Mayoral candidate Larry Grohn said Friday there is a link between Mayor Andy Berke’s "failed campaign promises to a spiraling sense of hopelessness and betrayal in Chattanooga’s inner-city communities."
The City Council member said he was making the call "after the administration attempted to curry voter favor with an extralegal contribution of $1 million in taxpayer monies to Erlanger Hospital.
“Andy Berke is trying to buy your vote with your own money. This man has no sense of shame or accountability. Berke is continuing to play politics while violence and poverty are destroying the inner-city.
"Research shows 2016 was one of the most violent years on record. A four-month period of relentless bloodshed from March to June saw a total of 59 shootings and 14 homicides. The violence, concentrated in the three inner-city council districts (7, 8, and 9) accounted for nearly four out of every five homicides in Chattanooga. 76.63 percent of all homicides.
“Broken promises make for a broken city. Andy Berke’s brief playtime as mayor will be long remembered as an era where we abandoned our inner-city and divorced ourself from painful reality of everyday working people. This ends on March 7th when together our city votes for change.”
Councilman Grohn pointed to "a list of broken promises made by Berke during his run for mayor, including a pledge to reduce violent crime 20 percent by June 2016. The Berke crime pledge states that he will reduce violent crime by 20 percent from the average number of incidents between June and August 2013 by the end of June 2016. The numbers are in, the administration has failed us.
"Other broken promises include the economic revitalization of East Chattanooga, an area that experiences dramatic rates of unemployment in the Black community upwards of an estimated 30.9 percent. In 2014, Berke spent millions in taxpayer dollars to purchase the old Tubman site with the promises of jobs to follow. Almost three years later the site remains abandoned today.
"Above all, Andy promised to renew Chattanooga and restore a sense of hope and fairness in the most distressed communities. The administration has failed miserably. Chattanoogans have seen their rents rise, violence increase in their neighborhoods, and higher restrictions on family businesses. Chattanoogans have seen deals for political allies, powerful developers, and outrageous tax giveaways for unaffordable apartments downtown. Our campaign’s message to the communities and voters betrayed and let down by Berke’s false promises is you are not alone and we Believe In Better."