Mayor Ron Littlefield, at a city hall press conference Wednesday morning where he was flanked by former Mayors Pat Rose, Gene Roberts and Jon Kinsey, called for citywide "unity" after the recall effort against him was derailed.
He said, "We have an unprecedented opportunity in Chattanooga if we don't take our eye off the ball. Our future is bright if we take advantage of it."
Though no recall leaders were at the press conference, he said he is willing to reach out to any and all in the community.
He said, "I am extending an olive branch to all those lined up on the other side of issues."
Tom Ed Wilson, Chamber of Commerce CEO, said, "This is Chattanooga's time. It's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often.
"From the Chamber's point of view, we would hate to see anything distract from that."
Congressman Zach Wamp said he recently had lunch with gubernatorial primary rival Bill Haslam. He said, "If we can reconcile, anyone can reconcile. And we are 100 percent reconciled."
He said he is "a low-tax man and a conservative" and had not always agreed with Mayor Littlefield, but he called him "a man of extraordinary integrity."
Rep. Wamp said, "His finest hour is when he married Lanis. She is an angel."
He said he believes recalls should be in cases of corruption on the part of an official and not over "policy." He said disagreements over policy "are what elections are for."
County Mayor Claude Ramsey said, "We need to move forward as a community. The mayor and I don't always agree, but we agree on a lot of things."
He said Chattanooga "has a great opportunity and we should not squander."
Others standing with the mayor included former City Judge Walter Williams.
Mayor Littlefield, taking questions, said the recall has been "a distraction. It was tough."
He said he hopes "that all that energy can be channeled into a positive direction."