The Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors (GCAR) hosted the first forum for the Chattanooga Mayoral and City Council candidates on Wednesday, Jan. 11 for its members and the local media.
GCAR and its RPAC (Realtor Political Action Committee) hosted the event at its Amnicola Highway office. The morning session was for the mayoral candidates and the afternoon session was for the City Council candidates. Both sessions were moderated by Becky Cope-English, the 2017 Chair of the RPAC Trustees.
As English guided the meetings, she posed questions to each candidate. These questions ranged from crime and violence, to job creation and economic development, to education and job training. At the end of each session, members of the audience were invited to ask questions. You can watch both sessions at livestream.com/gcaronline.
Why are Realtors engaged in local political elections? The answer is simple but reveals an important truth: Realtors are advocates for personal property rights and issues that can affect real estate values.
Every member of GCAR was encouraged to attend, even if they don’t currently reside within the Chattanooga City limits, and several hundred members came to one or both of the sessions. The general consensus was that if a member planned to list or sell property within Chattanooga in the next four years, then they needed to be up to date on the issues and opportunities in every corridor.
GCAR’s involvement in local issues is not a new practice. Over the last year, GCAR and its RPAC have been engaged in the Hamilton County School Board elections, Assessor of Property elections, Form Based Code policy creation, PILOT program and Thrive2055 – to name a few. In addition to the Chattanooga City elections in the spring, GCAR will be engaged in the evolving storm water solution and short term vacation rentals policies in 2017.
Once you have viewed the above referenced videos and know who you want to cast your vote in support of, you can begin early voting on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Election day is Tuesday, March 7.
The Greater Chattanooga Association of REALTORS is The Voice of Real Estate in Greater Chattanooga. The Association is a regional organization with more than 1,700 members and is one of more than 1,400 local boards and associations of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. GCAR services Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. Go to www.GCAR.net for more information.