Ahead of a Hamilton County Election Commission hearing scheduled for Wednesday to resolve outstanding residency issues before the March 2 election, Michele Peterson has decided to withdraw from the Chattanooga mayoral race to back competitor Wade Hinton.
Her residency in the city – and therefore her eligibility to run – was questioned last month. The local businesswoman said Tuesday that she will end her candidacy Wednesday morning, a decision she says is unrelated.
(READ MORE: Third Chattanooga municipal candidate appears to have residency issue)
“I think that it’s important right now that our city sends a message. And I believe that Wade brings a lot more of government experience to the table with an ever-changing tide for government involvement in the city as we come out of COVID,” Peterson said of the former city attorney’s experience. “And I believe that I’m not quite prepared to have those discussions.
“And I believe someone who has government experience like Wade Hinton makes the most amount of sense.”