KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Tuesday approved a resolution expressing opposition to partisan city elections.
The board unanimously voted in favor of the resolution, which conveys the BMA’s opposition to legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly that would make all elections, including municipal elections, partisan across the state.
“The old saying is there is no Democrat or Republican way to fix a pothole,” Mayor Pat Shull said during Tuesday’s BMA meeting. The mayor also believes partisan elections would discourage citizens to run for office.
Vice-Mayor Colette George pointed out that the decisions made at the city level are different from those made at the federal, state, and even county levels.
“We’re not talking about the military, we’re buying salt for the roads instead of nuclear weapons,” George said. “We’re on a whole different level of what’s close to our hearts and what we believe in and I think you need to be able to run based on how you see moving your city forward, and it’s really not, at this level, it’s not about politics.”
The legislation still has hurdles to clear in the Tennessee General Assembly before it can go before the full Senate and House for a final vote. Both the Senate and House versions of the legislation will have to make it through committees first.
