Tyler Whetstone

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

The race for five Knoxville City Council seats begins in earnest Friday as interested candidates can pick up their nominating petitions for the first time.

Knoxville voters will replace five City Council seats this fall as the terms for Councilmen Nick Pavlis, Duane Grieve, Brenda Palmer, Nick Della Volpe and Dan Brown are ending.

The petitions have to be signed by at least 25 registered voters and returned to the Knox County Election Commission by noon on May 18.

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, in a news release Monday, encouraged people to get involved.

“It’s important that Knoxville residents engage in the election process and understand where the candidates stand on issues,” she said. “When we choose our Council representatives, we’ll be helping to chart the direction of the City for years to come."

Here are the candidates who have indicated they are running and have filed a treasurer appointment, the first step in the process of running for city council:

1st District

Greg Knox

Knox is a South Knoxville native who has worked as a software developer the past 10 years and said he wants Knoxville to become a smart city with technology and wants to continue to see South Knoxville grow.

“I’m a South Knoxville native with generations of families there,” he said. “I love South Knoxville and where it’s headed. I think it has the most potential of any district with what’s coming about (and) I want to keep it going and I have some ideas of keeping it going.”

Andrew Wilson

Wilson's campaign Facebook page lists him as a member of the East Tennessee Libertarian Party and someone who is passionate about land use and maintaining neighborhoods by putting people over politics.

"I want to be a voice for the citizens of District 1, to let them know that they are heard," Wilson said in a message to the News Sentinel. "We want our booming economic growth to represent diversity in business by supporting responsible development. We want an increase in sustainable home practices and garden spaces. We want safer streets and sidewalks for our families to grow and prosper in. I'm proud to represent those voices."

2nd District

Andrew Roberto

Roberto is a Knoxville native who served as a Knox County Election Commissioner until recently and is a partner with The Lawyers of Brown & Roberto. He said he wants to work to better the city.

“I have been blessed to grow up in Knoxville, to be educated here, to be raising my two daughters here, to be a small business owner here,” Roberto said in an emailed statement to the News Sentinel. “I believe in Knoxville, my future is here and I want to serve on City Council to secure those same blessings for all of us and give back to the community that has done so much for me and my family.”

Wayne Christensen

Christensen has lived in Knoxville for more than 35 years and has called the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood home for the past 30. In April he retired as executive director from Knox Youth Sports where he worked for 20 years. He said Knoxville has been generous to him and his family and he wants to give back.

“I’m just grateful for the good life that Knoxville has given me … we’ve learned to love this place more than ever,” he said. “We’ve just fallen in love with the place more and more and we’re very grateful for our lives and I want to give back.”

David Williams

Williams lives in Pond Gap and has been a private math tutor, mostly for high school and college students, for nearly 40 years. He said he wants to help people. Williams ran unsuccessfully for an at-large Council seat in 2015.

“I’ve tried to help people, I think that’s my life calling. I just want to help neighborhoods all across the city,” he said. “When elected you represent your district and the whole city…if I can just help someone in life that’s fulfilling.”

3rd District

James Corcoran

Corcoran is a lawyer and Knoxville native who ran against Rep. Martin Daniel last fall for Daniel’s statehouse district, but lost in the Republican primary. Corcoran said much of his practice deals with families impacted by drug use and mental health issues. He also serves on the Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals.

"I am running because I believe I have relevant experience to help our city collaborate with both the state and county governments to work on addressing the substance abuse and mental health issues facing our city (especially considering the disappointing and alarming recent increases in overdoses and drug related-deaths), while keeping our city attractive to both businesses and neighborhoods," Corcoran said in an emailed statement to the News Sentinel.

Jody Mullins

Mullins is a West Knoxville resident and former member of the Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory Council. Before that Mullins was active in the Cumberland Estates West Neighborhood Watch group. He said he wants to contribute to the city.

“I realize the neighborhoods are the hearts and soul of the city and I will do everything in my power to strengthen the neighborhoods in Knoxville,” he said. “I love the city and my neighborhood and by serving for the 3rd district I look forward to doing good things for Knoxville.”

4th District

Lauren Rider

Rider is a North Knoxville native, community organizer and is the co-chair of the Broadway Corridor Task Force and former president of Old North Knoxville Inc. She is the campus librarian at Pellissippi State Community College’s Division Street campus and said she wants to bring downtown’s development elsewhere.

“I think Knoxville is moving in a very positive direction and downtown redevelopment has been a success story,” she said. “After years of working with District 4 businesses and neighbors I’d like to focus on championing that forward progress up the corridors from downtown. Because stronger corridors make stronger neighborhoods.”

Harry Tindell

Tindell is a Knoxville native and was a state representative for the 13th District from 1990-2012 and a member of the Knox County School Board before then. As a representative, Tindell served on the finance committee and was the budget subcommittee chairman. He said his experience will help him on Council if elected.

“I think that my longevity in the community and my experience in the community and in government will bode well with the city as they change faces (on the Council) due to the term limits that are coming up,” Tindell said. “My goal, if elected, would not be to radically change things because things are going well, but rather to build on the success we’re already enjoying.”

6th District

Michael Covington

Covington is an East Knoxville resident, works as an industrial consultant and is active in the community serving as the moderator of the East Knoxville Community Meeting forums since 2014. He said he wants to bring District 6 into cohesion with the rest of the city.

“I’m running for the 6th District City Council seat to provide this community with innovative and assertive leadership that will get things done in ways that mirror the successes realized in other parts of Knoxville,” Covington said in an emailed statement to the News Sentinel. “If elected, I’ll bring these skill sets to the office enabling me to get results that yield positive outcomes for residents of District 6.”

David Gillette

Gillette is a community activist who was born in Mechanicsville but grew up in District 6. Gillette has served on the Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory Committee for three years and last March was named the Diana Conn Good Neighbor of the Year. Gillette said he will raise the bar with engaging the community.

“My campaign slogan is TLC, which stands for Trust, leadership and commitment. Pretty much what District 6 is lacking now is trust, leadership and commitment,” Gillette said. “There is a disconnection with our local city government. Due to the fact that there’s so much going on to where the trust is just not there. They need a leader they can depend on and they need someone who is committed.”

Shawnee Rios

Rios has lived in Knoxville since 2011. She moved to the city because of its diversity and progressiveness and said she is a proponent of every marginalized minority group. Rios is on the board of directors for Rationalists of East Tennessee, the treasurer of the Atheists Society of Knoxville and is the founding director of the Freedom From Religion Foundation-East Tennessee Chapter.

“I believe in my community. District 6 is a fantastic community that doesn’t necessarily get the attention it deserves and needs, and I want to be a voice for them and representative for them. Together we are a voice of change.”