Chattanooga City Councilman Erskine Oglesby announced Friday he will run for mayor in 2021 in an effort to continue his work of creating a more equitable Chattanooga.
Oglesby has represented District 7, including Alton Park, St. Elmo and parts of downtown since 2017, but says that the next four years would be better spent trying to level the playing field across all of Chattanooga's neighborhoods.
"The vision is really bringing everybody together to get a consensus on what we need to do as a city to move forward," Oglesby said Friday. "'I'll continue to address pretty much everything that I talked about when I became a city councilman. So I'll focus on small business development, the revitalization of neighborhoods, early childhood development, public safety and affordable housing."
Oglesby has experience in the community ranging from a term as chairman of the City Council, chairman of the board of Erlanger's Community Health Centers, vice chairman of Chattanooga's pension board and as a member of the boards of the Creative Discovery Museum, WTCI-PBS Television, 100 Black Men of America, Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Metropolitan Ministries. He is also member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., the Chattanooga Downtown Kiwanis and the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association.
Throughout his time in public service, Oglesby says he has realized the importance of community involvement and partnerships in shaping an equal and diverse city, which he hopes to foster if elected.
"It's all about making the relationships and talking to the neighborhoods to get an idea of what direction the neighborhood wants to go. And it's about doing that for all neighborhoods, not just some," Oglesby said, citing projects like the recently completed revitalization of East Lake Park and the ongoing Alton Park Connector project. "That's how we're going to make sure that everyone and every neighborhood has access to the same opportunities, business, housing and just control of their area."
To promote strong neighborhoods, Oglesby says it will take a diverse range of people from different backgrounds in each neighborhood and a diverse team of city leadership to encourage plans that suit every Chattanoogan.
"So I will have a team that's going to be diverse. It's going to represent everyone," he said. "You know, we talk about diversity in a lot of different ways, but I want to have a good mix on my staff and team that reflects and represents every age, race, religion, gender, as part as part of our team."
Oglesby is one of seven candidates to enter the race to assume outgoing Mayor Andy Berke's seat in March 2021, along with Councilman Russell Gilbert, activist Christopher Dahl and local business leaders Monty Bruell, Tim Kelly, Andrew McLaren. and Kim White.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.