Mayoral candidates Andy Berke, left, David Crockett, Larry Grohn and Chris Long listen to moderator Edna Varner at the outset of a forum in January at the Greater Tucker Missionary Baptist Church on N. Moore Road in Brainerd. The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Chattanooga Chapter, INC. sponsored the event.
The four candidates for Chattanooga mayor clashed over a variety of issues on Friday night during a forum at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Everything from infrastructure to crime was on the table for the candidates, who sat side-by-side on stage fielding questions submitted by students and the audience.
Incumbent Mayor Andy Berke largely defended the work his administration has done over the last four years, opening his statements by saying he wanted to continue eliminating barriers to education and jobs for all residents, but he also asserted his confidence in the city's future.
"We've seen certainly over the last four years tremendous progress toward that vision," he said. "I'm more optimistic than ever about what we can do."
Larry Grohn, a sitting city councilman who represents District 4, launched a series of broadsides against Berke, claiming his administration had failed Chattanoogans on a number of fronts.
"There's no transparency, there's no accountability, and those things need to change," he said.
One of his first attacks on Berke was a claim that the current administration has underfunded infrastructure repair projects throughout the city and had prioritized districts represented by people who voted in line with Berke's agenda.
"Last year the city had 32 paving projects. Ten went to District 7. Nine went to 5 and five went to District 2. All individuals who vote how the mayor wants," Grohn said. "Yet the city council wants those projects spread evenly throughout the city."
He also criticized the administration over the level of urban decay in the city, as well as its handling of gang violence, particularly in light of months of controversy last year about the effectiveness of Berke's anti-crime plan, the Violence Reduction Initiative.
"This administration has been attacking a symptom of the violence instead of the source of the violence," he said.
Berke responded to Grohn's litany of charges with measured answers, saying the issues are enormously complex and that, while the city has made progress, it remains important to be clear-eyed and realistic about what can be done.
"We've had a lot of facts thrown out here that aren't entirely accurate," Berke said in response to Grohn's claims about infrastructure. "There are needs all over the city. We understand that and we know that there is going to be, in every district, people who want more done."
Concerning gang violence, Berke recognized the importance of the issue and said steps are being taken to make streets safer, including hiring more officers and working with a unit dedicated to getting illegal guns out of the hands of criminal offenders.
"We didn't get into this problem overnight, we're not going to get out of this problem overnight," he said.
The other two candidates, David Crockett, a former three-time city councilman, and Chris Long, an architectural consultant, supplied visions for the city that were less specific than those of their competitors, but both knuckled down on what they saw as key issues.
Crockett argued for the need to develop environmentally sustainable infrastructure and economic policies in the city, and he repeatedly reminded the audience of his support for a light rail system.
"With every decision, every dollar, we will improve the environment, improve the economy, and improve the education system and improve equity," he said. "We will be known for being a city of imagination and connection."
For his part, Long said he wanted to create an "even playing field" for all Chattanoogans.
"We've got to take care of the 60 percent that's been left behind," he said, speaking about the extreme economic and social inequalities he sees in the city. "Unless we address the other 60 percent of Chattanooga, this crime is not going to go away."
Long also asserted that the city is extremely unfriendly to small businesses and claimed that the issue of homelessness was an "easy fix" that required the construction of a single facility where homeless advocacy groups could coordinate resources.
Contact staff writer at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.