Two Democrats are running in the primary election for Knox County Mayor. WBIR is hosting a series of interviews with the candidates to hear where they stand on the issues that impact our county the most.
Linda Haney, Rhonda Gallman and Rebecca Deloa returned petitions in early February to run in the Democratic primary. Deloa later announced she was suspending her campaign on March 1.
Gallman was arrested in Los Angeles on March 7 on four felony counts of preventing or dissuading a victim or witness from testifying in a criminal case against her son. Gallman is out on bond, and says she is innocent of the charges.
The county primary will be held on Tuesday, May 1. Current Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett is term-limited after serving two four-year terms in the office.
There are also three candidates running in the Republican primary: Brad Anders, Bob Thomas and Glenn Jacobs.
WBIR is scheduling a series of interviews with the Democratic candidates on the issues that impact our county the most. Click here to view our interview series with the Republican primary candidates.
The framework for our conversations will focus on the biggest slices of the almost $800 million county budget: education, public safety and debt services. We'll also ask the candidates their thoughts on taxes, and their other priorities for office.
Education
Our interview series begins with a discussion about education funding. For every dollar the county receives in tax revenue, almost 60 cents goes to education.
Public Safety
The second round of interviews focuses on public safety, which makes up about 11 percent of the county budget.
Debt Service
Next we move to debt services, where roughly 10 percent of the Knox County budget is spent. The candidates also discuss their views on taxes.
Campaign funding
Our interview series ends with a discussion on campaign funding and the landscape of the Democratic primary race.