Caring about Knoxville in different ways
The District 4 city council election features two smart, articulate yet off-beat candidates. Both appeared at a forum on September 30 sponsored by Fountain City’s Town Hall and Business & Professional Association. Radio guy Bob Thomas moderated at Fountain City United Methodist Church. It was fun.
Take, for instance, the role of Mayor Indya Kincannon.
Matthew DeBardelaben said the mayor is supporting him. She signed his petition, as did incumbent District 4 council member Lauren Rider, who is term limited. Learn more about Matthew here.
Jeff Talman listed Kincannon on his financial disclosure, saying her instigation of a sales tax increase on the ballot was an “invaluable” gift to his campaign. Learn more about Jeff here.
DeBardelaben is voting for the increase; Talman is opposed.
“We both care about Knoxville. Just in different ways,” Talman said.
DeBardelaben, a commercial real estate broker, said he would “bring creativity” to the city council. According to his website, Matthew has lived in “Miami, Alabama, Seattle, Chicago and Nashville, as well as for six years in Shanghai, China. Each of these places shaped his views on urbanism, community and diversity on his way to Knoxville,” he wrote.
Talman, a mortgage loan officer, is more traditional, but with his own brand of quirk: “Knoxville at times is a ‘go along to get along’ city,” he said. “I see opportunities everywhere” and he won’t hesitate to advocate for ideas on the council – not just rubber-stamp the mayor, he said.
Housing & Economic Development
DeBardelaben said 1/3 of Knoxville residents are renters. “I am a renter,” he told the gathering of neighborhood advocates and business leaders. He said 120 people here get an eviction notice each week. “People should pay their rent,” he said, but the city has a role in counseling these folks before they become homeless.
“Get government out of the way; keep costs and taxes low,” said Talman. “The city is run like a candy store. We need sharp pencils on the budget. … I want the city to do what only the city can do.”
“A bad process beats a good idea any day,” said DeBardelaben. “It takes a year to get projects through the city’s permitting process.” Just one way to help with housing is a “single egress” code for multi-story apartments – one staircase instead of two. That would be cheaper to build and would give more room in each dwelling, he said. Most building codes require two stairwells in residential buildings higher than 3 or 4 stories as a safety precaution.
Talman said the city has “bought into the Biden idea” of “paying costs up front to mitigate possible climate change in the future.”
Sidewalks/ bike lanes/ miscellaneous
Talman said, “If anywhere needs a pedestrian bridge, it’s Broadway,” stressing the heavy traffic and schools on both sides of the road.
DeBardelaben said he would advocate for “truly protective bike lanes,” and would prioritize sidewalks around parks and schools.
Neither candidate mentioned a city program to cut, in response to a question.
Neither candidate advocated a crackdown on undocumented migrants. Talman said “removal (of migrants) is not the city’s business.” DeBardelaben said, “we have a problem, but we need (federal) immigration reform.”
Both agreed that Knoxville government sometimes lacks transparency.
Questions:
Both candidates have raised about $13,000. Why did Talman spend over $9,000 of his to a law firm?
And why does DeBardelaben wear that same blue workshirt every day?
At the conclusion, Talman gifted DeBardelaben a copy of James Webb’s book Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America.
Talman said afterwards he wanted Matthew to “understand how we (East Tennesseans) got this way.”
DeBardelaben wore a shirt tag: Matthew DeBardelaben.
Talman wore a shirt tag: I am Charlie Kirk.
The election is Tuesday, November 4, 2025. One of these guys will win. Early voting is October 15-30.
Magpies acquired by Real Good Kitchen owner
Bailey Foster, owner of Real Good Kitchen, Knoxville’s first full-service shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator, has officially acquired Magpies Bakery, the Central Street bakery known for its “all butter, all the time” cakes, cupcakes and desserts.
“Magpies is a Knoxville treasure, and we are honored to carry its legacy forward,” said Foster. “We want the community to know that nothing is disappearing. Magpies’ cakes and desserts aren’t going anywhere. This is about building on a strong foundation and helping Magpies thrive for years to come.”
Notes & Quotes
Washington Post White House reporter Jacob Bogage is doing what he calls “a lightning round” of what’s opened and what’s closed during the federal government shutdown. It’s high tech, as shown by the red and green fans he holds up. He is also answering questions on LinkedIn. Link here.
Joe Littleton, SouthEast Bank chief information security officer, said his bank and others are participating in the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign to alert customers to potential scams. The Federal Trade Commission estimates consumers lost $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, an increase of 25% over 2023. Info: BanksNeverAskThat.com or BancosNuncaPidenEso.com in Spanish.
Quote: A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. – George Bernard Shaw
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