Three candidates who ran in the District 9 City Council race to replace Debbie Gaines have endorsed J.T. McDaniel, according to a news release.

Mr. McDaniel faces Peter Murphy in the runoff.

Quenston Coleman, Thomas Mott and Jackie Thomas have thrown their support behind Mr. McDaniel in the April 14 runoff election, Mr. Coleman said Friday.

The three received a total of 37 percent of the vote in the March 3 election.

Mr. McDaniel said last week he is honored to have their support.

“It brought a tear to my eye,” he said.

RICO WARNS COUNCIL HOPEFULS

During a Southeast Tennessee Political Action Committee meeting Friday, Councilman Manny Rico twice warned council hopefuls not to muckrake the sitting local government.

District 9 candidates J.T. McDaniel and Peter Murphy talked to the committee about their views. While Mr. McDaniel took questions, Mr. Rico objected at one point when Mr. McDaniel talked about how he saw himself playing a role with the council.

“Please do not give them the impression that the mayor and the council are not doing anything,” Mr. Rico said. “We have a good mayor and a great council.”

He spoke again when Mr. Murphy mentioned setting hours on a specific day.

“This is a full-time job,” Mr. Rico said.

identity crisis

Speaking during Monday’s Pachyderm Club meeting at the Doubletree Hotel downtown, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond apologized if he stared at anyone’s face for too long.

That may be because he thought he recognized them from the sheriff’s office’s “12 Most Wanted” list, he said.

“Sometimes I get faces I know confused with faces I see on the list every day,” the sheriff said.

BENSON WANTS to MOVE ON WITH HERITAGE PROJECT

During City Council committee meetings on Tuesday, Councilman Jack Benson asked if contractors doing work on the second floor of the Heritage House in East Brainerd could move more quickly on the project.

The reason: Hubfest, a community festival that takes place at Heritage Park, would be starting in six weeks, he said. It’s named a piece of public art inside the park.

Upon hearing of Hubfest, Councilwoman Sally Robinson made a slight remark.

“Ohhh....,” she said. “Your public art.”

The crowd in the committee meeting erupted in laughter, while Mr. Benson reddened and sat silent.

Mr. Benson has been a vocal critic of spending money on public art in the past.

MAYOR HITS NATIONAL AIRWAVES

Mayor Ron Littlefield appeared on the Fox Business channel Friday morning with the mayors of Houston, Texas, and Lansing, Mich.

During the program, called “Money for Breakfast,” Mr. Littlefield was asked if the American dream was alive and well in Chattanooga.

“Chattanooga is doing very well. We didn’t reach as high as other cities in the boom, so consequently we haven’t suffered as much in the bust,” he said.

reflecting on a tough economy

Soon after Hamilton County commissioners voted on a new rate structure for camping at Chester Frost Park, Commissioner Greg Beck asked if officials might be able to help others in the community.

“We talked about subsidizing a special group,” he said. “And there are some people out here in our community who need help.”

Mr. Beck noted that thousands of people in the county have filed unemployment claims, hundreds have had homes foreclosed upon and many have been unable to pay property taxes.

“If we can’t help them, at least pray for them,” he said.

Commissioner Curtis Adams agreed that there are people in need.

“There are a lot of people hurting out there,” he said. “I run into them in church and different places.”

Mr. Adams said he was approached by a woman who lost her job and couldn’t pay her rent. He asked if the county had any programs that could help her.

County Human Services Administrator Scott Schoolfield said he would check to see if she qualifies for an emergency assistance program.