Infrastructure, Fort Henry Mall top priorities for incoming Kingsport BMA members

KINGSPORT — Winners from the Kingsport mayor and alderman races had more thoughts to share Friday following the unofficial election night results. Incumbent Paul Montgomery secured his spot as mayor for another two-year term after garnering 5,199 total votes. Montgomery faced perennial candidate Tim Sanders, who received 1,792 votes. These totals are combined from the Sullivan County and one Hawkins County precinct (Allandale) that participate in the city elections. Montgomery said he is "very pleased" with the citizens of Kingsport giving him another opportunity to serve. "I am humbled and honored with the amount of votes that I received," he said. "I think that speaks well for our city." Montgomery said some of his continued areas of focus involve infrastructure, Kingsport Dental Clinic of the Appalachian Highlands and the mall. "Paving is still a top priority, top of mind, he said. "So we've got to figure out how we can do more paving, pothole fixing. We've got to continue our work with our dental school efforts. I think we can see progress there. I think you're going to see the Fort Henry Mall change, and I think that's going to be a good change." Changing of the guard Of the three alderman seats up for grabs, Julie Byers, Richard Isaacs and Calvin Clifton claimed those spots with the most votes. Byers led the group with 4,329 votes, followed by Isaacs (3,657 votes) and Clifton (3,260 votes). The third alderman seat was decided by a mere 25 votes between Clifton and Tom Segelhorst who received 3,235 votes. Joshua McMillan saw 2,484 votes. The three winners will now join Morris Baker, Darrell Duncan and James Phillips and Paul Montgomery of the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen after being sworn in on Sept. 1. Byers said she is honored to have been a winner this election, calling it a "long journey" with lots of hard work. "I really appreciate the support the community showed," she said. "I appreciate the support of my friends and family, and I'm ready to serve Kingsport." For Byers, she mentioned looking forward to working on bringing mid-sized businesses to the Model City -- as well as wanting to reduce homelessness. "I think we need to do some economic development in that direction to keep our tax bases low and let businesses pay for the taxes instead of the people," she said. "... I've been walking the mall every morning for election season, and I have several epiphanies on what we can do to make it a center for Kingsport and make it a destination site." Similarly, Isaacs showed his appreciation to friends, family and neighbors who rallied behind his campaign. "First and foremost, I want to thank the Lord for blessing me to have the opportunity to serve my city," he commented. "And I want to thank the voters and the citizens of Kingsport for allowing me the honor and the privilege to represent them on the board of mayor and aldermen." As a newcomer to local politics, Isaacs said he is hoping to bring fresh ideas and different views to the board while also enhancing what is already in place. He said he is excited to become more involved with the business side of BMA's work. "I know that we've got a beautiful facility at the Fort Henry Mall, and people may say, 'Well, that's a pipe dream, you aren't going to revitalize the mall,' but why not?" he asked. "Business attracts business, and I think we've got some exciting announcements coming up." Clifton expressed his gratitude for the chance to serve Kingsport and said he looks forward to being a part of the BMA. "Throughout my career I've been involved in local government," he said. "I am honored for this opportunity and look forward to serving in an elected role. My focus has always been and will continue to be on infrastructure. We must maintain and replace our infrastructure on a proactive basis."