We know three candidates definitely plan to run for Knoxville mayor in 2027, and the full slate is starting to come into focus.
Beau Hawk, the 2026 Democratic nominee for Knox County mayor, Knoxville At-large Councilmember Amelia Parker and mortgage banker Jeff Talman have announced they're running.
Candidates have until May 20 to get in the race, and some are dropping hints they may take the plunge.
Who's NOT running for Knoxville mayor in 2027?
The list of people who aren't running for mayor has grown since I last updated you in September, but two names that dominated conversation months ago have told me they're out:
- Christi Branscom: principal, general counsel and managing broker of Partners Development, owner of Grace Construction; former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services Commissioner; former Knoxville deputy mayor and chief operating officer
- Cortney Piper: president, Piper Communications president; executive director of Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council
It's too soon to say for sure who's running for Knoxville mayor, but ...
No one on this list told me they for sure aren't running for mayor, but a few people didn't return my calls. Others said they were surprised to hear people were floating their
names as a potential candidate.
The list isn't exhaustive: In every election, someone jumps in and surprises everyone who thought they knew who would be on the primary ballot. Here are the names that have come up:
Welcome to the list
Donovan Whiteside, an attorney and former Webb School of Knoxville board member, told me he's been approached "by at least 100 Knoxvillians about the future of our city."
"At this time, I'm not actively seeking the office of mayor," Whiteside said, acknowledging his position could change over the coming months. "I am extremely honored that so many feel I have something to offer the city."
Former Knoxville councilmembers:
- Lauren Rider: former Pellissippi State Community College librarian
- Andrew Roberto: personal injury attorney
Roberto told me he'll "have more to share" after the midterm elections next month. Roberto supported local Democrats while stirring up the conversation about his mayoral prospects when he sponsored tablescapes at the Knox County Democratic Party's Truman Day fundraiser Sept. 9 and used his business cards as part of the decor.
Second time's the charm?
Prospective candidates who considered a run for city mayor in 2022 but did not end up in the race:
- Keith Lyon: former president of the Fraternal Order of Police
- George Ewart: architect at GAE Architecture, co-owner Dead End BBQ
Who should give Knox County commissioners a salary increases?
Knox County Mayor Betsy Henderson and Commissioner Brandon Huckaby want to make it so that no Knox County elected official has a say in how much money commissioners and school board members are paid. Instead, all elected officials' pay increases could be up to the state legislature if a new measure passes.
Currently, pay raises for the mayor and officials elected to lead county offices are set by the Tennessee legislature each year, while commissioners and school board members are technically county staffers and their pay raises are set through the budget process.
When's the meeting? Commissioners won't vote on the proposal this month, but they'll discuss it at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in the main assembly room of the City-County Building, 400 Main St.
Study up with some articles I've written about the commissioners' pay:
KCS dollars will pay for Knox County employee pay raises
Why are the school board and commission fighting? Money is scarce in Knox County
Mayor Betsy Henderson tells commissioners to block their pay raises | Exclusive
Mayor Betsy Henderson seeks to change law to allow pay cuts for leaders
Mayor Betsy Henderson joins bipartisan plan to overhaul commissioners' pay
Knox County Commissioner Angela Russell tries again on the county's grant and contract process
Commissioner Angela Russell is reviving an unsuccessful attempt to add more checks on grants and contracts given out with county money. Last year, commissioners told their colleagues Russell and Commissioner Andy Fox, who worked with Russell on the effort, they were looking for problems where there weren't any.
Now Russell wants commissioners, including those elected in August, to revisit the slightly amended proposal.
"The purpose of the ordinances is to update code to reflect our current titles and policy and to add a few additional policy provisions to enhance transparency and accountability with the ultimate goal of ensuring taxpayer funds entrusted to Knox County are protected and used wisely," Russell told me.
When an outside group wants county money, organizers must submit a request to the finance director under the mayor, just like county departments do.
They currently must provide:
- The organization's most recent annual report
- A disclosure of conflict of interests
- A copy of the charter and bylaws
- Salary information for the organization's chief officer and next-highest paid employee
- A list of the organization's board of directors and an organizational chat
- A copy of an IRS letter evidencing the organization is a nonprofit
- Title VI agency certifications
Russell wants to add some requirements:
- A copy of the organization's most recent IRS 990 form
- Salary information for anyone who makes more than $100,000
- A statement describing the organization's program serving Knox County and how county funds would be used
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles-form financial statements, including an external audit with a clean opinion for organizations receiving more than $10,000 from the county
- A list of the organization's other sources by general category
Russell wants to remove some currently required items:
- A list of the organization's board of directors and an organizational chart
- Title VI agency certifications
- The organization's most recent Tennessee annual report
The 2025 changes Fox and Russell unsuccessfully proposed also would have forced groups to include a sworn statement saying the funds wouldn't be used to benefit people violating U.S. immigration laws. Russell is not proposing that this time around.
How much money are we talking about? The grants and contracts Russell wants to address come from two buckets in the county budget: The defined service contracts line item and the hotel/motel tax fund. In her proposal, Russell cites $1.91 million for the defined service contracts and $12.5 million through the hotel/motel tax fund, which is only allowed to be spent on promoting "tourism and related economic activity."
In total, the money represents $14.4 million, or roughly 1.3% of the county's $1.15 billion operating budget.
When's the meeting? Commissioners will have their agenda review meeting at 3 p.m. Oct. 19 in the main assembly room of the City-County Building. We don't know for sure whether they'll choose to discuss Russell's proposals. If they don't, they will discuss them at their voting meeting next week.
Study up: Check out the agenda atcommission.knoxcountytn.gov. Click "agenda" and select the "COMMISSION (preliminary agenda)" option.
5 things you may have missed
Here are news highlights you may have missed from last week:
I reported Democrats are pushing their chips into Knox County with a bid to flip a state House seat
I wrote about the proposed Knoxville charter amendment
Tyler Whetstone reported Richard Bean, the former Knox County juvenile detention center director, settled his lawsuit against the county
The Oak Ridger reported an 'Innovation Center' is coming to Oak Ridge schools
I reported a commissioner wants to boot an official charged with punching protester
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Two more people say they're NOT running for Knoxville mayor in 2027
