the city versus district level if elected citywide. The decision also was made to have city elections in off years from state and national elections so issues could remain focused on the city. The present election process for at-large seats is a little different than in the original plan but is the only part of the system to have been changed through the years.

Roberto said the other council members able to meet on the hill with Knox County lawmakers were Tommy Smith, Seema Singh, Lauren Rider, Charles Thomas and Lynne Fugate. Council members Gwen McKenzie, Janet Testerman and Amelia Parker all had conflicts, he said. Legislators attending a luncheon sponsored by council members were Sens. Briggs and Becky Massey and Reps. Davis, Dave Wright and Justin Lafferty, all Republicans, and Reps. Sam McKenzie and Gloria Johnson, Democrats.

Georgiana Vines is retired News Sentinel associate editor. She may be reached at gvpolitics@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Georgiana Vines: Race for Amelia Parker's council seat is competitive