Clergy agenda

The agenda presented to candidates from the clergy group called for the new mayor to: (neither candidate has committed to adopting this full agenda)

› Create a participatory budget process for the upcoming fiscal year.

› Create job readiness training, meaning teaching soft skills, interviewing skills and connecting individuals with employment opportunities with possible employers.

› Intentionally recruit and hire an African American chief of police and a deputy chief of staff by December 2021.

› Create a special task force to identify key strategies to prevent and eliminate gang violence in Chattanooga. Task force should include former felons and members of the Chattanooga community.

› Partner with Youth and Families Development Centers and faith-based facilities to implement the following:

› After school tutoring

› Parenting skills training, financial training that includes money managing, investments, credit, management, credit recovery, etc. Program should be incentivized for completion.

› Early-childhood education programs

› Promote partnerships with minority and majority business owners to increase development and business opportunities for minorities, i.e., development, contracts, construction, suppliers, housing, excess land/building and services.

› Lead and create conversations for the private sector businesses to create opportunities for minorities to do business with them. Ensure this is part of any incentives package given to businesses.

›Allocate monies for senior citizens to stay in their homes and make necessary repairs, which will ensure home values remain strong in the inner city and wealth is transferred to other generations.

› Hire minorities in senior level cabinet positions and facilitate placement on boards and commissions. Cabinet should reflect the diversity of the Chattanooga community. With this in mind, 40% of cabinet should be men and women of color.

› Create an Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. This office will combine power of government, private and non-profit partners to dismantle systemic inequities and barriers to opportunity due to ethnicity, gender and religion. The department should work to create equity and inclusion among employees, infrastructure and services.