Chris Anderson in his first four years on the Chattanooga City Council has proven to be something of a lightning rod, but he has transferred that electricity to his district - and the improvements are unmistakable.
At 36, Anderson has been Chattanooga's youngest council member, representing parts of Downtown, Alton Park, East Lake and St. Elmo in District 7.
"I am a little rambunctious, and a fighter," he acknowledges. "But being a fighter also helps me get more for my district."
He is right: Even council candidates in other districts bring up the comparisons of city improvements in District 7 compared to other areas of the city.
He says the controversy has taught him valuable lessons.
"I'll never live down the urban chickens... but I've never lost a vote since then," he says with a smile. And he's quick to say why he's willing to come back for more.
"I love it," he says of being a part of the council. "I grew up very poor. I dropped out of college as a junior to work for the (Phil) Bredesen (gubernatorial) campaign. I'm good at this, and this is my opportunity to give back."
The improvements in Chattanooga's downtown are obvious: Southside and the Riverfront are booming with development that arguably might be happening no matter who is on the council.
But consider that East Lake, probably the most neglected Chattanooga neighborhood for 40 years, has in the last four years begun the work to clean and re-invigorate the lake and park that gave it its name. Finalizing the park has been and may still be a tricky process because the lake was polluted. But the neighborhood's history is huge, and the community - with many longtime families still in place - at long last has the city's newest and best playground.
"An investment there tells them they matter," Anderson said.
In Alton Park, residents have waited years since the Charles A. Bell School closed in 1990 and residents were promised a brownfield cleanup and a park there. That work, too, has finally begun.
Similarly, St. Elmo's on-again, off-again renaissance is now on again.
That's not to say all is done, Anderson says.
"St. Elmo needs traffic calming. Alton Park and East Lake need living wage jobs and workforce development education. We do Lexia (a Family Learning Center reading program he calls a moderate success) and Baby University in both, but we need to do more," he told Times Free Press editors.
Anderson's opponents -a former hospital executive Erskine Oglesby Jr., 61, and former city councilman and businessman Manny Rico, 71 - are genuinely good men who we hope will stay involved in public service and volunteerism.
But Anderson's success as a councilman must not be ignored. He's a keeper.