Photo by Dan Andrews.
Councilman Marshall Stair, left, and Focus publisher Steve Hunley, right, congratulate Councilman Nick Della Volpe on his successful reelection last Tuesday night.

By Tasha Mahurin

Tasha@knoxfocus.com

“Knoxville continues to be a great place to live and work- a city with a bright future.  I will continue to work for sound healthy neighborhoods and rational economic growth, and I will continue to speak out on behalf of our citizens,” Nick Della Volpe told The Focus following his win last week.

The 4th District councilman was re-elected to another 4-year term on Knoxville’s City Council over challenger Rick Staples.

A Holston Hills resident and veteran attorney, Della Volpe has been involved in the community for over 40 years and looks forward to a second council term.

“I greatly appreciate the support and vote of confidence from the voters and the generous help I received from neighbors and friends during the campaign. Despite a light turnout, I think the voters turned away a pitch from the special interests behind my opponent,” Della Volpe told The Focus, citing opposition from special interest groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police and the Firefighter’s Association.

Della Volpe defeated Staples with 51.67 percent- garnering some 2,068 votes to Staples 1,934. (The Knox County Election Commission reported only 4,349 of 105,000 eligible voters cast ballots.)

Looking forward, Della Volpe maintains the $200 million deficit in the city’s employee pension fund will continue to be an important issue.

“I am not against reasonable pension benefits for our city employees, but we need to keep any such plan affordable and fiscally sound going forward. We can’t stick our heads in the sand.  We need to talk openly about the problems and fix them before they fester,” he added.

He also looks forward continuing the effort he spearheaded to revitalize the business community in and around Knoxville Center Mall.

On a related note, 6th district City Councilman Daniel Brown handily defeated challenger Pete Drew with 77.42 percent of the vote. The 6th District seat represents portions of East Knoxville, downtown and a number of West Knoxville neighborhoods along Interstate 40.

Council members Nick Pavlis (1st District), Duane Grieve (2nd District) and Brenda Palmer (3rd District) ran unopposed in last week’s election and will all serve second terms.