8 community members seek appointment to Hamilton County Commission

Sarah Grace Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
·2 min read

May 12—Eight community members and leaders are seeking appointment to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, as Commissioner Chester Bankston of Ooltewah prepares to step down.

Bankston, a third-term commissioner, will vacate his post at the end of the month, leaving a vacancy on the nine-member board. The remaining members will be tasked with appointing a new member to represent District 9, which includes the Snow Hill, Collegedale and Harrison areas, for the remaining year or so before the 2022 election for the seat.

After two weeks of an open application, the commission has received applications from eight community members to take the seat.

The Times Free Press has been able to determine some information about community affiliations for some of the applicants but cannot identify all of them because the county has not released resumes and application information requested by the newspaper.

Here are the applicants:

— Tunyekia Adamson

— Jeff Eversole, market manager, Tennessee Area Walmart Stores

— Rob Healy, former Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Director

— Stephen Highlander, Hamilton County Board of Education Member

— Charles Lowery Jr., former Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement

— Dean Moorhouse, Harris Ruritan Club Foundation President

— Andrew Mullins

— Shannon Stephenson, Cempa Community Care CEO

Commission Chairman Chip Baker said Tuesday that the commission will vote on the replacement on June 2, the first meeting after Bankston is gone. With an even number of commissioners left voting and a sizable list of candidates, reaching a consensus may be difficult.

"There are a lot of good candidates now," Baker said. "So we'll see how that goes."

The Times Free Press will update this developing story upon receipt of the application materials from the commission office.

This is a developing story. Stay with the Times Free Press for updates.

Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.