Mayor Andy Berke will speak to PRSA at the January 9 luncheon. He’ll be presenting the Chattanooga Story and the 2019 outlook for the City.
He was elected Mayor of Chattanooga in March 2013 with over 72% of the electoral vote. Immediately following his inauguration, Mayor Berke streamlined government with a top to bottom reorganization that eliminated three departments and saved taxpayer dollars in the process. Since the reorganization, the Berke Administration has relentlessly focused on making Chattanooga streets safer, families stronger, growing middle class jobs, and using taxpayer dollars efficiently.
During the Mayor’s tenure, Chattanooga has seen a number of improvements in quality of life. Through a coordinated approach with the US attorney, the District Attorney, and law enforcement agencies, the City has seen a decrease in both property and violent crime. Since March of 2013, unemployment has dropped more than 2% and over 6,157 new jobs have come to the Chattanooga region. Not only is overall employment on the rise, foreclosure rates have decreased while Chattanooga had the third highest wage growth in the country for a mid-sized city in 2014.
To ensure that this wave of prosperity reaches everyone in Chattanooga, the Mayor has put forth an aggressive workforce development strategy and a number of programs aimed toward increasing economic mobility. In his 2nd State of the City address, Mayor Berke announced that the City would partner with the White House and area nonprofits to end chronic Veterans Homelessness by the end of 2016. Since then, more than 117 veterans have been housed in the Chattanooga area.
While the City does not have authority over the School system, Mayor Berke has put a number of supports in place to help students reach their full potential. Through strategic investments in early childhood education, the City is working to make sure every student is prepared to learn when they enter kindergarten. In 2014, the City received a grant to fund 150 new early learning slots for 2 and 3 year olds. In addition, partnering with a local non-profit, the city has begun Baby University to help parents in need be a newborn child’s first teacher.
Under Mayor Berke’s leadership, Chattanooga has taken bold steps to further harness the unique advantage of having the fastest, cheapest, more pervasive internet in the Western Hemisphere. Following a robust public engagement process, Chattanooga established an Innovation District — 140 acres in the heart of downtown that houses a catalytic mix of start-up businesses, incubators, and accelerators alongside investors and public amenities. In addition, the City has partnered with various nonprofits, businesses, and County Government to launch Tech Goes Home (TGH), a program recently honored for Digital Inclusion Leadership by the National League of Cities and Google. Through TGH, students and seniors receive practical training on how to use the internet safely. After nine weeks of courses, they are given the option to purchase a low-cost Chromebook. To increase connectivity in the home, the City has partnered with EPB to offer a reliable, low-cost, high-speed broadband connection to all families with a child on free or reduced lunch.
For these works, Mayor Berke was named Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County magazine.
Andy is married to Monique Prado Berke. Andy and Monique have two daughters: Hannah and Orly.
You don’t need to be a PRSA member to attend this event.