All nine seats on the Chattanooga City Council have now been confirmed following runoff elections held today in Districts 6 and 8.
Several voters spoke about the importance of these elections, emphasizing how local decisions directly impact their lives and the future of their communities.
“Your local elections are where decisions are made concerning your livelihood. Not just for you, but for your future generations,” said Mary Morris.
Emily Baughn, another voter, explained her motivation to participate in the election, “There are things that need to be done, and that’s why I’m here today, because local matters. If you don’t take care of the local, you don’t take care of the people. If you don’t take care of the people, they’re going to leave.”
In the runoff elections, candidates in District 6 were Jenni Berz, the incumbent, and Christian Siler. In District 8, Marvene Noel, the incumbent, faced off against Anna Golladay.
One voter, Deatrice Craddock, believes the reason for the lack of a clear winner last month may have been a lack of conversation about the importance of voting. “I don’t think that the household is talking enough about voting and the importance of us getting out to vote,” she said.
Jenni Berz, who was appointed to her seat earlier this year after the passing of her mother, former Councilperson Carol Berz, expressed her gratitude to the voters for their continued support.
“I look forward to serving the district. I want to hear from them, and I want to engage with them. They’re going to be hearing more from me on how we continue to move this district forward,” Berz said.
Meanwhile, Marvene Noel, who will now begin her second term as District 8 City Councilwoman, thanked her constituents for their trust.
“I once again would like to thank my constituents of the great District 8 for entrusting me again for a second term so that we can continue the work that we have started back from the previous term and move forward to the future,” Noel stated.
Each council person’s term starts on April 14th.
