Knoxville, TN
West Hills Community Association
MISSION: The WHCA is committed to informing you about community issues, hosting a variety of events, and listening to your concerns. Our goal is to keep this West Knoxville community aware and engaged. We look forward to meeting you!
Meet. Hear. Vote.
For the first time in WHCA’s long history, we will host a special event to bring the two candidates for the 2nd District City Council seat to meet West Hills neighbors. We’ve also invited our neighbors who live in other parts of the same city council district.
Both Melody Watts and Nathan Honeycutt are looking forward to having a conversation with their potential constituents.
We are hosting this event to give you and our neighbors a chance to question the candidates on topics that matter to you. We want you and the candidates to have an honest, civil conversation about the issues. Candidates are asked to avoid stump speeches. Neighbors are asked to have focused questions related to local issues.
A one-hour conversation with the candidates
The format is simple. This is a one-hour conversation with the candidates. Following a brief welcome by WHCA, our moderator,—Newstalk 98.7 on-air personality, Bob Thomas—will start the evening by introducing each candidate.
The candidates will each be given 5 minutes for opening remarks. Then Bob will ask both candidates the top three questions submitted earlier by neighborhoods across the 2nd District. Each candidate will have up to 2 minutes to respond to the questions.
Following the three neighborhood questions, the audience is invited to ask the candidates to respond to their questions. The same time limit will be up to two minutes for each candidate’s response.
A follow-up question to clarify a candidate’s earlier response will be allowed. Each candidate’s response will be limited to 1 minute.
Bring an open mind, your curiosity, and your questions on any of the many challenges and issues of concern to you and other Knoxvillians.
Some things to think about
This is the first election since new legislation changed the way city council representatives are elected. Gone are the days when voters across the city cast votes for every district rep. Now voters may only vote for a single candidate in the district where they live. So in this election, we can only vote for either Watts or Honeycutt.
In this new reality and with the city on the verge of irreversible change brought on by unbridled growth spurred by short-sighted political decisions, knowing who may be our next district representative and understanding their perspective on critical issues, it is more important than ever to become well informed before committing to one candidate or the other.
Is this representational government?!
• The population of the city of Knoxville is just under 200,000 people.
• Only 1 in 5 of just under 100,000 eligible Knoxville voters voted.
• There were 3,000 fewer votes in 2023 than there are registered voters in our district.
• Mayor Kincannon was elected in 2023’s primary with only 9,429 votes—less than 10%of eligible voters! She was elected because according to city law, if a candidate for mayor receives more than 50% of the votes cast in the primary election that candidate is declared the winner of the mayor’s office.
• A total of 16,394 voted in the 2023 primary—16.8% of all eligible voters.
• Prior to the 2023 election another example of low voter turnout is our current rep on city council. Andrew Roberto, was elected in 2021 with 7,142 votes out of a city-wide base of almost 100,000 eligible voters.
2025 2nd District Primary Vote Numbers
• As of July 17, 2025 there are 97,382 active registered voters in Knoxville.
• There are 20,060 registered voters in our district.
• 20.6% of Knoxville’s registered voters live in our district.
• Only 1,954 people voted in the 2nd District.
• 20,060 of us are eligible to vote.
• Only 10% of us voted in the primary.
Turn the numbers around!
Your West Hills Community Association is providing an opportunity for you to meet the candidates, question their positions, hear their responses, and formulate your deceion on who you want to vote into office to represent your voice on City Council for the next four years.
Meet the candidates on September 29th. Vote early (October 15-30) or vote on election day (November 4th). Whatever works, just vote.
For the good of our neighborhood and our city, thanks in advance for your interest and your vote!
Lee Hume, WHCA President 2025–2026
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Topics include West Hills Community, a Neighbors’ Interview, Garden Club, and West Hills’ Dogwood Trail.
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