Chattanooga mayoral candidate Robert Chester Heathington Jr. challenged campaign frontrunner Andy Berke and his family to make more of an effort to deter crime at Woodlawn Apartments.
“I think you should have the decency, or your family should have the decency, to clean it up,” Heathington said this afternoon at a news conference.
He said Woodlawn Apartments, located in East Chattanooga, is one of the worst crime areas in the city.
Heathington acknowledged he is not saying Berke is a property owner, but he said records show Berke’s family owns the property.
The Berke campaign responded with a statement.
“As one can see from examining property records, Andy Berke has no ownership in the Woodlawn Apartment Complex, either through a partnership or personally,” the statement read. “He has no decision making or management authority and has no personal connection to the property.”
For more information, read tomorrow’s edition of the Times Free Press.
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
