Berke family property located off Glass Street and Crutchfield Avenue. The Berke family owns several vacant lots throughout the inner city.
The mayoral candidate known for his clean image and crisp talking points deflected questions Friday about the Berke family’s property holdings in areas of Chattanooga rife with crime and decay.
An opponent revealed last week that the Berke family owns a deteriorated apartment building in a gang-ridden part of Chattanooga, but a subsequent computer search of city records showed that isn’t its only low-rent property.
The father and uncle of Chattanooga mayoral hopeful Andy Berke own about a dozen vacant properties in run-down neighborhoods throughout the Chattanooga area, from a garbage-strewn lot on Glass Street to a vacant Rossville Boulevard property on the south side of the tracks.
Records show that Berke himself owns only his home and a piece of his family’s North Shore legal practice, though as mayor his actions directly could affect the value of his family’s properties.
In response to questions about the properties, Berke campaign officials emailed a statement that underlined the candidate’s commitment “to an ethical, transparent city government.”