The only thing outnumbering Chattanooga’s mayoral candidates this year may be the dollars spent on each vote they will eventually garner next month.
Former auto dealer Tim Kelly loaned his own campaign almost $1.1 million, and with it, as of the beginning of February, had more than $622,000 in cash on hand, dwarfing the war chests of his closest competitors. Former River City Co. President Kim White reported almost $183,000 in campaign funds on hand, and former city attorney and UNUM executive Wade Hinton reported almost $86,000, according to campaign financial disclosures.
This appears to put Kelly in an enviable financial position three weeks before the March 2 election – for a job that pays roughly $172,558 a year.
Through a spokesperson, Kelly said his hefty self-financing was done with deliberate purpose: to avoid any potential influence from outside interests.
In Chattanooga, there are plenty of outside interests. Of course the worry – or beauty – of outside interests is always in the eyes of the beholder.