KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Knox County’s primary elections are slated for Tuesday, May 5, and a major East Tennessee office will be on the ballot: Knox County mayor.
Four major players — Kim Frazier, Beau Hawk, Betsy Henderson and Larsen Jay — have put their hats in the ring for Knox County’s executive office. Hawk has filed as a democrat, while the other three will face off in the primary race in May.
All four candidates have listed their priorities for running East Tennessee’s largest county, and many of those priorities focus on growth.
Public safety
Kim Frazier
Like conservatives across the country, Frazier’s plan for community safety centers heavily on first responders and law enforcement. Key goals for Frazier, listed online, are making sure responders receive competitive pay and increasing access to training and equipment.
Also listed as priorities for Frazier are public outreach and a holistic approach to ensuring public safety.
Beau Hawk
Listed among Hawk’s priorities for public safety is ensuring full pension benefits to Knox County Sheriff’s Office employees. He claims the office’s previous attempts to doll out pensions were a “rip off.”
More broadly, Hawk’s website also lists training and equipment as top priorities for ensuring Knox County safety.
Betsy Henderson
“Law and order must be a top priority, and as your Mayor, I will work alongside our law enforcement, first responders and the judicial system to ensure East Tennessee remains a place where criminals are held accountable, families are protected and emergency services are strong and effective” is how Henderson opens her plan on public safety.
Henderson shares a conservative approach to public safety, emphasizing law enforcement support. Chief among her concerns, according to her website, is an under-paid and under-staffed sheriff’s office.
The former school board member points to Knox County’s sweeping teacher raises, which Henderson said were the product of strategic spending and reducing overhead.
Henderson is also the only candidate, republican or democrat, to mention the sheriff’s office’s 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE). The agreement sees Knox County’s jail act as a temporary holding place for immigration detainees.
A previous investigation by WVLT News found that the deal costs the county. In just a few months, housing federal inmates cost taxpayers more than $100,000, as of early 2025.
Larsen Jay
Like other candidates, officer pay is a top priority for Jay. On top of increasing pay, Jay lists investing in more patrols as a top priority.
Jay has also pledged to continue “Knox County’s history of outstanding veteran services.”
The economy and your wallet
Kim Frazier
For Frazier, making sure Knox County residents thrive means supporting business big and small. Her website lists “supporting the business community” as a priority for her campaign.
“I will encourage pursuit of public-private partnerships and small business access to capital to help finance small and large public-sector projects, spread risk and make the economy prosperous by considering investment opportunities, launching employment opportunities, supporting local businesses and increasing the standard of living for all citizens,” her website reads.
Beyond working with businesses, Frazier has said she wants to make sure Knox County has a competitive workforce. Goals for her include attracting quality businesses to the area and investing in workforce education.
Beau Hawk
Cost of living is a highlight for the Hawk campaign. His website points to stagnating wages in an area of the country that’s becoming more and more expensive, saying “housing costs and rents are outpacing income, and the middle-class, single-earner household is becoming a thing of the past.”
Well-paying jobs are Hawk’s answer to an expensive county; he’s even committed to raising the minimum wage for Knox County employees to $15.
Betsy Henderson
Henderson’s top issue that you’ll see front and center anywhere in her campaign: no tax increases. Instead, Henderson points to responsible budgeting and natural growth for increasing the county’s budget.
Bringing in strong businesses is also a priority for Henderson.
“I will work to attract industries that align with our values, offering meaningful employment without sacrificing our way of life,” a statement from her website reads.
That piece about aligned values in important; in almost every aspect of her campaign, Henderson at some point mentions her aim to keep the “feel” of Knox County and its values alive.
“Not all businesses are the right fit for East Tennessee. We must be strategic in attracting companies that respect our community, our workforce and our way of life,” Henderson’s campaign priorities list says.
Part of keeping that small-town feel is investing in small business. Henderson, the daughter of local store owners, calls small business “the backbone of our economy.”
“As Mayor, I will work to cut unnecessary regulations, streamline the permitting process and reduce government interference so that small businesses can grow and thrive,” her website reads.
Larsen Jay
“Fiscal responsibility” and “keeping your taxes low” are key pillars of the Jay campaign.
Jay’s website says he’ll focus on a fiscally responsible government with a focus on reducing unneeded assets.
Infrastructure, roads and growth
Kim Frazier
Frazier’s policies on growth, as outlined on her website, focus on growing with a purpose rather than rashly reacting to the influx of new people moving into East Tennessee.
“Strong infrastructure and a healthy local economy go hand and hand. Both directly impact our quality of life and influence how the private sector invests in our county,” her website reads.
Frazier, a longtime Knox County commissioner, puts road repairs and investments at the top of her infrastructure priority list. She also mentions the Knox County Comprehensive Land Use and Transportation plan, an established guide to development in Knox County.
Beau Hawk
Hawk places the current county administration at fault when it comes to Knox County’s roads.
“Each year, traffic gets worse and county politicians do nothing to address it,” his website reads. “Knox County residents deserve to get to work and home without wasting hours stuck in traffic or paying for pothole damage to their vehicle because of our under-maintained roads.“
His fix, he says, is in a proactive approach to infrastructure. His own website shares similarities to his republican opponents, focusing on an intentional approach to investing in a growing population.
Where Hawk differs is his approach to public transportation. His website reads “He supports bold investment in infrastructure, exploring public transportation options beyond city limits and building smart, long-term transportation plans that adapt proactively and grow with our communities.”
Betsy Henderson
“Smart, Conservative Growth” is how Betsy Henderson describes her plan for an ever-crowding Knox County. She’s published a 17-page outline of her vision for the county.
The two-term member of the Knox County School Board bashes the existing growth plan for Knox County, Advance Knox, that saw a controversial creation.
“I did not vote for that plan because it opened up over 9,000 acres of rural land for development across Knox County,” Henderson’s website reads. “I have heard from people across Knox County that they don’t support this effort, but the politicians keep pushing it forward.”
Instead, Henderson’s growth priorities seem to be in conserving East Tennessee’s rural, southern identity.
Larsen Jay
Jay’s top road-forward priority is speeding up the repaving cycle of aging thoroughfares in Knox County. He also lists “strategic road improvements” as a top issue, aiming to reduce traffic.
Like Henderson, Jay also emphasizes keeping East Tennessee’s identity stable as a priority.
