A former Chattanooga City Council member is moving into a position in the office of Mayor Tim Kelly, who announced four changes within his senior staff in a news release Monday.
Darrin Ledford, until earlier this month a council representative for the East Brainerd area, is taking up a role as Kelly’s deputy chief of staff, a position that comes with a salary of $146,900.
Ledford served on the City Council from 2017 to 2025. A business owner, he chaired the council for one year of his tenure and led the council’s planning and zoning committee. He was replaced by Cody Harvey, also of East Brainerd, after opting against another run. As a council member, his salary was set at a percentage of the mayor’s pay, amounting to $29,415.
“I have always been fascinated with the operations of city government,” Ledford said in a phone interview. “I’ve spent most of my time trying to find ways to be efficient and to provide the best customer service we can. It’s what I’ve done for nearly 30 years in my private life, private career. And it just seems that this is an opportunity to carry that over to the administration, and hopefully instill some of the lessons I’ve learned from council.”
(READ MORE: Chattanooga City Council member Darrin Ledford not running for reelection)
“I just felt like I didn’t think I was done,” he said.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga City Council member Darrin Ledford not running for reelection)
Chattanooga mayor’s new deputies include former City Council member
Kevin Roig, Kelly’s deputy chief of staff, will also shift positions. He’ll be Kelly’s next chief of staff, a role being vacated by Jermaine Freeman later this week.
Roig has served as deputy chief of staff since January 2024 and previously held a senior adviser role in the administration. His salary will increase from $146,880 to $164,612. Freeman drew the same salary as chief of staff.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga mayor announces personnel changes, including departure of chief of staff)
Nicole Heyman, the city’s chief housing officer, will step in as the city’s chief policy officer. She previously worked in a division of the New Orleans mayor’s office and as vice president of the Center for Community Progress. The salary for her new position will be set at $160,000, up from her current salary of $142,785.
Charita Allen will remain the mayor’s senior adviser for economic and workforce development and will assume new responsibilities within that position. Kelly spokesperson Eric Holl said Allen will take up some economic development issues that were previously handled by Freeman.
She previously worked as director of workforce development for the state of Tennessee, as an economic development consultant and with the city government. With her new responsibilities, her annual pay will go from about $137,000 to $160,000.
The changes follow staffing shifts in the mayor’s office after a set of spring elections brought Kelly a second term to push his One Chattanooga vision for the city, along with four new members to the City Council.
Contact Mariah Franklin at mfranklin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.