Republican Betsy Henderson has won the Knox County mayoral election. This is where she stands on the issues most important for you

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Betsy Henderson has won the general election for Knox County mayor, landing herself a spot as the top executive in East Tennessee’s biggest county.

We spoke with Henderson prior to Thursday’s election, and she gave us an outline of where she stands on the issues most important to voters. We also took a look at her background; this isn’t the first public office Henderson has held.

Henderson has a long history in Knoxville, saying her family has had ties here for years.

“My mom is born and raised here in Knoxville,” Henderson said.

She’s also served on the Knox County Board of Education for six years.

That experience on the school board could come in handy. Knox County Schools’ funding regularly makes up the vast majority of the county’s yearly spending. A major change for the school system came just before the election; the county redirected nearly $4 million from the district to fund a 6% raise for county employees.

Henderson said she supported raising employee pay but would have liked to see a more structured process.

“I fully believe that we need to invest in our people and employees,” Henderson said. “But we did it at the school level. We did a salary study. It was a thoughtful process. It was transparent. We brought teachers and staff to market value. So what I would have liked to have seen Knox County Commission do it that way.”

Money doesn’t stop at the school system, though. Henderson also spoke to us about one of her leading campaign promises: keeping taxes low.

“Making sure we do not have a property tax increase is one of the most important things to me,” Henderson said. “We are growing, which is a blessing. But we get to decide what that looks like and preserve the character we love about East Tennessee.”

The mayor-elect also said she plans to form a committee to identify where the county can cut spending.

Top-of-mind for plenty of voters is the growth facing Knox County. Henderson said she’s seen it first-hand, and she wants to see improvements, especially for Knox County’s roads.

“I live in an area that is growing — one of the fastest growing communities in Knox County — yet we live on a two-lane country road,” Henderson said. “So I see my 17-year-old son, new driver, driving these roads every day. So it’s about focusing on those core priorities.”

Henderson defeated Beau Hawk with 52.47% of the vote.