In politics, success comes from planning, working, money and luck. And the greatest of these is luck.
Which brings us to Lauren Rider. The District 4 city council member picked up her petition April 6. She’s going for a second term from the district that previously brought us Nick Della Volpe, Rob Frost and Carlene Malone.
After four years, Rider can claim:
Economic Development
- Amazon to build at the vacant East Towne Mall
- Restoration of the old St. Mary’s site (together creating over 700 new jobs)
Neighborhoods
- New sidewalk at Old Broadway, linking Fountain City to downtown
- Greenway extension on First Creek at Broadway Shopping Center
Safety
- Relocated KPD headquarters to District 4 (old St. Mary’s)
- Funding body-worn cameras on police officers
- Real-time tracking and texting for KAT buses
This is a powerfully strong record. You can call it completion of projects launched or visioned by others. You can call it luck. But Rider holds the seat and the results are hers. It will be tough to out-promise this record.
Sandra Clark is editor/CEO of Knox TN Today.