In a crowded seven-person race for two city council seats in East Ridge, three candidates have taken an early lead in the election.
Esther Helton, a licensed practical nurse is on top of the pile with 1,569 votes after early and absentee votes.
Closely following her are Jim Bethune with 1,147 and Brian Williams with 1,141. Bethune is a retired general manager from the automotive industry and Williams is a business analyst for Quanta Services.