Chattanooga City Council Chair Chip Henderson, of Lookout Valley, announced Monday that he plans to run for reelection in March to his seat representing the city’s district 1.
The district encompasses Lookout Valley, Moccasin Bend, Mountain Creek and parts of North Chattanooga and Hixson.
“At a time when our city is dynamically growing, my record proves that I will continue to fight for residents’ quality of life to ensure that we make the right improvements in the right way, avoiding unintended consequences and unnecessary burdens for the people of district 1,” Henderson, who has served on the council since 2013, said in a news release.
The release highlights Henderson’s votes to raise pay for city employees as well as to increase funding for road paving.
(READ MORE: Chip Henderson wins District 1 Council race)
“As a fiscal conservative, I’ve never wavered from my commitment to safeguard the critical services our city provides and protect our way of life,” Henderson said in the release. “District 1 residents expect and deserve the best service at the lowest possible cost, and if residents see fit to reelect me, I will continue to keep our neighborhoods safe, our streets paved and our parks clean.”
He’s lived in Lookout Valley for about 38 years, he said in a phone interview. He came to politics from the private sector, having owned and managed Henderson Construction Co. since the 1990s. In his first race, he competed with three other candidates and won with more than 52% of the vote. He served as vice chair of the council after winning his seat in 2013 and has since been tapped as chair on multiple occasions.
He has three children and seven grandchildren.
“I still have the desire to serve the people in district 1,” he said, adding that he was pleased with progress on projects including city infrastructure, but he hoped to see several others past the finish line as a council member. Getting water to Raccoon Mountain is one of his priorities for district 1, he said.
“City residents are on well water, or they’re having to haul their own water,” he said. Multiple agencies are involved in addressing the situation, he said.
(READ MORE: Frazier Avenue lanes reduced, pedestrians optimistic for safety)
Henderson said he focused on infrastructure issues — the condition of Chattanooga’s roads, specifically — for much of his time on the council. In 2024, he said, homelessness and affordable housing are beginning to supplant infrastructure among the top problems facing Chattanooga as a whole.
“It seems to be more pronounced now than when I first took office,” he said. “It’s really an issue that’s difficult to tackle.” The search for solutions is still in the early stages, he said, adding, “You don’t solve problems unless you’re talking about them, discussing them.
“You have to take stock of what you have,” he said.
Chattanooga will hold elections to city offices March 4.
Contact Mariah Franklin at mfranklin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.