A look at the people, issues and decisions that will shape Chattanooga in 2012

photo Heading into her senior track season, LaQuisha Jackson already has nine individual state championships and is the No. 2-ranked sprinter in the country under the age of 17.

The new year likely will bring new leaders to the fore across Chattanooga's political, entertainment and business stages.

In a year in which county, congressional and presidential elections are scheduled, a city mayoral contest also is set, unless the recall election for Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield is halted in court.

In sports, a local track star could get a boost toward the 2016 Olympics while the winningest basketball coach in the NCAA is trying for another championship, even as she battles Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, UT football coach Derek Dooley struggles to rebuild the Vols program to a winning season.

This year also could prove pivotal for two vexing problems in Chattanooga -- the economy and crime. As the year begins, consumer confidence is beginning to improve and a gang task force is taking shape to study the causes and potential remedies to gang violence.

Chattanooga also is trying to capitalize on its high-speed Internet and new investments by Volkswagen, Amazon and others to cut unemployment after losing nearly 20,000 jobs during the 2008-09 recession.

Chattanooga's biggest hospital is looking for a new CEO amid financial problems severe enough to prompt its board to order furloughs and buyouts and to consider layoffs among its estimated 4,700 employees. And Volkswagen, coming off a successful market and industry launch of its new Passat sedan produced in Chattanooga, will be looking for a site for North American production of its Audi.

1) Ron Littlefield

After seven years on the job, will Ron Littlefield keep his job as Chattanooga's mayor or be recalled and removed from office? If he is removed in August, who will be the next city mayor and what will it mean for the Scenic City?

2) Derek Dooley

The University of Tennessee football coach has an empowered fashion sense -- how about those UT orange pants -- and a law degree. Now, the son of a legendary SEC coach is facing the familiar burn of a hot seat. After a 5-7 record in 2011, including the first loss to Kentucky in 27 years, Dooley is under pressure this year to rebuild the Vols to their former glory. An easier schedule in 2012 will help as he hopes to make the Vols competitive again in the toughest football conference in America.

3) The voter

It's an election year, possibly at the city, county and federal levels in Chattanooga. In Washington on both sides of the partisan divide, President Barack Obama; U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.; and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., are all up for re-election. In August, voters may pick mayors for both Chattanooga and Hamilton County, barring court intervention. Fickle voters upset with their government turned out Republicans from the White House and much of Congress in 2008 only to reverse course in the next congressional election in 2010. In Dalton, Ga., voters may decide on metro government. The White House selection process starts Tuesday in Iowa and comes to Tennessee, Georgia and other states with primary elections on March 6. Tennessee voters also will cast ballots on March 6 for the county primary, on Aug. 2 for the state primary and county general election, and on Nov. 6 for the presidential, state and congressional general elections. Georgia's state primary elections are on July 31, with any runoffs three weeks later.

4) Erlanger's next CEO

Chattanooga's biggest hospital went south of the border in 2011 to take over troubled Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe and ended up with its own troubles. Hurt by the loss of some key physicians and an economy robbing the hospital of enough well-paying patients, Erlanger was bleeding losses as the year ended. The board accepted the resignation of seven-year CEO Jim Brexler. His successor to be picked in 2012 will help guide both Erlanger and Hutcheson as they prepare for health care reform changes.

5) LaQuisha Jackson

If you are going to watch the Howard School of Academics and Technology track star, you had better do it quickly. Heading into her senior track season, Jackson already has nine individual state championships and is the No. 2-ranked sprinter in the country under the age of 17. She has offers from most of the top track programs across the country, looks to qualify for the junior nationals and is a bona fide contender for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

6) The consumer

Will consumers return to buying more homes, cars and other goods to bring the recovery into a more normal pace? The economy is on the mend, but very slowly. The pace of any consumer-led recovery will dictate whether unemployment declines, incomes resume growing, government revenues return and even whom voters will elect this year.

7) Gangs

Gang violence turned some clubs and neighborhoods into shooting galleries at times during 2011. As city and county elected leaders and law enforcement create a new gang task force to focus on the problem, 2012 could be a pivotal year in how the community gets control of gang-inspired shootings and the social forces that give rise to such crimes.

8) The Audi car

Can Chattanooga land a second car plant? Volkswagen, which owns Audi, says it wants a North American assembly plant for Audi by 2015, and local officials say they are eager to supply 1,200 acres reserved for just such a plant next to the $1 billion VW auto plant that started making Passats in 2011.

9) Pat Summitt

The 60-year-old coach of the UT Lady Vols basketball team has won 1,079 games, She is the all-time winningest coach in major NCAA basketball history and has claimed eight national championships. In August, she revealed she had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Despite her battle with Alzheimer's disease, she is still coaching and has a chance for yet another championship season in 2012.

10) Lauren Alaina

It was quite a year for Ringgold, Ga., native Lauren Alaina, who rose to fame with her runner-up finish in "American Idol" season 10 and released her debut album, "Wildflower." Can the 17-year-old self-proclaimed "Georgia peach" turn her fame and country-singing talent into a successful musical career? She's on her way and much will depend upon 2012, which includes an appearance to wrap up this year's Riverbend Festival.

11) The Gig Geek

Chattanooga boasts the fastest Internet service in the land. To capitalize on the gigabit-per-second speed of the Internet links offered by EPB Fiber Optics, a consortium of businesses and local boosters is trying to commercialize the new service by billing the Scenic City as "Gig City" and luring tech entrepreneurs with its "Geek Hunt." Next summer, computer application startup companies will compete for more than $300,000 of prizes and venture capital funding for new ventures that use EPB's smart grid and fiber optic services.

12) Highway 27

A three-year, $102 million rebuild of U.S. Highway 27 from Signal Mountain Road to the Olgiati Bridge ultimately will help traffic flow in Chattanooga, but its construction could tangle the daily commute for many of the 73,000 motorists who traverse the 1.6-mile section every day.

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