District 8 County Commissioner Tim Boyd defeated challenger East Ridge Mayor Brent Lambert in Tuesday's election. Longtime incumbent Commissioner Greg Beck was in a nail-biter all night, leading barely until the final precincts came in and political novice Katherlyn Geter went ahead by 15 votes. Circuit Court Judge Kyle Hedrick won over attorney Catherine Cate White. Rep. Marc Gravitt captured the Republican primary for register of deeds.
Tim Boyd 1,203
Brent Lambert 714
Commissioner Boyd said, “This is one of the most satisfying moments of my life. I cannot begin to thank the people who voted today. They stood by me as the politics of personal destruction was played out at an unprecedented level in Hamilton County.
"I wish I could shake the hands of every one of the 1,203 good people who voted for me today because they know the difference between right and wrong.”
Mayor Lambert filed charges against Commissioner Boyd, leading to his indictment for extortion in the middle of the campaign. Mayor Lambert secretly taped Commissioner Boyd in a conversation on whether he (Lambert) should pull out of the race based on information gained by the Boyd camp concerning campaign donations by developers to Mayor Lambert. Attorney Lee Davis said the charges won't stand up in court and he is asking for an early trial.
Other contested County Commission races included Ms. Geter against Commissioner Beck - the senior member on the commission - in the Democratic primary in District 5 and Kelvin Scott against Commissioner Warren Mackey in District 4. Commissioner Beck led through much of the night, but the margin grew smaller. Ms. Geter finally pushed ahead at the end. She becomes the second female on the commission, joining Sabrena Smedley of District 7.
District 5
Katherlyn Geter 1,241
Greg Beck 1,226
District 4
Warren Mackey 894
Kelvin Scott 354
Steve Coker challenged incumbent Randy Fairbanks in District 1, County Commission, Republican primary.
Randy Fairbanks 1,117
Steve Coker 351
Rep. Gravitt and assessor employee Randy Johnston were running in the GOP primary for the register of deeds post being vacated by Pam Hurst. Vicki Schroyer, who works in the office, is running as a Democrat.
Marc Gravitt 7,085
Randy Johnston 4,981
Judge Hedrick and Catherine Cate White were running for Circuit Court judge, Division IV.
Kyle Hedrick 7,937
Catherine Cate White 4,315
Aloyse Brown won the Democratic primary for county mayor over George Ryan Lewis. She will face incumbent Republican Jim Coppinger in August.
Aloyse Brown 4,998
George Ryan Lewis 1,845
Ms. Brown said, “I’m incredibly grateful to win the support of my party in one of this year’s most-crucial elections. I’m eager to continue delivering our message to every voter in Hamilton County.”
She said her campaign will focus on a call for better county government. “In the past two months, I’ve talked to hundreds of voters that are frustrated at how our politicians conduct county business in the dark,” she said. “We should be a community that provides easy access to government and its elected officials. Unfortunately, that’s not the case now.”
She said she pledges to develop long-term solutions for the county’s most-pressing needs. “Public schools, jail overcrowding, crumbling roads - none of these problems will ever get solved behind closed doors. Long-term solutions require community-wide buy-in, and that’s how I’ll do business as Hamilton County’s next mayor.”
She said she plans to "align her campaign closely with other nominees that share her vision for open government, particularly that of sheriff candidate Victor Miller." Ms. Brown said, “Victor has had an impressive career in law enforcement. We’ll work closely together to ensure every community in Hamilton County is among the safest places in Tennessee.”
On becoming Hamilton County’s first female mayor, Ms. Brown said she is optimistic, but focused. “Electing Hamilton County’s first female mayor would certainly be a nice step forward for our community, but more importantly, we have the opportunity to put an end to the outdated political schemes that have been the norm in Hamilton County for far too long,” she said.
Announcements regarding her campaign team are forthcoming in the next few days. “We’re assembling an outstanding political team that will bring to bear years of campaign experience at the state and local level,” Ms. Brown said.
Aloyse Brown resides in Lookout Mountain, Tn., with her husband, Mac, an Episcopal priest. They have two sons, Wolcott and Fox.
Victor Miller, Democrat, will be running against incumbent Sheriff Jim Hammond in August.
He said, "I’m proud of my career with the Chattanooga Police Department, but it’s time for new leadership in county law enforcement. I’m ready to step up and lead the dedicated men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.”
He added, “Our law enforcement agencies are the backbones of safe neighborhoods. It’s time for a new leader that can modernize our policing strategies to make Hamilton County a better and safer place to live, work, and visit.”
He said he promises a new approach to Sheriff’s Office leadership. “With my candidacy we have the opportunity to elect a Sheriff that has years of experience as a boots-on-the-ground officer, investigator, and supervisor. Hamilton County deserves a sheriff who is prepared to lead from the front and prioritize community policing strategies.”
He said his campaign will focus on creating safer communities, and also highlight the need to safely reduce jail overcrowding. He said, “Our jails have been overcrowded and understaffed for too many years. There are safe ways to alleviate the problems without spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new facilities.”
Cpt. Miller began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer with the Chattanooga Police Department. Since then he has held numerous leadership posts, including as a Homicide Detective, Department spokesperson, and Crime Stoppers Coordinator. He currently serves as the Homicide Unit Supervisor. He is a longtime resident of Ooltewah.
Officials of UnifiEd said, "Today, one message in Hamilton County is clear- voters will choose candidates who stand up for schools.
"Ten candidates stood in front of the voters with the following education platform:
- fair and transparent funding for our schools
- reducing or eliminating concentrated poverty in our schools
- expanding access to early childhood education
- increasing dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students
- supporting the turnaround efforts of our lowest performing schools
- creating a cohesive vision for our public schools
"Nine of those candidates won tonight.
"The voters have spoken. It's time to ensure a brilliant future for all Hamilton County students."
Out of more than 182,600 registered voters in Hamilton County, just 20,498 went to the polls.