Former Chattanooga City Council member Demetrus Coonrod issued a statement Friday saying that resignations within the Hamilton County Democratic Party are not a matter of routine turnover, scheduling conflicts or a lack of commitment.
“These departures reflect a deeper, systemic issue that has created a culture many individuals, particularly Black members, young leaders and those unwilling to acquiesce to certain internal power structures no longer feel safe or respected serving in,” Coonrod said in her statement.
Coonrod, who lost her primary contest against state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, in 2024, has been a critic of the local Democratic Party in recent years.
Earlier this week, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that most of the Hamilton County Democratic Committee leadership has resigned, including party Chair Nikwonn Robinson, who was elected in March as the first Black woman elected to lead local Democrats.
Tammy Barnes, the remaining member of the leadership panel, will serve as interim chair until the Executive Committee meets next week to determine next steps.
Kathy Lennon, who resigned in April after serving as vice chair for less than a month, told the Times Free Press that there have been 11 resignations since April.
Chris Anderson, a member of the Democratic State Executive Committee, told the Times Free Press that three of the resignations were immediately after this year’s convention, including Lennon, and most of the other resignations were over the summer, for various, unrelated reasons.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Democratic Party leadership, including chair, resigns)
In January, Lennon, a former school board member who lost a state House race in 2024, ran for the county party chair, with Robinson as her vice chair.
But at the election in March, which saw an explosion of local engagement, Robinson was nominated to run against Lennon as a candidate for chair and accepted the nomination, surprising many.
At the previous party reorganization in 2023, 59 people attended, but 300 attended the party gathering earlier this year to choose Robinson as the successor of Rachel Campbell, who was elected to head the state organization.
This year, the local GOP has experienced significant change as well. Activate Hamilton, a slate of candidates led by Signal Mountain resident Gail Greene, defeated former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond and his team to head up the GOP. That election, too, saw increased local party engagement, with three times the typical attendance.
In her statement Friday, Coonrod said Democrats are resigning because the internal environment has become increasingly toxic, controlling and dismissive.
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“Numerous individuals have reported feeling silenced, undermined, talked down to or sidelined when raising legitimate concerns,” she said in her statement. “These experiences have been especially pronounced among Black members, whose voices have too often been met with disregard or hostility, while others in similar situations have been met with grace, patience or protection.”
Coonrod said in her statement that the local party needs to confront its culture problems, including “backroom decision making and top-down control.”
“Good people will keep walking away. Talented people will continue being pushed aside,” her statement said. “And the party will continue losing credibility with the very communities it claims to represent.”
Coonrod told the Times Free Press on Friday, when asked if she still considered herself a Democrat, that in the past, she had identified as a Democrat and often voted consistently with the party.
“However, I have matured. I’ve realized that choosing a single party isn’t the best approach for me,” she said. “I now consider myself an independent voter. I support candidates regardless of party who I believe truly represent my values and will advocate for issues that matter to me.”
Robinson did not respond to a request for comment.
(READ MORE: Preserve Chattanooga opposes rezoning of historic Patten Parkway property for apartments)
Barnes said in a statement that the Hamilton County Democratic Party is a multigenerational, multiracial, diverse group of people who are fully committed to the work of making “our county, state and nation a better place to live for everyone.”
She said the Executive Committee, candidates and elected officials are representative of that diversity.
“The leadership and Executive Committee members are aware of a long-standing history of racism and disenfranchising the Black community in Hamilton County,” Barnes said in her statement Friday. “As chair, it is my goal and responsibility to repair that relationship and bridge that divide by rebuilding trust and showing up in every way possible. Our Black caucus takes that commitment very seriously and works tirelessly to support the greater Black community and increase participation and representation in the party.”
Barnes said local Democrats will continue to fight to bring down food and housing costs, ensure greater racial equity and increase participation in local government.
Contact projects editor Joan McClane at jmcclane@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6601.
