District 8 City Council candidate Anthony Byrd.Moses Freeman is the third Chattanooga city councilman in three terms to represent residents of the city's District 8 (after Leamon Pierce and Andraé McGary). It's a possibility after the March 7 municipal election there could be four in four terms.
The 78-year-old incumbent, who has worked for city government or quasi-city government agencies for the better part of the last 50 years, is being challenged by Anthony Byrd, 41, who works in the office of the Hamilton County Criminal Court clerk, and Tom Kunesh, 60, a teacher, Native American activist and stay-at-home parent.
Residents of the district, which includes the Amnicola, Avondale, Bushtown, Courthouse and Eastside precincts, have seemed uneasy at council forums ahead of the election about Freeman's leadership. We share their unease and believe the district needs younger and more active leadership.
With that in mind, we are suggesting voters look at Byrd, a high-energy candidate who says he wants to "be the voice for the people" from "Avondale to Eastside to East Chattanooga."
He believes information relevant to district residents is not currently being effectively communicated to them, but he says if elected he would hold quarterly district meetings and neighborhood meetings to allow residents to be heard.
"Things change," Byrd says, "but no one is listening to [residents'] cries. You've got to let people come sit at the table."
His agenda as councilman, he says, will be the agenda of his constituents.
Specifically, Byrd says, some neighborhoods are feeling the pinch of gentrification and residents being pushed out. Instead, he says neighborhoods should see "revitalization without gentrification." The improvements on East Main Street and East Martin Luther King Boulevard are wonderful, he says, but how about some love for those in other parts of District 8?
He also wants to see "great teachers to teach our babies" in early childhood centers and additional incentives for residents to buy homes.
Byrd says the city's Violence Reduction Initiative (VRI) hasn't "worked at all." What he'd push for, he says, is more programming at the Youth Family Development centers and more opportunities for children and youth, before they become attracted by gangs, to hear from inspirational and successful people in the community so they understand a different road is available for them to take.
Freeman, at a recent council forum, said flatly VRI "does work" and has "stop[ped] individuals from committing crime." We would say it has stopped some individuals, but the fact most other council members have admitted the program has not been the success the city hoped it would be lends us to believe the incumbent is a bit out of touch.
Freeman also says he would like to see the city get back in the school business, something we can't envision and something we don't believe would be very popular with voters.
Kunesh believes the city needs more independent voices, should concentrate on the crime "pipeline" rather than the crime "end-game," needs to preserve what is left of the Citico mound archaeological site from development, ought to pay city employees $15 an hour and should generally reduce inequality.
We believe Byrd can be a more active and engaged representative for the district and ask that voters consider his candidacy.