Tim Kelly (Tennessee politician)

Tim Kelly
Born	(1967-04-03) April 3, 1967 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Known for	66th mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee; co-founder of Chattanooga FC

Tim Kelly (born April 3, 1967) is an American entrepreneur and political figure currently holding the position of the 66th mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He secured his mayoral seat by defeating Kim White in the runoff election on April 13, 2021, with a final vote count of 15,969 to 10,662.

Early life and education

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 3, 1967, Tim Kelly is the son of Betty Sue and Patrick Kelly. He completed his secondary education at Baylor School in Chattanooga in 1985. As a John Jay Scholar, he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in German Comparative Literature at Columbia University, graduating in 1989. During his time at Columbia, he shared a dormitory with Brent Forrester, who later became a notable writer for The Simpsons and executive producer of acclaimed series such as The Office. Following his undergraduate studies, Kelly returned to Chattanooga to join the family automotive business. In 2012, he furthered his education by obtaining an M.B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta.

Business career

Upon completing his college education, Tim Kelly assumed control of his family's automotive dealerships in Chattanooga, which initially included a Cadillac and SAAB franchise. Within his first year managing the business, he expanded operations by adding a Subaru dealership and subsequently incorporated sales of GMC Trucks, Hummers, Mitsubishi vehicles, and Infiniti models. In 2001, he established Polaris of Chattanooga and followed this by launching Southern Honda Powersports in 2003. Additionally, Kelly developed mobile applications such as Zipflip and SocialBot. His involvement in the Chattanooga community extends to serving on boards for several organizations including the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation, Benwood, and River City Company. Furthermore, he holds a trustee position at Baylor School.

Chattanooga FC

In 2009, Kelly joined forces with Krue Brock, Marshall Brock, Paul Rustand, Sean McDaniel, Daryl Heald, Hamilton Brock, Thomas Clark, and Sheldon Grizzle to establish Chattanooga FC. The club was created to compete in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which represents the fourth division in the hierarchy of American soccer and is generally regarded as comparable to the USL Premier Development League.

Kelly played a crucial role in facilitating the pioneering public stock offering for an American soccer team, leveraging securities reform legislation enacted in late 2016 that permitted such public investments. Under his leadership, Chattanooga Football Club became only the second major sports organization—after the Green Bay Packers—to publicly offer common stock. By February 2019, Chattanooga FC had surpassed $500,000 in public investment. Notably, 44% of shareholders reside outside the Chattanooga metropolitan region, spanning 44 states and ten countries worldwide.

2021 election

Main article: 2021 Chattanooga mayoral election

On May 21, 2020, Kelly declared his candidacy for mayor, aiming to replace the outgoing Andy Berke, who was restricted by term limits. In the general election held on March 2, 2021, Kelly secured 30% of the vote—the largest share among fifteen contenders. He then triumphed over Kim White in the mayoral runoff election on April 13, 2021, earning 59.9% of the ballots cast. Kelly officially assumed office on April 19, 2021. He has publicly stated that he does not align himself with any political party.

Although an independent, Kelly endorsed the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention in support of her campaign for the 2024 Presidential election.

2025 election

Main article: 2025 Chattanooga mayoral election

Tim Kelly has declared his intention to seek a second term as mayor.