{"county":"knox","description":null,"district":"1","districtgroup":"knoxville_council","id":571,"key":"knoxville_council_district_1","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Karyn Adams","next_election":null,"notes":null,"officegroup":null,"partisan":0,"party":null,"qualities":"- Policy judgment on Memphis-specific matters \u2014 budget, ordinances, MPD oversight, land-use, code enforcement, infrastructure \u2014 within the Memphis Charter and Tennessee municipal law.\n- Budget literacy: the 13-member Council approves the annual city budget and sets the city property-tax rate.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on ordinances and resolutions; committee work that precedes full-council action.\n- Constituent relations in a single-member district of roughly 90,000 residents \u2014 case-work, neighborhood issues, council-district services.\n- Memphis-specific issue depth: MLGW, MATA, EDGE incentives, blight, and the city's relationship with Shelby County government.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01","term_years":4,"terms":[{"current":1,"description":null,"electiondate":"2022-08-04","name":"Karyn Adams","person":{"biography":"## Current office\n\nKaryn Adams serves as City Councilwoman for Knoxville, Tennessee, representing District 1, which encompasses South Knoxville and Fort Sanders [1][2]. She was elected to the seat on November 4, 2025 [2][3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nAdams is a native East Tennessean who grew up in Kingsport [4]. She attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, before relocating to Knoxville and earning an English degree with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Tennessee [4].\n\n## Career\n\nAdams founded HA ThirtyOne in 2011, a higher education strategy, marketing, and communications firm where she serves as Principal and Creative Director [4]. Prior to running for City Council, she served for nearly six years on the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission, including an appointment to the commission's Executive Committee for the 2022-2023 term [4][5].\n\n## Policy positions\n\nAdams has prioritized affordable housing, safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and balancing Knoxville's growth with the needs of existing residents [1][4].\n\n## Family\n\nAdams has lived in the Lindbergh Forest neighborhood for more than 22 years with her husband, Bruce Cole, a professor, and their two sons, Auden and Crispin [4].\n\n## Community involvement\n\nAdams served as president of the Ijams Nature Center Board and as the Lindbergh Forest neighborhood representative on the South Knoxville Neighborhood and Business Coalition [4].\n\n## Sources\n\n- [1] [Karyn Adams \u2013 1st District \u2013 City of Knoxville](https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_council/city_council_members/karyn_adams_-_1st_district)\n- [2] [Election 2025: City Council District 1 \u2013 Compass Knoxville](https://compassknox.com/2025/09/24/election-2025-city-council-district-1/)\n- [3] [Councilwoman-elect Karyn Adams to prioritize affordable housing \u2013 UT Daily Beacon](https://www.utdailybeacon.com/city_news/politics/i-want-you-to-stay-here-councilwoman-elect-karyn-adams-to-prioritize-affordable-housing-student/article_a29d2559-d1d6-4fcc-8dbb-0c021974f277.html)\n- [4] [Meet Karyn \u2013 Karyn Adams for City Council](https://www.karynforknoxville.com/meetkaryn)\n- [5] [Karyn Adams \u2013 Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission](https://knoxplanning.org/bio/Karyn+Adams)","firstname":"Karyn","lastname":"Adams","token":"nS0yUp37eZ"},"term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"}],"title":"Knoxville City Council District 1","type":"legislative","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-26 19:41:30"}