Of the people.
This morning, the Hamilton County Election Commission will gather for one of the most important meetings of the year.
At the center of the room, around which the entire meeting orbits, sits one vital document: a petition containing more than 9,000 verified signatures, each one representing a Chattanooga citizen’s wish to recall Mayor Ron Littlefield from office.
Three citizen groups are responsible for the petition. They’re like the civics version of Rocky Balboa: the bloodied underdog, throwing punches not against Apollo Creed but what they see as irresponsible politics.
Their very existence demands we rethink the structure of Chattanooga political power. More Chattanoogans, for example, signed the petition — originally containing more than 15,000 names — than showed up on voting day in the 2009 municipal election.