Jeff Eversole now running in new District 10 for Hamilton County Commission

THUMBNAIL Contributed photo / Jeff Eversole
THUMBNAIL Contributed photo / Jeff Eversole
photo Jeff Eversole / Portrait Photography by Dan Henry

Jeff Eversole, a Republican from Ooltewah, will now run for the new District 10 Hamilton County Commission seat after commissioners approved a map that drew him out of what was previously District 9.

Eversole, 56, announced last month his candidacy for Hamilton County Commission. He lived in District 9.

But earlier this month, the commission voted to increase the current nine districts for electing commissioners to 11 districts, using data from the 2020 census.

"I don't think it changes the campaign, and I don't think it changes the voter blocs," Eversole said Thursday.

Pending final approval of the maps by the state, the new District 10 would sprawl along the eastern border of the county, including Collegedale and Georgetown. It would also include the areas surrounding Ooltewah's elementary, middle and high schools.

(READ MORE: Jeff Eversole announces candidacy for Hamilton County Commission)

The new District 9 would split along Snow Hill Road and Highway 58, moving the portion of the district east of Highway 58 into District 10 and leaving a significant chunk carved out of the current district.

District 9 Commissioner Steve Highlander, R-Ooltewah, on Thursday said that remapping caused him to lose a significant amount of voters and that it was out of his control due to federal law.

"I hated to lose anybody," Highlander said. "I liked my district as it was. But we had almost 49,000 people. We had to cut to 32,000. It was hard to know how to split it."

(READ MORE: Hamilton County commissioners approve adding two new districts to county map)

Eversole, who lives in Ooltewah with his wife, Denise, previously served 16 years as a patrol reserve with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

He also assisted Erlanger Health System with efforts to establish the Kennedy Children's Outpatient Center and has been of service to several Chattanooga area organizations, including United Way, Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Salvation Army and the American Cancer Society.

Eversole's focus with the commission would include partnering with other commissioners to streamline government, improve Hamilton County's education system and tackle major infrastructure problems, he said.

Eversole, a Hamilton County resident for more than 25 years, began working for Walmart in 1982 when he was 17 years old. Working his way up within the company, he later came to Chattanooga in 1996 to grow Walmart's market share within the Southeast Tennessee area.

Eversole will face off in 2022 against Dean Moorhouse, a retired health care executive. He announced his candidacy last week.

Moorhouse, 65, also an Ooltewah Republican, is president of the Harrison Ruritan Club Foundation. He was nominated by Hamilton County Commission chair Sabrena Smedley as a replacement for Commissioner Chester Bankston, who left before the end of his term.

Eight applicants from the district, which includes Ooltewah and Collegedale, applied for the seat. Highlander was appointed in June.

(READ MORE: Hamilton County Commission votes to approve 11 school board districts)

Contact Logan Hullinger by phone at 814-319-5158 or via email at lhullinger@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LoganHullinger.

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