From the Mayor

Friends,

This year has been extremely challenging for our community. COVID-19 has taken more than 100 lives in our county, infected more than 12,000 Hamilton County residents, and many of our friends and family members have been impacted physically, mentally, emotionally, and economically.

The continued spread of the virus has disrupted our economy and our way of life. We’ve had to change the way we worship, the way we do business, the way our kids learn, and the way we work at our jobs. We’ve had to alter the way we cherish our loved ones during birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries.

Despite these challenges, I am confident we continue to persevere because throughout this pandemic we have continued to rise above the adversity by working together — after all, that’s the Chattanooga Way.

We can prevent the spread of COVID-19 by wearing face masks, practicing safe social distancing and good hygiene, and following the guidelines and recommendations of our local medical experts.

In addition to these everyday measures, the City of Chattanooga continues to support those in need. From offering rental and utility assistance, to small business support, and to our recent plan to create a new emergency homeless shelter, the City will always find ways to assist individuals and families in need who have been impacted by this pandemic.

Our community is best served when all our residents make their voices heard to the government. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if you have questions or concerns that we can help with. There’s a few ways for you to contact my office, by phone at 423-643-7800, by email at mayor@chattanooga.gov, and you can also find the latest information regarding COVID-19 testing, resources, and announcements by visiting cha.city/covid.

Working together is more important than ever, which is why I’m also grateful for the resilience of every member of our community. We’re grateful for the support and partnership of La Paz, who has worked with us throughout this pandemic to meet the needs of our residents. Earlier this year we saw that our city’s Latino community was disproportionately affected by the spread of COVlD-19. La Paz worked closely with us to create more public awareness about the pandemic so that we could flatten the curve -- which we did.

On behalf of everyone in the city of Chattanooga, please know how much 1 appreciate your dedication and diligence during these difficult times. Together, we can overcome these challenges and come out of this more resilient than before. Thank you for all you do and please stay safe.

Sincerely, Andy Berke

Mayor Andy Berke City of Chattanooga

“Our community is best served when all our residents make their voices heard to the government. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if you have questions or concerns that we can help with.”