Henderson kicks off mayoral campaign
By Ken Lay
Betsy Henderson takes on tasks during difficult times.
“I moved to Washington, D.C., on 9/11 to go to work for Congressman Duncan,” said Henderson, who kicked off her campaign for Knox County Mayor Tuesday night at Louis’ Restaurant and Drive-In in Fountain City. “Then, I was elected to school board and was there during COVID.”
Henderson, chair of the Knox County Board of Education, is seeking to replace Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who is term-limited. She is running against Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay in the Republican Primary. Another candidate, Mike Hammond, recently withdrew from the race for health reasons.
He is now supporting Henderson and was in attendance Tuesday at her kickoff event.
“Mike has dropped out due to a health concern and he’s supporting me and he’s going to be here tonight,” Henderson said during an interview before the gathering.
Henderson decided to run for mayor because she said Knox County stands at a crucial point.
“Knox County is at a crossroads and we’ve had good conservative leadership,” she said. “We need to continue to have good conservative leadership in Knox County.
“I have a heart for service, whether it be with the school board or working for Congressman Duncan or being county mayor. I worked for Congressman Duncan and I’ve served ever since.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Henderson, the District 6 representative on the school board, was an advocate for keeping schools open and fighting the mask mandate.
“I fought to keep schools open and I fought to keep our kids out of masks,” she said.
As Knox County Mayor, Henderson said that she would champion small business.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Henderson said. “Small business is in my family’s roots. My mom and dad were small business owners. My dad came here from Greece when he was 16 and he opened a restaurant.”
Henderson noted that throughout her campaign that she will tour small businesses in Knox County.
“I appreciate small business and we’re going to do a small business tour,” she said.
Any candidate who seeks political office must have family support and Henderson is no exception.
“My family talked about it and we prayed about it,” she said. “My husband is helping and my kids are involved and my parents are involved.
“It takes the whole family and that’s why we talked about it and prayed about it.”
If elected, Henderson said she would keep taxes low and preserve East Tennessee’s way of life.
“I want to protect our values and I want to sustain smart growth,” she said.
