State, Hamilton County candidates debate
Five of the six candidates running for the House District 28 nomination and the two candidates competing for the Hamilton County Commission District 4 seat debated several issues Monday evening, with some taking more conservative stances on certain issues.
House candidates Dennis Clark, Yusuf Hakeem, Melody Shekari, Jacqueline Thomas and Brandon Woodruff, all Democrats, debated before a crowded room at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Student Center. Lemon Williams, the only Republican candidate, was not present for the debate.
County Commission candidate Christopher Dahl and incumbent Warren Mackey also addressed issues on the local level, though they did not have as many questions as the state-level candidates.
Among House District 28 candidates, the majority agreed on most topics, such as making public schools more equitable, ending the privatization of prisons and ensuring affordable health care and affordable housing.
Some sided a little more on the conservative side, however, when it came to topics such as legalizing marijuana.
“I want to remind people that we’re talking about getting high,” Clark said. “I do believe that medical marijuana is a necessity … I urge us to be very careful with this. We need more research. We need more studies to make sure that we’re not creating a gateway to other uses of drugs like the opioid crisis that we have.”
Hakeem supported legalization and called it a “cash crop.”
“It is a means of monies coming into the state, and it’s something we should look at moving forward,” he said.
Woodruff, however, noted that if marijuana is legalized for its medicinal purpose, it’s likely that many pharmaceutical companies will profit from legalization of a substance that has resulted in jail for many people.
“[We need to] find out how we could distribute the jobs that would be created from legalizing medical marijuana and make sure the people in the community that have been affected by [it] being criminalized are actually now being able to get jobs and stay out of jail,” he said.
On the topic of supporting Planned Parenthood, all candidates supported the organization, but a couple had reservations about its history. They did not offer clarification other than urging the audience to do their research. Nevertheless, those who had concerns still supported either the organization or the work it does.
“There is a past that you need to learn about and what it originally started out for,” Thomas said. “But … they do more than just abortions. As a woman, I have the right to make my own decisions because I have a mind to make that decision, and I think we should be afforded the right to do that.”
Shekari pointed out that Planned Parenthood helps young women get access to medical treatment they may not be able to afford otherwise.
“That is very valuable,” she said. “If this helps more women get access to wellness checks, then I think it’s a positive thing.”
Questions for county commission candidates focused on education, including how to fund better vocational training programs.
“The superintendent, I think, is doing a very good job,” Mackey said, pointing to the Future Ready Institutes that help students graduate ready to work.
Dahl repeatedly called for audits of the school system’s budget, despite regular reports following the district’s budget planning.
“It seems like a lot of dollars is exiting our school system and it’s unnacounted for,” he said.