Written by: Hayden Kobza and Matthew Orquia
Laura Howse, Tim Johnson and Billy Burnette were voted to the Collegedale Board of Commissioners on Election Day.
Howse, a first-time commission candidate, received 2,536 votes, Johnson 2,350 and Burnette 2,280, according to the Hamilton County Election website’s unofficial results. The fourth candidate, Collegedale Commissioner Debbie Baker, lost the election to Burnette by only one vote.
Collegedale Mayor Morty Lloyd and Commissioner Tonya Sadler both have terms expiring in November 2026. Katie Lamb, longtime Collegedale commissioner and former mayor, did not run for re-election. Baker and Johnson were both up for re-election, leaving three available seats on the five-person commission.
The Accent reached out to each candidate for comment following the results of the election.
In a phone interview with the Accent, Howse said she was thrilled by the election’s results.
“I’m so excited and a little bit shocked because I did not expect to come in first place,” she said. “I did not expect to win by such a large margin.”
She celebrated her win at a watch party with family and friends and said that her son, Sebastian, was one of her biggest supporters on Election Day.
“He may be even more excited than me that I won tonight,” Howse said.
“He was so thrilled.”
Howse said she wants to emphasize communication and get more people involved in and attending Collegedale government meetings. She also wants to help Collegedale consider and plan for the long-term costs of its investments, as well as look into ways to improve traffic in the area.
“Traffic is super important to me, because I cannot stand sitting in traffic, and I want to figure out how we can fix that,” Howse said.
Howse has taught in the Radiography Program at Chattanooga State since 2006 and developed an online MRI program. She has also been an Online Learning Facilitator for Harvard Business School’s MBA program for the past three years.
Johnson expressed his excitement for continuing to serve the city of Collegedale. He wants to move forward with the expansion project for the Wolftever Creek Greenway.
“I’ve had 24 good years [serving] the city,” Johnson said. “We’ve accomplished a lot of good things.”
Johnson said he’s also excited about the new commissioners coming on board.
“I think they’ll do a great job, and I look forward to working with each of them,” he said. “But I hate to see Debbie lose. We’ve been friends for 16 years while she’s been on the commission.”
Johnson was first elected as Commissioner in 2001. Outside of the commission, he has worked full-time as a national account manager at Cigna for about 40 years and also serves as an advanced EMT with the Tri-Community Fire Department. He has volunteered in various capacities, including as a reserve police officer and EMT in Collegedale, according to the City of Collegedale’s website.
Burnette won his seat by a single vote. He celebrated his victory at a Republican watch party at the Westin Hotel in downtown Chattanooga.
“I’m excited. It’s been a long race, and I was glad for it to be over with,” he said in a phone interview with the Accent. “I’m glad to be victorious, obviously, but I’m glad for it to be over with.”
Burnette said the biggest thing he wants to do during his term is to build trust with the citizens of Collegedale.
“There’s a part of our community over off Edgemon Road that has very little faith in their commissioners right now, and as I went door to door with all them, they expressed … that they felt like their voices weren’t heard,” he said. “I don’t have a list of physical things I want to get built, like parks or greenways. I want to build trust.”
Burnette has served 13 years with the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department. Currently, he holds a senior management role with Hamilton County EMS, where he has 31 years of service. Additionally, Burnette has been involved with the Forgotten Child Fund for 19 years and serves as treasurer on its Board of Directors, according to Chattanoogan.com.
Baker lost the election after a down-to-the-wire race, according to the unofficial results.
“I’ve served 16 years,” Baker said. “ … I would have loved to continue serving. I’ll still keep serving the community in whatever capacity they would like for me to,and I’m at peace with it.”
Baker was first elected commissioner in 2009. She is a special education teacher at Apison Elementary School with the Hamilton County Department of Education.
Collegedale is governed by a five-person Board of Commissioners who vote on all city ordinances and resolutions, according to the City of Collegedale website. Commissioners serve four-year, staggered terms, and the mayor and vice mayor are chosen by the commissioners.
Trackbacks and Pingbacks
1 Comment