Indya Kincannon (City of Knoxville Mayor, Tennessee, candidate 2023)

Indya Kincannon (Nonpartisan) ran for election to City of Knoxville Mayor in Tennessee on November 7, 2023.^[1]

Elections

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

Indya Kincannon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kincannon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Indya Kincannon was sworn in as Knoxville's 69th Mayor on December 21, 2019, with a commitment to putting people first. Prior to being elected to office, Mayor Kincannon had a diverse career and extensive record of service including 10 years as a member and Chair of the Knox County Board of Education, where she pushed for high quality public schools in every neighborhood. Mayor Kincanon was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning. Prior to that, she earned her B.A. in history from Haverford College. Mayor Kincannon is married to University of Tennessee Law Professor Ben Barton and is the proud mom of two daughters. She resides in North Knoxville and can often be found on the city’s trails and greenways walking her dog, Romeo.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Public Safety: Knoxvillians must feel and be safe - we are pursuing a comprehensive, 21st Century strategy to ensure the safety of all of our communities. This includes a fully staffed, professionally trained & accountable police force, including new KPD leadership; officer-worn body cameras; enhanced mental health services for individuals experiencing crises and community-based violence interruption programs.
Inclusive Economic Development: Just as we need to feel safe to thrive, Knoxville must also have an economy that works for everyone. So many wish to start and expand their businesses in Knoxville - since 2020 we’ve added over 2000 new jobs, record numbers of building permits, and $650m in new developments just in 2022. Our priority is for every neighborhood to be a place of opportunity. That means being proactive and equitable in our investments, and working to heal the scars of the past, such as urban renewal.
Affordable Housing: A thriving, connected city must also have an accessible, healthy housing market. Knoxville needs more housing – of all types and price points – for all types of families. One of our priorities has been to Preserve - Restore - and Grow the local housing supply and help families stay in their homes. The housing crisis is real -- and we're leading the charge to fight it. We established the Affordable Housing Fund, a 10-year, $50 Million investment in safe, high quality, affordable housing. Thanks to this sustained investment, we’ve helped build roughly 1,500 new, affordable homes for Knoxville families since 2020.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

There are so many exciting areas of public policy and so much possibility for positive change - in addition to affordable housing, it would probably the role that cities like Knoxville can play in combating the adverse effects of climate change. Thriving cities need to be resilient - floods, fires, extreme heat are now facts of everyday life - climate change affects us in very tangible ways. To ensure a livable city for future generations, we are taking bold, progressive steps not in five or ten years, but now: providing lower cost solar power options; electrifying our city fleet and public buses; building more and more greenways to promote viable, clean energy transportation options like walking and cycling.

Our vision for Knoxville’s future is a city that is safe and affordable; beautiful and growing sustainably & equitably, a city that is inclusive; strong and caring. Our dream is for Knoxville to be known across the world for its innovative, green economy. For Knoxville to be known as a welcoming home for people of all races and backgrounds, a community where our lesbian, gay, and transgendered neighbors feel loved, supported, and equal. In four years, Knoxville can be a city where every neighborhood is a community of opportunity.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.