As Chattanooga City Council District 8 representative Andrae McGary embarks on his campaign to win the 10th District Tennessee Senate seat, he said he isn’t leaving behind the concerns of his current constituents; he’s taking them with him.
“These four years have been the absolute best four years of my life,” he said of his city council term. “Like a lot of other districts, District 8 is a wonderful blend of business and community. That wonderful mixture has allowed me to be more balanced as a politician.”
McGary said he’s used to listening to a diverse set of needs and is ready to represent that diversity in Nashville. The Orchard Knob resident is a former talk show host and represents a City Council district that includes both big business like BlueCross BlueShield and many low-income minority residents.
With the primary election Aug. 2 and the general election in November, he will remain on Chattanooga’s City Council through the end of the year, even if he is elected as senator. If he takes office as senator, the council will appoint his replacement through the end of his term. If he is not elected, McGary said he will remain on the council through March 2013 but does not plan to run for re-election.
“After much prayer and consideration, I feel like I have the opportunity for the biggest impact on state and federal matters,” said McGary. “Jobs, education and health care are the issues I’m running on, and none of those are local matters.”