Meet the Candidates: Knox County Commission District 1

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As Election Day approaches, it’s important to know who’s on your ballot. We spoke with local candidates who are all vying for votes in the upcoming election.

The Knox County Commission District 1 seat is up for grabs after Dasha Lundy opted not to seek a second term. That battle ended with Republican candidate Charles Frazier and Democratic candidate Damon Rawls.

“I was vice president of the NAACP. I’ve served on many boards, including the Helen Ross McNabb Drop-in Center,” Frazier said. “I’m a person who broadcasts Knox County football games and connects with our youth. I taught school and my family has been in business here for three generations. I’m connected to the community.”

“I started the Knoxville Black Business Directory during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote and support Black businesses,” Rawls said. “We now offer entrepreneurship classes to help build more Black businesses. I was involved with the Urban League as a young professional in my 20s.”

While they both believe they are the best candidates for the job, if elected, they want to tackle two different issues. Rawls said the county needs to find a way to address the homeless problem.

“We should do a better job of providing services that get more people out of poverty who are homeless,” Rawls said. “By that I mean finding housing and so on. The things they need to be good citizens.”

Meanwhile, Frazier wants to ensure local schools are providing a quality education to students.

“The school system is constantly changing and we don’t want to have failing schools in our district and in our community,” Frazier said. “One of the things I want to do is build an enrichment center to help our kids. This enrichment center would be open after school, where kids could go to eat and get tutoring and even continue to do that during the summer as a permanent educational facility.”

Frazier also added that he wants to help district residents find jobs in the Knox County system. Rawls said he wants to make sure District 1 gets more funding from the county to help programs and places like the Knoxville Area Urban League and SEED do a better job.

If you want to make your voice heard sooner rather than later, you can act soon. Early voting for Knox County begins Friday, July 12.

The elections will include the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, State Senate, as well as local elections for county commissioners, board of education seats and more. You can vote early until July 27, and if you don’t vote in time, you’ll have to wait until August 1.