Jeff Davis of Hixson will be the next chair of the Chattanooga City Council after he was narrowly elected by his peers — the first nonunanimous vote for chair in several years.
The council voted 5-4 in favor of Davis over council member Marvene Noel of Orchard Knob, who has served as vice chair for the past year. Council member Ron Elliott of Missionary Ridge was elected the new vice chair.
For at least half a decade, votes for chair have been a united front for council members. After the vote, Noel said during the meeting that she was unsettled by how the process played out for selecting the new chair — including discussion behind closed doors to wrest the position from her specifically, she said.
In her view, she said, there’s a growing divide between members of the Chattanooga City Council.
“I want to speak candidly,” Noel said during the meeting. “I’m leaving this process with concerns. Not just about the vote, but about how this decision was made.”