Knoxville City Council Candidates Face Questions

Knoxville City Council Candidates introduced themselves and fielded questions last night at the Knoxville City Council Candidate Forum. Hosted by the Knox County Republican Party and open to all county residents, the forum was held at Bridgewater Place in West Knoxville.

Kudos to the Knox County Republican Party, who managed to get eleven of the eighteen candidates to attend. While all candidates were invited, Knox County GOP Chairman Martin Daniel did not provide individual reasons for those who did not attend.

To begin the evening, each candidate was given three minutes to introduce themselves and their platform. This time was strictly enforced by party secretary, Barry Beeler. Vice Chair Kyle Nahrebne moderated the event.

Some of the Questions on People’s Minds

Among the questions asked was the question of what to do with Knoxville College. Jeff Talman suggested a mixed-use project, while Charles Frazier suggested that federal, state, and local funds be used to restore it. Talman countered by saying federal and state tax dollars were not going to happen for Knoxville College.

George Raudenbush wanted no more taxpayer money spent on the project, instead suggesting private investments could be used.

During this discussion, he also raised the interesting subject of eliminating all private property taxes within four years. This suggestion elicited some varying degrees of reaction from the candidates and the audience.

One question asked was how to draw the line between advancing the city of Knoxville economically and protecting our way of life. The audience member specifically mentioned crime and traffic in regard to this question.

Charles Van Morgan addressed the crime by suggesting we empower police officers so they can do their jobs. Jeff Talman quoted statistics from Pods Storage that indicated Knoxville was the 8th most dropped-off location and suggested multigenerational occupancy as a possible solution.

Lawrence Williams shared that many times, people or businesses come into individual districts and benefit, while those who have lived there for years struggle to get by.

An additional question was asked about what to do about the debt balloon looming over Knoxville if raising taxes was not a possibility.

That question elicited responses that ranged from Jeff Talman’s suggestion that we learn the difference between “gotta dos and wanna dos” to George Raudenbush’s suggestion to build small businesses.

Lindsey Jaremko’s opening statement about the City Council being run by the Council rather than the mayor seemed to be agreed on by the majority of participants. Her comment was regarded by one member of the audience as the “strongest statement of the night”

Several other questions were asked during the evening, which concerned only certain districts.

While some candidates made a few snide remarks, the majority of the discussion was professional and informative for the audience.

The Final Question

To close out the event, GOP Chairman Martin Daniel asked each candidate to answer this question: “Do you support the mayor’s proposal for an increase in the sales tax?”

Candidates went down the line with varying degrees of negative response with the exception of Charles Van Morgan (District 1) who said he would support the tax increase only after property taxes were lowered.

With that final question, the 2025 Knoxville City Council Candidate Forum ended. Those who were unable to have their questions answered due to a lack of time were invited to speak individually with the candidates afterward.

Most individuals I spoke with felt that the approximately ninety-minute event was extremely educational and was a great success.

It is refreshing to see the newly elected Knox County Republican Party leaders fulfilling their campaign promises. After only two months in office, they continue to work nonstop. For a look at the grade we have given the new leaders, click here.

Check back frequently as we will continue to keep you updated on the upcoming Knoxville City Council Election, and make sure you follow us on Facebook and sign up for our newsletter.

And, because it is so much easier to remember someone’s name when you see their picture, we’ve included pictures of each of the candidates in addition to brief summaries of their introductory remarks.