Four candidates are vying for two general election spots in the Aug. 26 primary contest for Knoxville’s 3rd District City Council seat.

The 3rd District in Northwest Knoxville is the city's most purple political sector.

Two business owners who are political newcomers — Doug Lloyd and Frank Ramey — will be on the ballot against a couple of veterans of numerous campaigns — Ivan Harmon, who has successfully won Council and Knox County Commission seats in the past, and Nick Ciparro, who has never won.

The seat is currently held by Seema Singh, who could not run for reelection because of term limits.

The district encompasses Northwest Knoxville, from Middlebrook Pike to Clinton Highway, with Western Avenue serving as its backbone. Neighborhoods include Dowell Springs, Amherst, Cumberland Estates, Pleasant Ridge and half of Norwood.

Politically, the district is the most purple sector of the city. Singh, one of Council’s most progressive members, failed to win the primary in 2017 but won in the citywide general election. She won the primary in 2021. President Donald Trump narrowly carried the district’s precincts in the 2024 election.

This year, three conservatives who align with the Republican Party are running against one candidate who aligns more closely with Democrats. City elections are officially nonpartisan, however, so the candidates’ party affiliations won’t be noted on the ballot.

Nick Ciparro

Nick Ciparro is winless in five previous bids for public office since 2003, including two previous attempts to win the 3rd District Council seat. He’s also run for the state Senate, Congress and Knox County Commission.

In his most recent run for the 3rd District seat, with backing from the Knox County GOP, he finished second in the district-only primary to Singh by 6 percentage points. He lost the citywide vote in the general election by 11 points.

A resident of the Fair Oaks neighborhood, Ciparro said he’s running his campaign mostly on funds he loaned himself, and doesn’t have outside entities supporting him through campaign donations. His 2nd quarter financial disclosure report did not note the loan or its amount.

“I’m completely self-funded,” he said, using signs from that prior campaign. “People seem to kind of like that.”

Ciparro is canvassing on afternoons and weekends in the 3rd District, with infrastructure and growth as his two top issues. He also wants to control spending in the city.

“I hate to do that folksly analogy like, ‘If this were our house and you want a Ferrari, but make only $30,000 a year, then why are you trying to buy a Ferrari?’”

He applied that thinking to city spending, calling City Council members “career politicians" and accusing them of acting as a rubber stamp for the policies of Mayor Indya Kincannon.

“This is what our city does,” he said. “They’ve been spending money like crazy.”

City budgets have larger than prior years, but projections call for continued growth in sales and property tax revenue, though slower than expected.

Among other issues, Ciparro points to traffic solutions on busy stretches of roads in the 3rd District. While developments and apartment complexes are built in the area along stretches of Merchants Road, he said that side streets aren’t wide enough to handle the new neighbors or traffic. He said people in the district aren’t against growth, but want it done well.

“They’re all working, they’re all trying to make their families better.  They’re not like ‘Hey, I hate new people,’” he said. “They’re like, ‘dDo you see the traffic on McKamey (Road)?’”

New apartments in that area have caused more traffic on smaller roads, he said.

“Who did not think about this?” Ciparro asked. He mentioned other areas where traffic is heavy in the district along Western and Ball Camp Pike.

While discussing traffic ills, Ciparro levied a shot at Singh.

“I hate to say this, but we haven’t been represented in eight years,” he said. “I mean, (Singh) doesn’t live here. She lives in a downtown apartment. We all know that.” (Singh’s home address on the Knoxville.gov website is listed as 1012 West Park Drive.)

“I’ve lived at this address for seven years,” Singh said when reached by phone on July 15, “and my parents have lived down the street for 45 years.”

Ciparro, 45, is the director of innovation at Carbon Rivers Inc., which is located in the 3rd District. He works there with his wife, Eva, and his son Leo goes to school in the neighborhood. Looking citywide, Ciparro is critical of projects to build a pedestrian bridge from the University of Tennessee to South Knoxville, the construction of Covenant Health Park, and other expenses.

“That’s where our money’s been going,” he said. “That’s why they’re asking for more money, the sales tax and all that.”

He said that the current elected leadership in Knoxville is “running up the credit card.”

Ciparro opposes the local option sales tax increase proposal. Putting the sales tax vote on the ballot, he said, should increase voter turnout. City Council elections regularly have some of the lowest turnout among local elections in Knox County.

“I don’t want any new taxes,” he said. “If they budgeted the money right, they wouldn’t even need this.”

Being “real” is part of his pitch to voters, which includes some of the challenges to projects and ideas like the stadium and sales tax, among others. He invites dissension, as well.

“Give me the facts,” he said. “If you can display facts, a logical person can then either process it or they can rebuke it.”

Ivan Harmon

Ivan Harmon is a well-known politician in Knox County. He served two years on Knoxville's school board back before city schools merged with Knox County Schools in 1987, and he was on Knoxville City Council in District 3 from 1990 to 2001. Over 2002-2010, Harmon served as a Republican on the Knox County Commission, representing District 6.

Harmon, 77, began working in the city after leaving the Army in 1973, working at a grocery store, eventually moving up to store manager. He and his wife, Jane, have three children and five grandchildren.

These days he works part time at Rusty Wallace Honda, but he worked at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office until 2021 when an internal investigation found he and other employees used inmate labor improperly. That investigation came under current Sheriff Tom Spangler, after former Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones announced he was running against Spangler in an upcoming Sheriff’s race. Jones, who hired Harmon after he left Commission, called the firing political.

That, and a story Harmon tells about himself during former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe’s administration shows just how deeply he’s connected to local politics.

“Victor Ashe said he needed me on city council to be a ‘yes’ vote,” Harmon said.

As for his platform in this election, Harmon is running on issues like homelessness, no new taxes, and that age shouldn’t be an issue for his campaign while comparing himself to recent U.S. presidents.

“Age has nothing to do with politics,” he said. “I hope that there ain’t an age discrimination thing, like people say with Trump. With Trump, they thought he’s too old or Biden’s too old. You know, you’re only as old as you feel.”

Harmon sat at an island in his air-conditioned kitchen at his home for the interview, offering Grainger County tomatoes, fresh peaches and a tour of his man cave in his home’s basement. A sign above the door reads “Man Cave” and he’s quick to point out a doe with antlers that he killed. Male deer are the ones with antlers, usually.

Harmon hasn’t raised much money so far in the election cycle, pulling in $2,750 as of June 30.

On issues, he wants support for the city’s elderly and aging population. Traffic is a concern for the district as well. He opposes a proposed sales tax increase. Harmon said that homelessness is an issue in the district and in the city.

“Schaad Road has a lot of homeless people living on private property. That needs to be addressed,” he said. “I know these people gotta have a place to live, but we need to try to encourage them to seek shelter.”

From there he transitioned into finding ways to help people keep up with their yardwork, even personally.

“I’ve done that when I was on City Council,” he said. “I would go cut trees. People would call me and say, ‘I’ve got a situation I can’t take care of, the city is after me,’ and I’d go — I used to cut trees a little bit.”

Back to homelessness as a city issue, Harmon said that education could help.

“They’ve got to be trained to maintain their property, or their area where they’re staying,” he said. “They don’t do it. There’s a lot of pack rats living in homeless camps.”

Shelters provide some assistance, he said, but permanent supportive housing could also help. Vacant property could be bought through tax sales to build affordable housing. As for who could handle the education on property maintenance homeless, he suggested city staff.

“The police would be good at that,” he said. “The Fire Department could do that.”

Harmon pointed to downtown parking as an issue, and that it’s complicated when it involves a phone for paid on-street parking. “We need to be more simple,” he said. He suggested another parking garage could help if it’s “simple and accessible.”

On the city budget, Harmon suggested looking closely at spending.

“I’m not talking about the people or employees, I think they’re getting shafted a lot of times too,” he said. “But I sort of look at what (Elon) Musk did with the government, he went in and pinpointed things that money was wasted … he found a lot of money that could have been cut back.”

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was responsible for wholesale firings of government workers, layoffs and other closures. A Wall Street Journal report found an estimated $150 billion in savings was tiny in comparison to an overall $6.8 trillion in spending.

“I think we may have some of that in the city,” Harmon said. “I don’t know till you get there.”

He leans on his experience with the city, as an employee and elected official, to be of help if he’s elected.

“You call me, I’m going to get some kind of answer to you,” he said. “I want to be accessible and responsive.”

Doug Lloyd

Political newcomer Doug Lloyd is the president, CEO and co-founder of Lloyd’s Electric Service. Lloyd said he started the company in 1982 at a kitchen table with his father in the Amherst neighborhood.

“I was born and raised in the 3rd District,” Lloyd, 67, said. “I’ve lived here most of my life, as (have) most of my family.”

And his family has been in the Knoxville area for generations, he said, adding that his great-great grandmother came to Knoxville in a covered wagon to settle here.

Lloyd married his high school sweetheart, Debbie, and they have one son and four grandchildren.

Lloyd leads in fundraising, relying heavily on Republican donors and others who have pumped more than $26,000 into his effort. His campaign manager is conservative consultant Erik Wiatr.

Since Lloyd started campaigning, he’s knocked on hundreds of doors, and most people in the district told him they want good city services.

“Most people want their roads fixed. They want their garbage picked up. They want to maintain good police and fire protection,” he said. “They don’t want any homeless camps in their neighborhood, and basically they want to be left alone. They also don’t want any silly spending.”

He said that he’s heard people complaining about an out-of-district issue, a pedestrian bridge connecting the University of Tennessee to south Knoxville.

“Oh, my goodness, they do not want a pedestrian bridge,” he said. He added that Knoxville Police Department spending on mounted officers also got some people upset. “That seemed like a foolish idea.”

He suggested that the cost of the mounted officers could instead be spent on police cruisers, to “be a bit more practical.”

Lloyd said he does not plan to be a “yes man” if elected. He said he’s learned how to handle coalition-building during his four years’ time on the Knox County Zoning Board of Appeals.

“If we can find any logical way to help these citizens … I certainly do,” he said. “Oftentimes we are very successful at that.”

Historically, Lloyd has, through his company, donated some time and resources to the city. He previously helped with lighting the Christmas tree downtown, or handing out water during events. But, over time, he said, the city has become more difficult to work with. He added that he would take a look at the city’s inspections and codes enforcement efforts.

He said that the permitting process for some construction is too slow for his liking. “The employees at the City County Building, that work for the city, seem to hide behind the wall up there, and they want you to do everything via a website,” Lloyd said. 

About five years ago, if there was an issue with a permit or inspection, he said, it was possible to have a conversation directly with people to solve matters.

“But right now it’s very difficult to talk to anyone in a meaningful manner,” he said, adding that he has easier access to staff in places like Chattanooga and Oak Ridge.

He supports more infrastructure development, including sidewalks and sideroads, in the 3rd District. He also opposes the proposed sales tax. 

Elsewhere in the city, Lloyd, he’s disappointed that city leaders have not asked KPD to participate in federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids on immigrants.

“A lot of the people I talk to want to know why the mayor isn’t terribly interested,” Lloyd said.

“I would absolutely have (KPD) participate with ICE, and participate with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said he sees his business sense helping inform his decisions on City Council, if he were elected.

“I’ll tell you what, 43 years in business, I know how to make a budget. And I know how to stick to it. I can live within my means. And, I think, if I were on Council, I could help the city live within theirs,” Lloyd said. “I would like to see more meaningful cuts in city spending, rather than ask for more money every time you look up.”

That said, he said that the Gay Street Bridge needs to be repaired or replaced. Currently it’s planned to become a pedestrian-only bridge in the short-term. Lloyd wants the span open to vehicles, or replaced.

“It’s just that simple,” Lloyd said, “and that should be a citywide decision. You know, it certainly affects every single citizen in some aspect. For me, I have 30-some service trucks on the road. We cross into South Knoxville 10 times a day.” 

Frank Ramey

Frank Ramey, 38, is running for City Council for the first time.

He’s raised and lived in District 3 for most of his life, from elementary to high school. He graduated from the University of Tennessee and traveled to work with Lowe’s, but has moved back to raise his family and work. He is the president of BulkMunitions.com, which sells wholesale ammunition for firearms. The company sends 10 percent of profits to Christian-based nonprofits that support the 2nd Amendment.

“Pretty standard,” he said of his family. “Wife (Kate), two kids and a dog. My kids go to elementary school in our district.” Ramey also owns some commercial property in the 3rd District, and flips houses.

The Cumberland Estates resident has lived there since 2014, and said he knows his community from childhood and being there for more than a decade. He’s running on security, among other issues.

“Folks are always concerned about porch pirates,” he said, speaking about people who steal packages after they have been delivered. “And just general safety … they want to know that the places are being patrolled.”

He said that KPD does good work in neighborhoods, but added he would like to see neighborhood liaisons in place.

“From what I understand it no longer exists … it would be good to go back to that one point of contact,” he said.

Ramey added that more traffic safety along Western Avenue is needed. “They turned it into a five-lane superhighway, straight shot,” he said, “with no consideration for traffic calming.”

He said that work would be done with the state and to calm traffic on the highway. A pedestrian bridge over Western needs a greenway connection to be useful, which the city could assist with.

Citywide, he said that housing supply needs help, and suggested easing permitting.

“Is there red tape we can cut? I know a whole lot of folks have complained about how difficult it is,” he said. “Friends of mine that develop and build (complain) how difficult it can be to work within the city.”

He said that delays in permitting and inspections can squeeze smaller developers who may not have capital to wait on project delays. He added that Chattanooga has a good model for permitting that Knoxville may be able to learn from.

“I looked into it, and (Chattanooga has) it nailed down a little bit better,” he said. “It worked in Tennessee.”

Best practices learned from other communities such as Chattanooga or elsewhere could be useful to help inform Knoxville’s path forward, he said.

In other citywide issues, Ramey said he’s still gathering input from people about the sales tax increase referendum and hasn’t taken a position on whether he’s for or against it just yet. He thinks that the referendum should have a sunset clause built into it, so that the tax handles specific projects and then ends.

“The projects are done, and then what? The projects are done and then it just becomes another tax,” he said. “I would push for additional referendums after the projects are done to vote up or down on (whether) to keep the tax.”

As a business-minded person, Ramey thinks about whether the levers available to the city are being used in the best way.

“It’s good to know,” he said, “can we pull things back?”

On the campaign trail, Ramey said he’s knocking on doors when possible. He’s missed a couple forums, but plans to join the League of Women Voters 3rd District forum on July 22. People in the 3rd District can expect to see mailers soon. 

The bulk of Ramey’s campaign funding has come from a $4,900 loan he made to the campaign. He hasn’t been paying a campaign manager, but has donated to candidates in other districts who are being advised by Democratic consultant Jack Vaughan.

Ramsy said he’s heard from voters about finances and safety as primary issues.

“A lot of folks are just pinched,” he said. “And a lot of it is safety. People want to make sure of that.”

He’s telling voters that to make a strong community it’s important to be in the community. Ramey said he plans to be available to 3rd District voters.

“I know the city and care about the city, and I care about them,” Ramey said. “It’s a great place to live for everyone.”