Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Martin will run for re-election to the new District 3 seat in 2022, he announced Friday.
Martin, R-Hixson, was first elected through a special election in 2016 and was then re-elected in 2018. In a phone interview Friday, he emphasized the importance of having experienced members on the commission as the county prepares for a new mayor and commissioners.
"I think it's critical for government to have some continuity," he said. "Having experienced leadership is going to be vital to the new commissioners and mayor."
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As of Friday, Martin was the only candidate to have filed for the District 3 race, according to the Hamilton County Election Commission.
Martin will be running in a transformed District 3 after county commissioners last month approved an 11-district map to replace the county's nine-district map.
District 3 previously included portions of areas such as northern Chattanooga, Middle Valley, Lakesite and Hixson.
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Under the new map, Martin lost voters in Hixson around Daisy Dallas Road, which is in the southern part of the district. That area moved into District 1.
In the northern part of the district, Northgate 1 and Northgate 2 precincts near Ely Road were lost. Those areas will be broken up into the new District 2 and District 6.
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Martin said that the changes to his district were mild and that he is not concerned about them impacting his chances of re-election, even though he did lose a small portion of his voter bloc.
"All I did was lose, I didn't gain anything," he said.
His priorities include investing in first responders to protect children in schools and residents throughout the county.
In addition, citing the county's relatively low unemployment numbers - the most recent data shows an unemployment rate of 3.2% - he said the county must continue to be as appealing as possible for new and expanding businesses.
Outside of politics, Martin serves as the chair of the board of the Adult and Teen Challenge of the Mid South.
In the past, he served as president of the Hixson Kiwanis Club, on the advisory boards of the Friends of Hixson and the North River Civic Center as well as on the board of the Hixson Council of the Chamber of Commerce.
Contact Logan Hullinger at lhullinger@timesfreepress.com or 814-319-5158. Follow him on Twitter @LoganHullinger.