Five candidates are running for the District 6 seat on City Council this year, the largest number in a single contest. 

The District 6 shares a border with every other council district.

The hopefuls are Lawrence Williams, Denzel Grant, Stan Johnson, George Raudenbush III and Charles Frazier. They are vying for the seat currently held by Gwen McKenzie, who could not run for reelection because of term limits.

The district is assumed by many to include only East Knoxville, but it encompasses Downtown, Mechanicsville and Marble City as well. The 6th is the only district to share a boundary with every other district in the city, and some of its neighborhoods are among the city’s most economically challenged. 

Politically, the district is the bluest sector of the city. Its voters have overwhelmingly supported Democrats at all levels for decades. The city’s only minority-majority district, the 6th has elected an African-American representative to City Council every election since the district framework was put in place in 1969.

Because of the size of the field, we split the District 6 candidate profiles. Today we focus on Raudenbush and Frazier; our profiles of Williams, Grant and Johnson can be found here. 

Charles Frazier

At 70 years old, Frazier has spent much of the past several decades behind microphones and in front of cameras across Knoxville, but now the longtime broadcaster is one of five candidates running to represent the city’s 6th District, a community he says deserves better, cleaner streets; safer neighborhoods; and more transparent leadership.

“I love my community,” Frazier said. “And I’ve been here doing the work. As a broadcaster, a business owner, I’ve given to this community in every way I can.”

Frazier’s deep ties to Knoxville began long before his name hit the radio. He was born and raised in Knox County, attending Armstrong School during segregation before transferring to Carter Elementary and eventually graduating from Carter High School in 1972.

His family history is one of service and entrepreneurship. He said his grandfather was a teacher and property owner, while his father ran Frazier’s Barbecue in the Burlington community for over 30 years. When his father passed away, Frazier ran the family restaurant while also launching a career in media.

At just 17, Frazier began working at WBIR, Channel 10. By 19, he was producing and directing shows on public television. “I made the transition to public TV early, and I stayed there for 25 years,” he said. “I loved using media, radio and television to educate and bring people together.”

Today, Frazier hosts a weekly television program on Knoxville Community Media, “Charles for Knoxville,” and is a broadcaster for Austin-East Magnet High School football games on WJBE-FM, Knoxville’s Black-owned radio station.

“I’ve been broadcasting Austin-East games off and on since the 1980s,” he said. “When the minority radio station lost its signal, I came back. This is the 13th straight year of bringing those games back to the community.”

Beyond broadcasting, Frazier shared that he has worked in education, teaching at Vine Middle School and substitute teaching at Austin-East, and pursued higher education at multiple institutions, including the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Tusculum University and Logos University, an online Bible college based in Jacksonville, Fla.

He’s also been a fixture in Knoxville’s business scene. From running the family barbecue joint to managing sales at WJBE, Frazier believes he understands what local entrepreneurs need, and he says the city isn’t doing enough to support them.

“In the heart of our district, we’ve seen a Dollar Tree close, Save-A-Lot close and even a Kentucky Fried Chicken,” he said. “That tells you everything. If a KFC can’t survive in the inner city, we’ve got a real problem.”

Frazier is an outspoken critic of the city’s recently proposed sales-tax increase, saying it would place an unfair burden on working-class residents.

“We don’t need higher taxes,” he said. “What we need is smarter spending. Let’s streamline the budget before we go asking struggling people to pay more.”

He’s also been vocal about transparency in public funding, especially in response to fiscal issues involving SEEED, a local nonprofit led by fellow candidate Stan Johnson. SEEED once served as the fiscal sponsor for Turn Up Knox, a violence-interruption group whose contract with the city ended last year amid questions over financial management.

“It’s public money,” Frazier said. “And if you’re getting public dollars, the public deserves to know how it’s spent. I don’t believe in secrecy. I believe in accountability.”

Frazier has run for office unsuccessfully three times in recent years. He ran for the District 6 City Council seat in 2017, the Knox County Board of Education in 2022 (as a Democrat) and the Knox County Commission last year (as a Republican).

For Frazier, revitalizing the 6th District means addressing public safety head-on. He wants to address violence and prostitution in the inner city, issues he says are holding the community back.

“We can’t turn a blind eye to this. Businesses close early because people don’t feel safe,” he said. “We have to clean up our neighborhoods, not just physically, but socially.”

That cleanup also includes advocating for youth programs and economic development, which he believes go hand-in-hand with safety.

“I’ve been working with young people for years, giving ties to kids, jackets to our quarterbacks, mentoring wherever I can,” Frazier said. “But we also have to give our young people jobs, housing, a path forward.”

Frazier is also focused on development projects that have had an impact on the district, including Covenant Health Park and the failed proposal to build a science museum funded by the Clayton Foundation.

“I think it’s unfortunate the science center didn’t happen. That land should have been used to uplift our community,” he said. “Whatever comes next, it needs to serve us.”

He believes the city fell short in ensuring that Black-owned and women-owned businesses were fully included in those projects and says he would prioritize building relationships to change that.

“Prosperity in Knoxville should not stop at the edge of East Knoxville,” he said. “We have to make sure our businesses share in that growth.”

From broadcasting to feeding over 900 people at a free meal event in Five Points, Frazier says his campaign is a continuation of the service he’s already been doing.

He helps fundraise for neighborhood events like the Walter P. Taylor Homecoming and supports programs that spotlight Black excellence in Knoxville. And he doesn’t plan to stop — win or lose.

“Love is giving and giving and forgiving and forgiving,” he said. “That’s how I was raised. That’s what my mother would say. And that’s how I lead.”

George Raudenbush III

Raudenbush, known to many in the community as “Cat Daddy,” doesn’t want the job he’s running for. In fact, he’s said so publicly during campaign forums.

“I really don’t want the job,” Raudenbush said in an interview. “But somebody’s got to do it, and I haven’t seen anyone else step up who knows how to fix the problems we’re facing.

Now 61, Raudenbush has been a resident of Parkridge since 2014. He has lived in Tennessee for nearly three decades and spent much of his life running youth-focused nonprofit work through his organization, Appalachian Youth Missions. Today, his efforts also include a feral-cat rescue and youth sanctuary, projects that earned him the nickname “Cat Daddy.”

“I’ve never taken a dime of taxpayer money,” he said. “Everything I do is powered by volunteers and people who care.”

His professional background also includes serving as a guardian ad litem in Florida, where he was appointed by the state attorney general to advocate for children in high-profile abuse cases. He studied culinary arts and has a background in early-childhood education. Though he’s reluctant to emphasize formal credentials, Raudenbush believes experience, not paper, makes a leader.

“My background is in early-childhood education, and I attended culinary school,” he said. “But paper and certifications don’t mean you can do the job. The question is: Can you identify the problem and fix it? That’s what the people need.”

Raudenbush had a dramatic encounter with law enforcement nearly 15 years ago, according to state and federal court records. On Dec. 30, 2010, he drove off from a traffic stop in Monroe County and was later convicted on multiple charges, including felony evading arrest. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the trial judge erred by allowing Raudenbush to represent himself. Raudenbush was convicted in a second trial. He was sentenced to four years of probation.

Raudenbush filed a civil-rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, alleging the use of excessive force and denial of medical care. His case was dismissed and his appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals was denied. The U.S. Supreme Court declined his petition for a writ of certiorari on Jan. 25, 2021.

Initially, Raudenbush had no plans to run for City Council. He said he reached out to every candidate who had filed to run for the District 6 seat, hoping to find someone he could support.

“Only one called me back – Lawrence Williams,” he said. “And he told me he hadn’t figured out his platform yet.”

Disappointed by the lack of preparation and urgency, Raudenbush decided to step in himself. His campaign, he says, is about restoring accountability and putting residents first.

“I’m a problem solver,” he said. “I grew up around my parents and people who worked in government and knew how to fix systems. That’s what I do.”

The 6th District is one of Knoxville’s most racially and economically diverse areas, home to many working-class and Black communities. When asked if he believes he can effectively represent those residents, Raudenbush, who is white, pointed to his upbringing in a multicultural, low-income apartment complex managed by his mother.

“I grew up playing with Nigerian kids, Black kids, Hispanic kids, Indian kids — you name it,” he said. “I don’t know what discrimination is because I never experienced it. I just lived with people.”

Still, Raudenbush is quick to acknowledge that he’s not from the community he hopes to serve.

“I wasn’t born and raised here. I’m an outsider,” he said. “But while I’m here, I’ll fix the problems, train someone from this community, and then pass the baton. That’s how it should be.”

If elected, Raudenbush says, he plans to serve only half his term before resigning, after helping to prepare a local resident to take his place.

Raudenbush’s top concern is what he calls a “systemic failure” in Knoxville’s city leadership, which he believes is operating outside the bounds of the Tennessee Constitution.

“Our mayor is telling City Council members what to do. But they’re supposed to represent the people, not her,” he said.

He argues that the city should have established citizen-led committees decades ago to guide decision-making, and he frequently cites Article I, Section 1 of the state constitution: “All power is inherent in the people.”

Raudenbush also expresses frustration with the lack of transparency around public spending. He points to the prolonged closure of the Gay Street Bridge as a symbol of government failure.

“The city got money from the state and federal government to fix that bridge,” he said. “Where’s the accountability? That bridge should’ve been reopened months ago.”

He accuses city leadership of partnering with out-of-state developers and driving gentrification in historically Black neighborhoods.

“She’s not raising taxes directly,” Raudenbush said of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. “But she’s inflating property values. That drives up rent, drives out longtime residents, and it’s hurting small businesses.”

Raudenbush is also firmly opposed to Kincannon’s proposed sales-tax increase.

“I don’t support the sales-tax increase,” he said. “The city already receives plenty of money. The issue isn’t how much we’re collecting, it’s how that money is being spent, and where it’s going.”

Despite his reluctance to hold office, Raudenbush says he hopes voters will understand the urgency of his campaign. He’s not running for status or power; he’s running because, in his view, no one else has stepped up to lead effectively.

“I’m not doing this because I want to be on council,” he said. “I’m doing it because I want our city to work for everyone.”