Ruth Jeno, a volunteerism-focused Red Bank Republican, has entered the race for the transformed Hamilton County Commission District 6 seat.
Jeno, 72, who serves on the Red Bank Board of Commissioners, will face off with Republican Justin Pinkerton in the May 3 primary election if he returns his qualifying petitions by the Feb. 17 deadline.
Commissioner David Sharpe, D-Red Bank, is also running for re-election in the district.
"I just love the area," Jeno said during a Monday sit-down interview. "I want to take my experience in government and volunteerism and extend it out to North Chattanooga and Hixson."
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Commissioner David Sharpe running for re-election)
Jeno described herself as a family-focused community volunteer rather than a politician, noting her job has always been to serve families.
If elected to the county commission, though, she would prioritize public education and economic development, she said.
Jeno said many of the county's public schools are in poor shape, and she would push to replace deteriorating schools and better stay on top of maintenance.
"Those schools should never be allowed to decline," Jeno said. "We just need to give the teachers and principals what they need to do their job - to educate our children."
Another way the county can better educate its students is to bring in more trade schools and provide students with more education options, she added.
In addition, Jeno said she would work to bring more economic vitality to the county, particularly through development opportunities such as McDonald Farm.
"We're going to bring businesses, we're going to bring industry and we're going to bring jobs," Jeno said.
However, she added, she wants to place limits on development projects so the local culture can be preserved.
During her time in local politics, Jeno became the first female Red Bank mayor. She has also served as vice mayor and served on the Red Bank Planning Commission for nine years.
She serves on the board of directors for the Red Bank Food Pantry and Red Bank Seniors on the Go, a program she founded more than a decade ago that offers services to local senior citizens.
Jeno has in the past received the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's Oustanding Citizen Award for her volunteer work. Her experience includes volunteering for local schools, the Awana Club Ministry and the American Red Cross.
(READ MORE:First Democrat jumps into Republican-filled Hamilton County mayoral race)
After commissioners passed a new 11-district map to replace the former nine-district map in the redistricting process required by the 2020 U.S. census in November, District 6 lost the entirety of Lookout Mountain and Lookout Valley.
The district also lost Southside-area neighborhoods in Chattanooga, although it now includes the entirety of Red Bank, rather than just a portion of it.
Contact Logan Hullinger at lhullinger@timesfreepress.com or 814-319-5158. Follow him on Twitter @LoganHullinger.