District 8 City Council candidate Anthony Byrd.Moses Freeman is the third Chattanooga city councilman in three terms to represent residents of the city’s District 8 (after Leamon Pierce and Andraé McGary). It’s a possibility after the March 7 municipal election there could be four in four terms.
The 78-year-old incumbent, who has worked for city government or quasi-city government agencies for the better part of the last 50 years, is being challenged by Anthony Byrd, 41, who works in the office of the Hamilton County Criminal Court clerk, and Tom Kunesh, 60, a teacher, Native American activist and stay-at-home parent.
Residents of the district, which includes the Amnicola, Avondale, Bushtown, Courthouse and Eastside precincts, have seemed uneasy at council forums ahead of the election about Freeman’s leadership. We share their unease and believe the district needs younger and more active leadership.
With that in mind, we are suggesting voters look at Byrd, a high-energy candidate who says he wants to “be the voice for the people” from “Avondale to Eastside to East Chattanooga.”
He believes information relevant to district residents is not currently being effectively communicated to them, but he says if elected he would hold quarterly district meetings and neighborhood meetings to allow residents to be heard.