Yesterday per CNN the nation reached 4.3 million new COVID-19 cases. The state of Tennessee saw a total of 7,975 new cases with a total of 374,493 cases. The county saw a total of 310 new cases, which brings the total of COVID-19 cases to 18,136 per the State Health Department.

We must not get weary in the war against this invisible enemy. If we continue to do what we have done - wearing a mask, social distancing, washing your hands as much as possible, and continuing to adhere to all the Center for Disease Control policies, then we can begin to stop the surge that we are seeing in our communities across the nation, state, county, and city.

We all want to see our friends and family. We want to hug our parents, grandparents, and other loved ones, but we must continue to be on guard until we have a vaccine in our community that is fighting this invisible enemy. I applaud our Mayor Andy Berke for doing all he has to lead this city in midst of this once in a century pandemic. Now it is up to us to continue to do the job that we all have been tasked with.

So when you are out and about during this holiday season please keep in mind not only do you have your life in your hands but those around you. So, I ask you to continue to mask up. Chattanooga, we are all in this together.

While we are discussing public health, we must also discuss public safety as well. Yesterday the Chattanooga Times Free Press released the results of a study completed by WalletHub that ranked our beloved scenic city as one of 10 of the most dangerous places to live in America. This study compared America's 182 biggest cities across 42 metrics of safety, ranging from crime rates, to COVID-19 cases to risks due to local roads and the economy.

We must change these statistics starting with first targeting COVID-19 as mentioned earlier as well as stomping out illegal guns and organized crime out of our city.  We must look at illegal guns and organized crime as a public safety and a public health crisis. We must enable our local police with efficient and effective tools and resources that create true community-style policing that will end the historical and cultural distrust between the police and local communities of color.

I will work to bring all sides together as well as always standing on the side of justice. We are at a pivotal point in our district and I know that we are going to build back better and, in doing so, we will root out all that ills our communities.

I am not saying that we will live in a perfect utopia but I do believe that our best days are before us. In order to build stronger families, stronger communities all voices must be heard, respected and valued, and as your city councilman that will be my number one mission, so that when the hard decisions come - and they will come - we will all be included in the decision process. I want to bring District 5 to the John P Franklin Chattanooga City Council Building to ensure that our values, vision for our district hold true.

Isiah Hester

District 5 City Council candidate.