Two individuals have taken the first step toward running to become the city’s new mayor in 2019.
Eddie Mannis, former chief operating officer and deputy to Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, has appointed public relations-marketing specialist Jennifer Holder as treasurer of his campaign. This allows him to start raising money.
On Monday, Indya Kincannon filed her appointment of treasurer – Kelly Johnson, making true the longtime rumor of her interest in following Rogero’s lead. Johnson is the owner of Johnson Family of Restaurants, which are in Sevier County. Johnson is a Knoxville resident.
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Kincannon left her job with the city as special program manager on March 30, which was Good Friday and also her 47th birthday, she said.
Since she planned to run for mayor, she didn’t want to put Rogero in a difficult spot in her position, she said.
Since then, she has attended meetings that are city-related, listening to what people are saying, and events like the Knoxville Area Urban League’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The city-related activities are meetings on re-code Knoxville, a process to update the city’s zoning code, and healthy ways to plan, a series of programs sponsored by the Knox County Health Department, MPC and Transportation Planning Organization. These topics tie in with her priorities, she said, which are strong neighborhoods and a healthy community.