Anthony Sammons was the kind of child who would look at a contraption like a camera and want to take it apart and put it back together.
That innate curiosity for how things worked — and a love for people and problem-solving — spurred him to take a job with the city of Chattanooga, where he has been for almost 17 years. Most recently the administrator for the Department of Community Development, Sammons has accepted a new role in Mayor Tim Kelly’s office as chief equity officer.
“Residents in Chattanooga have always stated that there’s truly two Chattanoogas, those that have, and those that have not,” Sammons said in an interview Wednesday — his first full day on the job. “I have lived that. As a child … we were not a family with a great means of income, but we were strong — in not only our faith. We had a strong family, and we helped support one another. What resources one family would have was shared with the family next door.”
The Chattanooga City Council unanimously approved Sammons’ appointment Tuesday. He succeeded Tamara Steward, who stepped down in February after a year in the post.
Closing socioeconomic gaps has been a stated goal of Kelly’s tenure. In May 2022, Kelly’s administration released a set of policy priorities called the One Chattanooga plan, centering on addressing disparities in the city.