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Editor’s Note: This is the first in a multi-part series based on the Morristown Chamber Candidate Forum. Video coverage of each of the candidates will be available online at www.citizentribune.com.

There was more consensus than contention at Monday night’s Morristown Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum.

Throughout the forum – which lasted just over an hour – there were several recurring themes as the seven candidates who have qualified for the May 2 municipal election spoke to a small crowd in the Walters State International Lyceum.

The candidates included six running in contested races:

• Incumbent Mayor Gary Chesney and challenger Rob Burke

• Incumbent Ward 2 councilmember Chris Bivens and challenger Katy Tindall Klose

• Incumbent at large councilmember Ken Smith and challenger Joe Senter

• Incumbent Ward 2 councilmember Al A’Hearn who is running unopposed

Each candidate gave opening remarks, answered each of the chamber-provided five questions and had closing remarks.

The area of highest consensus? Traffic infrastructure, logistics and planning is a massive issue facing the growing community.

The area of highest contention? The purpose of Morristown Landing, the recently completed recreation and events center on the West End of Morristown.

Chamber Board Chairman John McClellan welcomed the crowd and the candidates to the forum and offered thanks to the chamber’s legislative committee before turning things over to moderator Debra Williams.

The first question drew the most agreement as the chamber asked the candidates their view on the biggest issue facing Morristown and how they’d fix it.

“Our incredible growth over the past year is stretching our infrastructure to its capacity,” Burke said, adding the growth brings various benefits to the city and its people. “I applaud the chamber and the council for some of the steps that were taken to be in this position. However, with our population exceeding 30,000 people and our daytime numbers around 120,000 … we need to ensure our infrastructure can handle our growing needs.”

Burke said his plan to help address the issue lies in city staffing, widening roads, maintaining roads and synchronizing traffic lights.

“We need to recruit the best men and women that the area has to offer to work for our city and we need to give them the necessary tools to do the best job possible,” he said. “We need to retain this staff with a highly competitive salary and benefits package. We need to consider projects like widening roads whenever possible and continued maintenance of others.”

Chesney – the incumbent mayor – also pointed to the challenges to the city’s infrastructure and traffic flow.

“We’re experiencing significant population growth,” he said. “Largely the result the chamber’s had in industrial recruiting and existing companies’ expansion. It’s created a very healthy job market … I believe we’re meeting the housing demands but traffic flow is a problem.”

Chesney pointed to the Highway 160 survey and planned improvements on East Morris Boulevard as well as the addition of turning lanes and GIS cameras on traffic lights to facilitate traffic flow.

He said the key is building relationships with the decision makers who fund state road improvements.

“I think the way we make improvements to keep traffic flow ahead of traffic growth is to maintain the excellent working relationship our city department leaders have with decision makers at the Tennessee Department of Transportation and our LAMPTO organization,” he said.

Chesney said LAMPTO – the Lakeway Area Metropolitan Planning Organization – was largely responsible for winning the $23 million grant that will change the look of South Cumberland and Radio Center.

“This is what I see as a significant challenge and this is how we’re dealing with it now and in the future.”

A’Hearn agreed with the other candidates that traffic flow is a major issue but said the community needs a new industrial park. The current three are filling fast, he said. And Morristown needs to be ready to offer a fourth industrial park.

The mayor’s race was also the scene of the biggest conflict throughout the night with Burke claiming Chesney wasn’t available enough to the public as mayor and Chesney pointing to a “very wide difference of experiences” between himself and Burke.

Other questions the candidates faced included talking specifically about their expertise and what they could bring to city government as well as the next large civic project the city needed to consider to which several candidates pointed to a performing arts center as something the community wasn’t financially ready for but should begin to think about in long term planning.

More than one candidate mentioned looking backward and making changes to the Morristown Landing mission away from a recreation and events center and more towards a community center.

Asked what one change they’d make in city government, Smith said he’d like to get more youth involved in city government, maybe even consider an intern program while Senter said he’d like to see the government be for all the people and that he would support term limits.

Finally the candidates were asked about building coalitions to get things done rather than being a solitary voice on the council.

For more from the forum, please see upcoming issues of the Citizen Tribune or go online to www.citizentribune.com.