Holt kicks off campaign for Knox County Commission
By Ken Lay
Garrett Holt officially announced his intention to run for Knox County Commission late Thursday afternoon at a kickoff event at Scramble Jakes in Rocky Hill.
Holt, 29, said that his intention is to serve and give back to the citizens of Knoxville and Knox County.
“I’m not a politician. This is not about politics, it’s about public service,” Holt said. “The biggest question I get is why. I love the people of Knoxville and Knox County. Knoxville is my home, it’s our home.”
Holt, who will seek the District 4 seat on the commission, ran unsuccessfully for a spot on Knoxville City Council during the last election cycle.
He didn’t stay out of the arena for long. He said that he is answering the call that came to him as a teenager and student at West High School.
“I felt the call to serve when I was about 14 or 15 years old when I was in the Key Club,” he said. “I love Knoxville and I think we should feel fortunate to live here.
“I look around this room and I see people who have helped me, by being a friend, and I want to give back to all of you.”
Although he’s spent the majority of his life in Knoxville and feels that the county has been run well, he said that Knox County needs to manage its unprecedented growth in recent years.
“The county has been run pretty well, but we need to look five, 10 or 15 years down the road at our infrastructure and we need to be proactive,” he said. “This is not the same Knoxville that I grew up in.
“People are coming here more than ever before and we need to pay our teachers and our county employees more.”
Holt also said that he would work to improve roads and traffic patterns throughout the county.
As he expressed gratitude to his supporters, Holt promised to always do the right thing for the citizens of Knox County.
“I’m not the perfect candidate and I’m not a perfect person, but if you want the guy who will do the right thing when no one is looking, then I’ll be that guy, I am that guy,” he said.
