Mayoral Candidate Kelly Mocks Death of Limbaugh; Supports Radical Agendas, Personal Gains At The Expense Of Chattanooga

Published February 19, 2021

Chattanooga, TN – Mayoral Candidate Tim Kelly has made it clear that he does not hold to Conservative values personally or in his business practices. 

With his mocking of the death of Conservative radio pioneer, Rush Limbaugh, yesterday, his support of UnifiED and the moving of his car dealership from Chattanooga to East Ridge for personal gain, it appears Kelly may not be looking out for the best interests of Chattanooga and its citizens. 

In a now deleted Facebook post, Tim Kelly said he “took great pleasure” in reading Rush Limbaugh’s obituary. 

The office of Tim Kelly has refused to comment on Kelly’s post other than to say, “He made no comment.” 

When the Tennessee Conservative broke this story on Social Media yesterday, it received a flurry of reactions from Chattanoogans. 

Kelly, himself, posted on The Tennessee Conservative founder’s Facebook page, “I was a listener for many years, but he drove the country further and further apart over the last ten. As the Mark Twain post said, I don’t wish anybody dead. The last thing I want to do is drive people further apart, however, so I’ve taken that down.” 

Resident and Attorney, Ruth DeLange, answered to Kelly’s post. 

“I don’t agree with you at all about who has divided this country. But I appreciate you trying to be a uniter. Rush offended me often when I was young. But I came to appreciate his insight on the garbage the left has been slinging at the people. I think in the case of this iconic voice of conservatism passing, especially from such a horrible disease, discretion being the better part of valor, in this community to say nothing nice would have been better left unsaid. I feel Mark Twain would concur,” DeLange said. 

Regarding Kelly, resident Lupina Haney said “His real belief system has been exposed.” 

“What kind of person hates like this?  Not someone I want in a position of authority. I pay taxes in Chattanooga but no longer reside there. I wish I could vote because we have had some horrible mayors and looks like it’s getting worse,” said Cay Jadoobirsingh. 

A couple of other Chattanooga Mayoral candidates issued their statements in response, the others chose to remain silent. 

Chistopher Dahl said, “It doesn’t matter whether you like a person or not, it’s very tacky to speak like that about them, especially after they are dead.” 

George Ryan Love said, “I did not always agree with Rush Limbaugh. I don’t believe mocking his death is good for anyone. It’s better to look at his words and ideas and discuss where you agree or disagree. The man has a family and many Chattanoogans listened to him and mourn his loss. I would never mock anyone’s death. Kelly is not the kind of Mayor we need. He already sold off property and took tax dollars out of Chattanooga to make more money for himself. He is clearly not the leadership we need. I send my condolences to the Limbaugh family.” 

WGOW AM, where Limbaugh’s radio show was broadcast in Chattanooga, has among the highest concentration of small business owners as a listening audience in the city.  

These small business owners represent a large portion of the job creators in the community and they share the values of small government, economic freedom and conservative work ethic that fuels our economic engine locally – values that have been heard on Rush’s program for decades. 

Under left-leaning leadership in Chattanooga over the last eight years, the “Scenic City” has garnered seemingly unchecked problems with trash, graffiti and panhandling. 

Crime is in Chattanooga is three times the National Average and the needs of the small business community seem to not be a priority. 

Performance in government and education has taken a back seat to programs on equity, diversity and inclusivity. 

Little has been done to lift people out of poverty, but rather they have been incentivized both financially and culturally to remain in that condition. 

By the leadership adopting a Conservative platform, many Chattanoogans believe a host of the City’s problems could be addressed and the “Scenic City” could once again be a vibrant and safe area to live, work and visit. 

Tim Kelly has stated he believes in Chattanooga and wants to help “move our city forward” as we struggle to recover from the COVID pandemic. 

Yet, when it comes to his own personal wealth and business interests, Kelly bet against the city of Chattanooga when he decided to move his Southern Honda Powersports dealership from the city of Chattanooga to the city of East Ridge.  

By relocating his business to East Ridge, Kelly gets to pocket more than $1.9 million into his personal bank account while costing the city of Chattanooga nearly $5.3 million in tax revenues over the next 22 years. 

During a recent candidate forum in Hixson, Kelly boasted about his decision to relocate Southern Honda Powersports to the city of East Ridge.   

Kelly said it was a “no brainer” and “did not regret the decision” even though his decision took much-needed tax revenue from the city of Chattanooga – funds that could have been used to improve the City’s essential services.   

The annual breakdown of the Border Region Sales Tax Rebates that Kelly will receive over the next 22 years, based on what his company’s projected sales, is $243.2 million. 

Conservatives across the city of Chattanooga understand the threat of UnifiEd and how this activist group has been working hard to flip Hamilton County from red to blue. 

Kelly was one of the wealthy elitists from Lookout Mountain that helped launch this a left-leaning political operation in 2018 with a personal $2,500 donation (4/12/18) in addition to making multiple campaign donations to liberal candidates being endorsed by UnifiEd, according to Campaign Financial Disclosure Reports. 

UnifiEd continues to be managed by political operatives and community organizers who are holdovers from the Obama and Berke administration.  

A group of conservatives exposed the truth behind UnifiEd when they orchestrated an unsuccessful attempt to raise our property taxes by $34 million so the school system could add 350 new positions, many of which were for social workers and new administrators rather than teachers in the classroom.   

Even though the city has no role or authority in out county school system, Kelly has surrounding himself and his campaign leadership with a wide number of loyal supporters and political advisors of UnifiEd and its radical agenda.   

As UnifiED failed with their 2018 campaign, it stands to reason that they want to elect a new mayor for the city of Chattanooga that will raise property taxes and turn on the spigots of public funding in the name of social equity without any public accountability.