This is a great interview with Tim Garrett, candidate for Vice Mayor. You may want to watch at a faster speed if you don't want to spend 50 minutes to watch it. If not offered that option, follow this link.
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Saturday, July 11, 2015
The Tennessean interview with vice mayor candidate Tim Garrett
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Davidson County Republican Party Straw Poll 2015
Below is the straw poll that will be available at the Davidson County Republican Party Picnic.
Davidson County Republican Party Straw Poll 2015
____ Megan Barry Charles Robert Bone ____
__1_ David Fox Bill Freeman ____
____ Howard Gentry Jeremy Kane __3__
__2_ Linda Eskind Rebrovick
2) On a scale of 1- 6, with 6 being most important, rank these issues facing Nashville. ____ Managing Nashville’s growth Improving public education ____
____ Reducing Income inequality Crime ____
____ Traffic Affordable Housing ____
3) Whom do you plan to vote for in the race for Vice Mayor?
___ David Briley Tim Garrett __X__
4) Do you support the initiative to reduce the size of the Metro Council and increase the limit on terms for the Council to three? ___x_ Yes No ____
5) At this moment, who are your top two choices for the Republican nomination for President? Mark your first option with a ‘1’ and second with a ‘2.’
____ Jeb Bush Ben Carson ____
____ Chris Christie Ted Cruz ____
____ Lindsey Graham Carly Fiorina ____
____ Mike Hukabee Rand Paul ____
____Rick Perry Marco Rubio __2__
____ Rick Santorum Donald Trump ____
__3_ Scott Walker
__1__Other _Bobby Jindal___________________
My Comment:
Straw polls can be important. The press usually thinks this straw polls is newsworthy and it can give a candidate momentum. Some people who do not attend the picnic may reason, "if that is the way the active Republican are voting, that is the way I will vote." Or, of course people could reason that if that is the way the activist Republicans are voting, I will vote the other way. The text in red above are my recommendations.
Regarding the race for mayor, I think David Fox is the only candidate who is a fiscal conservative in the race and the only candidate who shares my economic values and my believe in the proper role of government. He is the only candidate who has said he would not use eminent domain for redevelopment. I really don't care about a second and third pick, but just so second or third is not Megan Barry or Bill Freeman, I am voting for a second and third.
Regarding question number 2, some of my priority issues are not on that list. The list should include "efficiency in government and avoiding government waste," "avoid violating peoples rights by avoiding engaging in price controls, price fixing, and eminent domain for development;" or, more succinctly phrased, "economic freedom." How about, "avoiding a tax increase and protecting Metro's bond rating?" Since those are not on the list, then improving schools would be my first choice and I really don't care about the rankings of the other issue.
On question # 3 I am voting for the amendment to reduce the number of Council members and increase terms. We have the third largest Council of any city in the nation. We can get by with fewer council members. The proposal on the ballot would reduce the council from 35 districts to 27 districts and do away with the at-large position. Term limits means there is a big turn over every eight years and most of the knowledge and experience of members of the legislative body are lost. This creates a more powerful mayor and a powerful permanent bureaucracy. Both a large council and term limits make for a weak council and a strong mayor. In Nashville, the legislative branch is not a co-equal branch of government. This will not fix everything but will restore some balance.
In the vice mayor's race, I am voting for Tim Garrett. Both candidates have experience and are likable and both are Democrats. However, Tim Garrett is an old school conservative Democrat and David Briley is a progressive. The primary job of the vice mayor is to conduct the council meetings and make committee assignments. There is a fine line between conducting efficient meetings and stifling debate. I think Tim Garrett will find that fine line. In regards to committee assignments, I think Tim Garrett will be thoughtful and fair. I served in the Metro Council with Tim for about ten years; he is good person and will make a great vice mayor.
Why is Bobby Jindal left off the list of candidates for President? He is a viable candidate. What was the logic in not having his name on this list? I am writing him in and he is my first choice at this time but I do not yet feel passionate about any of the candidates except there are some who I definitely do not want to be the nominee.
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Republican Party Picnic this Saturday!
The Davidson County Republican Party will hold its annual picnic this Sunday, July 12th, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 at the band shell picnic shelter at the rear of the park (not the band shell) in Centennial Park. The picnic will include a straw poll, the presentation of the Winfield Dunn Leadership Award and comments from each of the Mayoral candidates.
Davidson County Republican Party Chair Bob Reis noted "In 2007 it was the Republican vote that determined the outcome of the Mayor's race and that will be true again in 2015. The candidate who makes the best case for her or his positions on issues like managing Nashville's growth, developing a sensible and affordable transit policy and restoring fiscal discipline to the city's budget and debt will have a major advantage in making the runoff and winning in September.
Cost for the picnic is $10 per person or $20 for families.
Tickets are available at the door.
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Friday, July 10, 2015
Jeremy Kane panders to Seniors
Press release - Jeremy Kane’s campaign for mayor today announced his ambitious plan to make seniors a priority as mayor. His latest TV ad, unveiled today, highlights his commitment to prioritizing seniors and the issues that matter most to them.Since his announcement in October, and at over fifty debates and forums, Kane has shared his ideas to make seniors a priority. With the release of his plan today, Kane continues to be the only candidate focused on making our seniors a priority.“While our city is thriving, many senior citizens are being left behind. As your next Mayor, I plan to change that and it begins with making our seniors a priority. My plan brings innovative solutions to ensure they have the full support of our government and better coordination with our non-profit groups who care for and serve them. When I’m mayor, no one will ever question my commitment to those who helped make Nashville the city we love.”Kane’s plan highlights four priorities: increasing the local match for the property tax abatement program for seniors struggling with rising property taxes; a rapid response team within his Office of Neighborhoods, Non-profits, and Faith to coordinate resources within government and our non-profit sector to increase outreach to our city’s growing aging population; increased funding for the Police Department and District Attorney’s Office to prevent, investigate, and prosecute elder abuse; and support for innovative transportation options that incorporate universal design and assistive technologies, to help serve the unique challenges of our aging population.
I thought millennials, women, children, LGBTQs, small business owners, Hispanics, Blacks, minorities, single mothers, immigrants, crime, schools, and neighborhoods were going to be priorities? I get it. We are a priority; not the priority. How many priorities can you have? Doesn't it seem that if everything is a priority, then really nothing is a priority? As a senior citizen, I want to know where will I rank in your list of priorities? Will seniors rank higher than LGBTQ? Will we seniors rank higher than millennials? Will seniors rank higher than education? I want to see a ranking!
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Housing price and rent control bill advances without Nashville Chamber support
Affordable housing bill advances without Nashville chamber support
Jul 8, 2015, by E.J. Boyer, Nashville Business Journal -A bill that could lead to a zoning policy that mandates affordable and workforce housing advanced Tuesday night at Metro Council, despite pressure from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce to indefinitely defer the legislation.The ordinance passed a second reading with 27 votes. If it passes a final reading, the legislation would require Metro Planning to submit a proposal to Metro Council within 180 days.As originally written, the ordinance sought to introduce inclusionary zoning that required at least 14 percent of units to qualify as affordable and/or workforce housing. An amendment attached Tuesday softens that language, setting 14 percent as a goal to guide planning’s policy, not a mandate. (read more)
My Comment: I am pleased to see the Chamber take a stand. Too often there focus seems to be to advance crony capitalism rather than take a stand for free enterprise. I hope they are not co-opted by buying into a less bad version of a bad concept sweetened with more hand outs for the chamber. For now at least, they are on the right side.
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Wednesday, July 08, 2015
What Happened at the Council Meeting of July 7th? Housing and Rent control advances, Council members keep life-time health insurance, more tax giveaways.
The big news of the night is that the Council voted to advance the form of housing price and rent control that goes by the good sounding name of "inclusionary zoning." It passed, but eleven members voted against it.
To read my analysis of this meeting and to get your own copy of the agenda follow this link. At the time I did my analysis, the Council staff analysis had not been published and I did not have benefit of reading the staff analysis prior to the council meeting. To get your copy of the council staff analysis follow this link.
At over four hours long, this is a long meeting. If there is anything I think worth watching, I will note the timestamp and you can go to that point in the video to watch the action. If you want to watch the meeting however, and not devote four hours, you may want to watch it in double time and then slow it down when you hear something interesting. I can usually watch a meeting in double time and not lose much content. To do that click on the video, then click on the "YouTube" logo and you will be asked it you want to watch the video on YouTube. Do that. Then click on the gear. If given the opportunity to watch it in time and half or double time, you will see that option. If not, follow this link and click on "HTML5" unless you get a message saying "the HTML5 player is currently used when possible." Go back to the video and you should now be able to watch it at faster speeds.
There are 33 bills on public hearings and I do not even attempt to understand them all. I only report on bills that have wider implications than one neighborhood or for some other reason I consider important. Below are the meeting highlights:
BILL NO. BL2015-1098 on public hearing which concerns '“Community Education' siting" and would allow schools to locate in zoned districts where they are not now permitted and would relax the lot size requirements for a school is deferred indefinitely. I think this is a good bill and is one to watch. Included in this is a provision that schools could now be established in IWD districts (Industrial Warehousing/Distribution, intended for a wide range of warehousing, wholesaling, and bulk distribution uses). The bill also provides for "adaptive reuse," meaning a school could be located in an existing building, regardless of lot size, that was not originally intended for a school. On the face of it this seems like a good thing to do. Why not allow a school to locate in a relocated church building or an empty mall? Some people in the Greenhills area are opposed to any relaxation of the current school siting requirements because they are concerned that Hillsboro High will relocate and the valuable land which is now Hillsboro High will be redeveloped. They want to make it very difficult for Hillsboro high to relocate simply because they oppose new commercial and multifamily development in Greenhills. Council member Evans, the bill sponsor ask the bill be deferred to the first meeting in August. Councilman Bedne ask instead to have the bill deferred infinitely. The sponsor says she is Ok with that. She can still bring it back up. The motion to defer indefinitely passes.
SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2015-1120 on public hearing is a bill that would expand where one may build secondary dwelling units. It passes. This would amend the zoning code to create a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) Overlay District. I think this is a positive development and it is one way to increase density and increase the stock of affordable housing. While I oppose price fixing to increase affordable housing, I do think increasing the stock of affordable housing is a worthwhile goal. Also, if Nashville is to grow and avoid massive urban sprawl and if Nashville is going to ever have adequate mass transit, and if we are to afford the services we want and need, without massive tax increases, we need greater population density. Some, however, raise the issue of parking, road capacity, sewer capacity and maintaining the character of existing neighborhoods as reasons to oppose greater density.
One of my favorite public figures and a Council member at-large member candidate, Ken Jakes argues against it, saying it could change the character of neighborhoods across Davidson County. The sponsor explains that this is only a tool and this overlay would have to be applied to a neighborhood and passed by the Council.
BILL NO. BL2015-1121 which would permit "Artisan manufacturing" in a whole bunch of zoning districts that now permit manufacturing passes. No one speaks in favor or opposition. It would allow people to live and work in this districts and sets standards such as parking requirements and screening requirement for loading docks when such would adjoin residential areas. To me, this seems like a positive development.
BILL NO. BL2015-1139 is one of the bill that advances housing price control known as "inclusionary zoning." This directs the Planning Department to create rules and regulation that implement "inclusionary zoning" and directs that such rules set a goal that 14% of the units in any new development or renovation of existing developments or conversion of existing rental developments to for-purchase units, be set aside as "affordable." It define "affordable" as affordable to someone making 60% or less of the area median income. "Affordable" means that one's house payment for rent does not take more than 30% of one's income. The effect of this is that the cost all new developments would increase and development of new residential property would be slowed and prices of all new development would increase. The final rules established by the Planning Commission would have to go back to the Council for approval. It is my understanding that State law would have to be changed before Metro could do this, however that is not certain.
Several people speak in favor and in opposition. Those in support include representatives of NOAH and VOICE, Kay Bowers who is with a non-profit housing group, Dinah Gregory, Director of Planning and Coordination with Metro Social Service and Rev. Bill Barnes a long time activist for progressive causes for whom the Barnes Fund is named. Several speakers mention that this implements a goal of NashvilleNext.
Among those speaking in opposition is Council member at-large candidate Ken Jakes (see time stamp 53:26), He says no government should ever tell one the price for which they must rent or sell their home. Other opponents include a spokesman for the Greater Nashville Apartment Association and the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors. Marty Heflin a teacher of Real Estate Finance at the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University gives examples of how inclusionary zoning has failed to achieve its goals in other locations where it has been adopted and actually led to higher home prices(time stamp 59:27). He point out that with inclusionary zoning total housing developments go down and it pushed all housing prices up and acts as a tax on development and leads developers to build outside the county instead of in the county.
The bill is substituted with a version that is slightly less bad than it was originally. The original said the Planning Commission was to come up with rules and regulations that required a 14% set aside of affordable units; the substitute says they are to develop a plan that has a goal of 14% affordable units. Council member Sherri Weiner speaks in opposition to the bill and speaks in favor alternative bill 1147 which in my view is also a bad bill, but not as bad as this bill. Bill 1147 does not mandate or set a goal of 14% set aside. Under 1147 instead of requiring developers to build affordable housing, the Planning Commission could incentivize developers to do so. Councilman Tygard and Evan unsuccessfully try to persuade their colleague to remove the goal of 14% from the bill.
The bill passes by a vote of 27 for and 11 opposed. As soon as the information is available, I will post how members of the Council voted. To see the full discussion of the bill see time stamp 16:14-1:37:26.
BILL NO. BL2015-1169 on public hearing, which would apply a "contextual overlay" to about 78 acres in Councilman Westerholm and Anthony Davis's district to allow accessary dwelling units, is disapproved by the planning commission because their had been insufficient community awareness of the proposed change. Several speak in favor and in opposition. Arguments in favor are that it will expand affordable housing. Arguments against are that it will lead to developers tearing down existing homes to build bigger homes so they can then also build bigger accessory units, a general opposition to greater density, a desire to preserve the character of the neighborhood, and that it will lead to destruction of trees. I favor this type rezoning. Greater density reduces urban sprawl, provides units of affordable housing, and grows the tax base. Change like this however, should not occur without residents of the neighborhood being informed. The bill is approved and referred back to the planning commission.
RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1515 by Charlie Tygard requests the Davidson County Delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly to introduce and support the necessary legislation to require full-time Davidson County elected officials to submit an annual report to the Comptroller detailing the dates they worked. A recent report in The Tennessean revealed that many elected officials often do not work. This was discovered by an examination of when they used there swipe card to gain access to their office. This is again deferred.
RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1568 request the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Davidson County Delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly to take the necessary action to plant vegetation or erect a barrier to block the view of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from Interstate 65. I think this is a waste of effort. I don't like the statue myself, but do not think we should waste effort trying to hide it. The resolution passes on a voice vote. There are a few audible "no's" but no one ask for a roll call or to be recorded as voting "no."
BILL NO. BL2015-1129 on second reading, which would establish a Codes Offender School much like we have a traffic violations school or a "John's School" for those arrested for solicitation of a prostitute, passes.
BILL NO. BL2015-1211 on second reading ,which would reduce the life time health insurance benefit for members of the Metro council who have served at least two terms in the council, fails. Currently, for any member who has served two terms, the Metro government pays 75% of the health insurance premium for the former council member and his family for the rest of his life. Back when this passed, it applied to few members because without term limits there were simply not that many former member who were eligible for this benefit because their were fewer former council members. There was a lot less turn over in the council. With term limits there are a lot of former Council members who have served two terms. This bill would reverse the ratio; the city would only pay 25% and the council member would pay 75% of the premium. I support this bill. Councilman Claiborne makes an excellent presentation but the bill, on a roll call machine vote, fails. When the record is a available I will post how members of the Council voted. To see the discussion, see time stamp 3:38:34.
BILL NO. BL2015-1212 on second reading would prohibit the sale of single cans or bottles of beer by off-sale permit holders located within 100 feet of a facility that provides food to homeless persons. I oppose this type of bureaucratic micro-management. The bill is deferred one meeting.
BILL NO. BL2015-1127 on third reading is a tax give-away deal to benefit American General. It passes on a machine vote.
BILL NO. BL2015-1143 is a bill which authorizes The Industrial Development Board to negotiate and accept payments in lieu of ad valorem taxes with respect to CHS Realty Holdings III, LLC. What this means is that the city, though this board, funds the construction of the building and actually owns it for a certain number of years and as a tax exempt entity they do not pay taxes. However, the company for which they build the building pays something in lieu of taxes but not anywhere near what they would pay if they were paying taxes. This is one of the means by which the city entices companies to locate in Nashville. It provides that the company for whom this building is being build pays nothing during the period of construction and continues to pay nothing until 2019 and then pays only 40% of what they would otherwise pay until 2028, then they pays 75% through 2027, at which time they would began paying 100% of their tax bill. There is more to it than that. The company must hire a certain number of people to keep this deal. There are benchmarks of employment for different periods. It passes on a machine vote. Once available, I will post how members voted.
BILL NO. BL2015-1146 on third reading is a bill which would allow "free-floating car-sharing vehicles to be exempt from the limitations imposed on vehicles lacking a residential parking permit when parking in a residential parking permit area." There is a new service that allows members of a car sharing enterprise to get a car and drive it where they need to go, which may be on the street near there home where cars that park there are supposed to have a sticker saying they are allowed to park on that street. A member of this car sharing program may, for instance, take the bus to work but need to run an errand on their way home and they find an available car on their smart phone app and drive it home. This is a good innovation which helps make it possible for more people to survive without owning a car. I am pleased to see the city accommodate this innovation. It passes.
BILL NO. BL2015-1147 is another one of the bills to advance rent control and home price fixing called "inclusionary zoning." The planning commission would have six months to come up with a specific proposal to implement this form of housing price control. That proposal would then have to come back to the council for approval. While this bill is not as bad BILL NO. BL2015-1139 it is still a bad bill. It is deferred two meetings.
To see The Tennessean's coverage of the council meetings see the below link:
Affordable housing bill advances in Metro Council
Metro Council asks state to block view of I-65 Forrest statue
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Freeman calls for School Board to delay hiring New Director of Schools
Press Release- Bill Freeman issues his statement asking the School Board to
delay hiring a new Director of Schools, in response to the MNEA’s criticism of
the hiring process.
"It is clear to me that the School Board needs to
slow down and take a deep breath on the search for
our new Director of Schools. This is the most important decision
our School Board makes and there is no reason to rush the process
just to meet an arbitrary deadline--one that's already been delayed
once.
What I’ve seen of this process so far does not meet the
standard expected by the people of Nashville. The process has been ragged and
confusing. I have confidence in our school board, but perhaps a new beginning
with a new search firm and a new slate of candidates will clear the air.
There's simply too much at stake. It's just the right thing to do.
In the coming weeks we will elect a new Mayor, a
new Vice Mayor and replace half the Metro Council with new
members. Our new Director of Schools can only earn the confidence and
support of the community if the process that selects them is fair, inclusive,
and transparent."
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More Mayoral and Metro Council Forums.
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Southeast Nashville Conservatives' Breakfast Saturday, July 18th
Southeast Nashville Conservatives' Breakfast
Saturday, July 18th
Shoney's - Antioch
(corner Bell Rd &Cane Ridge Road.
I-24E, Bell Road Exit)
Social/Dutch Treat Breakfast
8:30 - 9:00 am
Program
9:00 - 10 am
Our Featured Speaker
Jeremy Kane, Mayoral Candidate;
plus,
All 2015 candidates attending will be recognized and given opportunity to speak (speaking time will depend upon # of candidates present).
For 1st time ever, we will have our own Straw Poll for Mayor and Vice Mayor! Hosted and organized by Robert Duvall & Pat Carl.
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Liberty on the Rocks Thursday, July 16, 2015, 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Let me buy you a beer.
Mafiaoza's 2400 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN (map). Ask the hostess to direct you to our section. Liberty on the Rocks is a great place to meet other people, have a beer and some great food. We promote thoughtful and rational discussion on a wide range of topics.
Notice. If this is your first time to attend and you let me know you are attending as a result of this invitation, I will buy the your first beer. Rod
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Tuesday, July 07, 2015
The Nashville Business Coalition (NBC) makes their endorsements for Metro Council and Vice Mayor in the August 6 election.
Press Release, NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 7, 2015) – The Nashville Business Coalition (NBC), a political action Committee made up of business leaders from across the City, announced today its support for candidates seeking Metro Council and Vice Mayor seats in the August 6 election.
“We applaud all the candidates who are offering themselves up for public service and were pleased to see so many candidates supportive of issues important to our business community. We are especially committed to supporting local candidates who understand the importance of creating a government environment for businesses and workers to succeed in Nashville,” said Nancy Stabell, NBC Board Chair.
“Based upon our extensive candidate vetting process that included face-to-face interviews, surveys and an assessment of candidates’ platforms related to issues such as land use and zoning, economic and community development, infrastructure development, support for public education, and workforce housing, the NBC is pleased to announce its slate of endorsements for Vice Mayor and Metro Council as those candidates best positioned to lead Nashville for the next four years.
Twenty-four of the endorsed candidates are current or past district Metro Council members who, by their voting records and past performance have proven to clearly understand and consistently support the city’s large and small businesses. In some races, the NBC endorsed more than one candidate because of both candidates demonstrated their commitment to support and work collaboratively with business. In select races the NBC has chosen to delay endorsements until the September run-off election.”
The candidates endorsed by the Nashville Business Coalition are:
Vice Mayor Endorsements
- David Briley
- Tim Garrett
- Buddy Baker
- Karen Bennett
- Erin Coleman
- John Cooper
- Erica Gilmore
- Frank Harrison
- Jason Holleman
- Walter Hunt
- John Lasiter
- Lonnell Matthews
- Bob Mendes
- Sandra Moore
- Jim Shulman
- Robert Swope, District 4
- Scott Davis, District 5*
- Peter Westerholm, District 6*
- Anthony Davis, District 7*
- Nancy VanReece, District 8
- Bill Pridemore, District 9*
- Douglas Pardue, District 10*
- Larry Hagar, District 11*
- Steve Glover, District 12*
- Furtesha Carter, District 13
- Mark Cole, District 13
- Kevin Rhoten, District 14
- Jeff Syracuse, District 15
- Tony Tenpenny, District 16*
- Chris Cotton, District 17
- Colby Sledge, District 17
- Burkley Allen, District 18*
- Freddie O'Connell, District 19
- Mary Carolyn Roberts, District 20
- Leah Dupree, District 21
- Sheri Weiner, District 22*
- Mina Johnson, District 23
- Allen Grant, District 24
- Russ Pulley, District 25
- Jeremy Elrod, District 26
- Davette Blalock, District 27*
- Tanaka Vercher, District 28
- Karen Johnson, District 29*
- Jason Potts, District 30*
- Fabian Bedne, District 31*
- Jacobia Dowell, District 32*
- Sam Coleman, District 33
- Steve Butler, District 34
- Angie Henderson, District 34
- Dave Rosenberg, District 35
Nashville’s business community is a driver of the local economy. Business creates jobs and
prosperity; government leaders create the legislative environment for that to occur. The
Nashville Business Coalition applauds community leaders who choose to serve Nashville
residents and businesses through elected office. Since 1999, the Coalition, a pro-business
political action committee, has dedicated itself to electing business-friendly candidates who
have made the long term economic vitality of Nashville a priority. These candidates understand
the partnership that exists between the public and private sectors.
My Comment:
Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Ms Nancy Stabell, the Board Chair of the Nashville Business Coalition. She spoke briefly at the First Tuesday Group and then we chatted after the meeting. She said that the NBC vets candidates by sending them a 75 question questionnaire and then scoring them on how well their answers conform to the Core Values of the NBC.
One thing Ms Stabell said that impressed me is that NBC would not support any candidate who advocates a local minimum wage or a "living wage" for Nashville. That is something I feel strongly about and something that is being proposed by the more progressive candidates running for Mayor and by some other progressive elements in our community.
I was looking forward to getting the NBC list of endorsements. I thought that finally there was an organization scoring candidates from the same perspective I would score them from. After receiving the list of endorsements however, I am somewhat disappointed. Of course, I have not seen the questionnaires submitted by the candidates and there may have been some candidates who did not even return the questionnaire, and some candidates may not tell the truth. Some politicians are masters at parsing words or phrasing things in such a way as to make one think they are in agreement with you when they really are not, and some will just tell you what you want to hear in order to get an endorsement. Whatever the inputs were that went into the NBC's endorsements, they got it wrong in many cases. I have studied the candidates carefully and know many of them. The NCS certainly did not select the most conservative candidates running. In some cases they selected very liberal candidates over conservative candidates.
For Councilman at-large, the NBC selected people like Erica Gilmore, Jason Holleman and Sandra Moore, but not people like Ken Jakes or Robert Duval.
In the district races, the NBC selected Anthony Davis in district 7 over challenger Stephen Clements. Stephen Clements is a principled fiscal conservative who understands the issues and risk of Metro's increasing debt and someone who is thoughtful and smart. In evaluating these two candidates, Stephen Clements is by far the superior choice. In district 17 they endorsed Colby Sledge and Chris Cotton but not Tony Watson. In district 28 they endorsed Tenacha Vercher instead of Melissa Smithson. I do not know Vercher and cannot find much information about her but I know Melissa Smithson and known her to be a fiscal conservative. And, in district 35, the NBC endorsed David Rosenberg, a political ally of Bo Mitchell and Amy Frogge over a strong conservative like Lonnie Spivak. I suggest that one take the NCS recommendations with a grain of salt.
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What is on the July 7th Council agenda? Home price fixing know as "inclusionary zoning," zoning text changes, and hiding General Forrest.
If you don't know what the Metro Council is voting on and you watch a
council meeting, you will find it really, really boring. If you have
your own copy of the Council agenda and staff analysis the meeting will still be boring but not really, really boring. To get your own copies, follow the highlighted link. The staff agenda is not yet available so check back for an update. I rely heavily on the staff analysis for my own commentary, so I am doing this post without the benefit of that source of information. Check back for an update.
There are four appointees to Boards and Commissions on the agenda for Council confirmation.
None of them or to the objectionable or controversial boards and commissions and it would not matter anyway as the council seldom takes it's confirmation duties seriously and rubber stamps whomever the Mayor appoints.
There are 33 bills on public hearing. Most bills on pubic hearing are zoning bill and would usually concern no one but nearby neighbors. I make no attempt to learn the pros and cons of every rezoning proposal. However, occasionally there is a bill on public hearing that is so controversial as to merit attention, has wider impact than just the effected property, or changes the text to the code so that I do pay attention. These are the bills on public hearing that I find interesting:
- BILL NO. BL2015-1064 would allow detached accessory dwellings as a use permitted with conditions in the CL zoning district. I favor allowing greater density and think secondary dwelling units on some property is appropriate and think that we should get away from regulations that strictly segregate zoning uses, however some may not. CL zoning is Commercial Limited, intended for retail, consumer service, financial, restaurant, and office uses. Neighborhood activist may want to be aware of this. I don't know if this is a good bill or not.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1098 concerns '“Community Education' siting" and would allow schools to locate in zoned districts where they are not now permitted and would relax the lot size requirements for a school. Included in this is a provision that schools could now be established in IWD districts (Industrial Warehousing/Distribution, intended for a wide range of warehousing, wholesaling, and bulk distribution uses). The bill also provides for "adaptive reuse," meaning a school could be located in an existing building, regardless of lot size, that was not originally intended for a school. On the face of it this seems like a good thing to do. Why not allow a school to locate in a relocated church building or an empty mall? Some people in the Greenhills area are opposed to any relaxation of the current school siting requirements because they are concerned that Hillsboro High will relocate and the valuable land which is now Hillsboro High will be redeveloped. They want to make it very difficult for Hillsboro high to relocate simply because they oppose new commercial and multifamily development in Greenhills.
- SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2015-1120 is another bill that would expand where one may build secondary dwelling units. This would amend the zoning code to create a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) Overlay District. I think this is a positive development and it is one way to increase density and increase the stock of affordable housing. While I oppose price fixing to increase affordable housing, I do think increasing the stock of affordable housing is a worthwhile goal. Also, if Nashville is to grow and avoid massive urban sprawl and if Nashville is going to ever have adequate mass transit, and if we are to afford the services we want and need, without massive tax increases, we need greater population density. Some, however, raise the issue of parking, road capacity, sewer capacity and maintaining the character of existing neighborhoods as reasons to oppose greater density.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1121 would permit "Artisan manufacturing" in a whole bunch of zoning districts that now permit manufacturing. It would allow people to live and work in this districts and sets standards such as parking requirements and screening requirement for loading docks when such would adjoin residential areas. Without knowing more about it than I know now, this seems like a positive development.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1139 is another bill that advances housing price control known as "inclusionary zoning." This directs the Planning Department to create rules and regulation that implement "inclusionary zoning" and directs that such rules establish that 14% of the units in any new development or renovation of existing developments pr conversion of existing rental developments to for-purchase units, be set aside as "affordable." It define "affordable" as affordable to someone making between 80% and 100% of the median area income. The effect of this is that the cost all new developments would increase and development of new residential property would be slowed and prices of all new development would increase. The final rules established by the Planning Commission would have to go back to the Council for approval. It is my understanding that State law would have to be changed before Metro could do this, however that is not certain. This bill needs to be defeated!
- BILL NO. BL2015-1152 eliminates a section of the DTC (Downtown Code). I do not know the impact of this change, but it is something that needs further investigation. If the staff analysis explains this, I will try to update prior to the meeting.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1155 would establish a DADA (Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit) overlay district for a lot of parcels in Councilman Westerholm's district.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1169 would apply a "contextual overlay" to about 78 acres in Councilman Westerholm and Anthony Davis's district. I do not know the impact of this contextual overlay and do not have an opinion of the merits of it, I am simply calling attention to it since it impacts so many properties.
There are 80 bills on first reading, but I don't look at them until second reading and I doubt many of the members of the Council do either. First reading is a formality to get the bill on the agenda and all bills on first reading are passed at one time in one motion. Many of the bills on first reading are zoning bills. The reason there are so many bills on First Reading this time is that all pending bills not passed when this term of the council ends are removed from the agenda and would have to start all over when the new council takes office so those who want zoning changes are trying to get them approved before that occurs. This means the next council meeting will be a very long council meeting with a lot of bills on pubic hearing. The Council will probably have to have a special meeting to accommodate all of these bills. I also suspect that at Tuesday night's meeting there will be several members asking for a suspension of the rules to allow new bills to be added to the agenda for First Reading.
There are 12 bills on Second Reading. These are the ones I find interesting:
- BILL NO. BL2015-1129 would establish a Codes Offender School, much like we have a traffic violations school or a "John's School" for those arrested for solicitation of a prostitute. I don't yet have an opinion on this bill and do not know the pros and cons. My first thought is, that codes violations is different than these other type offenses. I own a rental unit and had a tenant who created a situation that violated codes. I was given adequate time to correct the violation and the codes inspector worked with me to bring my property back into compliance. Some people who routinely run afoul of codes do so as a calculated business decision. I am not sure they would benefit by a codes school. I would be open to persuasion but I do not really see this as beneficial. Will it cost the taxpayer's?
- BILL NO. BL2015-1211 is a renewed attempt by Councilman Claiborne to end the practice of allowing former Metro Council members to get the lifetime benefit of city provided health insurance. Currently former Council members who have served two terms get this benefit. They pay 25% of the premium and the city picks up the rest. This bill would change that policy so that the former Council member pays 75% and the city only pay 25%. I support this proposal. Prior to term limits there was not that many former council members eligible for this benefit but with a massive turn over of the Council every eight years, there are now a lot of former council members eligible for this. Councilman Claibrone is timing his renewed effort to get this passed due to the upcoming election, thinking that incumbents facing reelection may be less inclined to vote against it. To read The Tennessean's coverage of this issue follow this link.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1212 would prohibit the sale of single cans or bottles of beer by off-sale permit holders located within 100 feet of a facility that provides food to homeless persons. I oppose this type of bureaucratic micro-management. This should be defeated.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1127 is a tax give-away deal to benefit American General.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1143 is a bill which authorizes The Industrial Development Board to negotiate and accept payments in lieu of ad valorem taxes with respect to CHS Realty Holdings III, LLC. What this means is that the city, though this board, funds the construction of the building and actually owns it for a certain number of years and as a tax exempt entity they do not pay taxes. However, the company for which they build the building pays something in lieu of taxes but not anywhere near what they would pay if they were paying taxes. This is one of the means by which the city entices companies to locate in Nashville. It provides that the company for whom this building is being build pays nothing during the period of construction and continues to pay nothing until 2019 and then pays only 40% of what they would otherwise pay until 2028, then they pays 75% through 2027, at which time they would began paying 100% of their tax bill. There is more to it than that. The company must hire a certain number of people to keep this deal. There are benchmarks of employment for different periods. This bills passed second reading on June 16th by a vote of 27 to 6 with no "abstentions" and seven members not voting. The "not voting" may have been absent or they may have been out of the room or just sat on their hands. The six "no's" were Paudue, Stites, Stanley, Tennpenny, and Duval. I hope the "no's" stick to their guns and the abstentions join them and a few others switch to "no." This could be defeated! It is time to end the TIF and PILOT tax give-aways.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1146 is a bill which would allow "free-floating car-sharing vehicles to be exempt from the limitations imposed on vehicles lacking a residential parking permit when parking in a residential parking permit area." There is a new service that allows members of a car sharing enterprise to get a car and drive it where they need to go, which may be on the street near there home where cars that park there are supposed to have a sticker saying they are allowed to park on that street. A member of this car sharing program may, for instance, take the bus to work but need to run an errand on their way home and they find an available car on their smart phone app and drive it home. This is a good innovation which helps make it possible for more people to survive without owning a car. I am pleased to see the city accommodate this innovation. I favor passage.
- BILL NO. BL2015-1147 is another one of the bills to advance rent control and home price fixing called "inclusionary zoning." The planning commission would have six months to come up with a specific proposal to implement this form of housing price control. That proposal would then have to come back to the council for approval. Last Council meeting the sponsor said the bill would be on Third Reading. "Inclusionary zoning" will increase the cost of building housing and where it has been adopted it has produced very few units of affordable housing. It is essentially a tax on new construction. For more on this topic, follow this link. This bill like BILL NO. BL2015-1139 above needs to be defeated.
- RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1515 by Charlie Tygard requests the Davidson County Delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly to introduce and support the necessary legislation to require full-time Davidson County elected officials to submit an annual report to the Comptroller detailing the dates they worked. A recent report in The Tennessean revealed that many elected officials often do not work. This was discovered by an examination of when they used there swipe card to gain access to their office.
- RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1568 request the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Davidson County Delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly to take the necessary action to plant vegetation or erect a barrier to block the view of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from Interstate 65. I think this is a waste of effort. I don't like the statue myself, but do not think we should waste effort trying to hide it.
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Who is running for Mayor and Metro Council and who I am supporting (update #10)
This is update #10 on who is running for Mayor, Vice Mayor and seats on the Metro Council and who I am supporting. Since the last update on June 19th we have entered the final stretch of the campaign. Many of the organizations that make endorsements have already done so, the airways are saturated with political advertising, neighborhoods are littered with campaign signs, numerous candidates forums have occurred, we are fast approaching the Tuesday July 7th deadline for voter registration in order to vote in the August 6th election and early voting starts July 17th. If you have not been paying attention to the upcoming election, now is the time to do so.
In my reporting on this campaign, I have made an effort to find out who the candidates are and have given a brief one-sentence bio on some of the them and if I could find a campaign website, Facebook page or a news story about the candidate I have linked to that. Follow "Link" to learn more about the candidate. If the name is in italics that indicates that person is the incumbent.
In this update, I have made additional endorsements and have added more links in order to provide more information about the candidates. If you are a candidate and I missed your website or Facebook page and you would like it listed, please send me the link. I will also post any candidate's press release announcing their candidacy if they send it to me. Posting of a press release of a candidate does not indicate I am supporting that candidate.
Where I have made endorsements, the candidates name is bold and in red typeface. I will be making more endorsements soon but I may not make an endorsement in every race, as I may not have enough information to make an informed decision in each race or some districts may have candidates so equally distasteful that I don't care who wins. Winnability is a factor in who I support as well as experience and philosophy of government and leadership potential. Some candidate I am enthusiastically supporting, in other cases, I have a preferred candidate but the candidate may only be the preferred candidate because he is the best of the available choices. In some cases, I am choosing a bad candidate over a terribly bad candidate.
There has been so much written about each of the candidates for mayor, that I am only listing a few links. If you want to know more about any of the mayoral candidates, I suggest you do your own web search.
Below are the people running for Mayor:
- Megan Barry, progressive Council-member-at-large. She is the person I would least like to see elected mayor. (link) (link)
- Charles Robert Bone, an attorney. (link)
- Linda Rebrovick, Consensus Point president and CEO. A Republican. (link)
- Jeremy Kane, CEO and President of Lead Academy. (link)
- David Fox, a former Tennessean business reporter, former Titan adviser, former
school board chairman. He is a Republican and has a Republican campaign team. I am supporting David Fox. I am impressed by his intellect, his business background, his leadership as Chairman of the School Board and I share his general view on the roll of government and his view of what challenges will face the next mayor and his priorities. He is the only mayor candidate that has taken a position against using eminent domain for redevelopment. As chairman of the school board he outsourced school janitorial service and grounds care saving the school system about $7 million a year. I believe he will look to private sector solutions to solve public problems where possible and I believe he is the candidate least likely to raise taxes. He is the only candidate who has taken seriously the increasing indebtedness of our city. (link. link).
David Fox - Bill Freeman, local businessman and major fund raiser for the Democratic party and the Obama presidential campaign. Several things make Bill Freeman almost a tie with Megan Barry as the candidate I would least like to see elected mayor. He has advocated a $12 minimum wage for Nashville, a policy which would make it increasing difficult for poor people to climb out of poverty and a policy that would curtail business growth or new business start-ups in Nashville. He has gotten the endorsement of the SEIU, which is reason enough not to support him. (link) (link)
- Howard Gentry, former Vice Mayor, came in third when running for mayor in 2007. The only African-American in the race. He currently serves as Davidson County Criminal Court clerk. (link)
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| Tim Garrett |
- Tim Garrett, Councilman-at-large and former state representative. He is in the funeral home business. He is a Democrat, but he is a reasonable, fiscally conservative Democrat and a very nice guy with a depth of knowledge about Nashville. The job of Vice Mayor is to conduct Council meetings and to appoint the members of Council to committees. It is a fine balance between running efficient meetings and stifling debate. I think Garrett will strike the right balance. I think he will be fair and thoughtful in making committee assignments. With so many good people leaving the council, we need someone with institutional knowledge in the Council. Tim Garrett will be a great vice mayor. (link)
- David Briley, grandson of former Mayor Beverly Briley, an attorney with Bone McAllester Norton, former candidate for mayor. (link)
There are no incumbent Council members at-large. They have all been "termed-out." I am such an enthusiastic supporter of Ken Jakes that at this point he is the only candidate for an at-large seat I am endorsing. One my vote for up to five people to fill the five council member at-large positions, however to vote for five dilutes the strength of one's vote. In addition to not wanting to dilute my vote, recently my enthusiasm waned for an incumbent district councilman seeking an at-large position who voted to advance rent control and has also cast some other votes I disagree with. I have selected some other candidates that I would suggest one vote for if one really wants to vote for more than one candidate. If the election was held today, I would only be casting one vote for an at-large councilman and that would be a vote for Ken Jakes . My choice for other candidates, if one is going to vote for more than one candidate, are indicated by a red asterisk.
- Buddy Baker, a retired Fire Captain with the Metro Fire Department and currently a termed-out Councilman representing District 20. (link) (link)
- Jody Ball, * a self-identified conservative, successful owner of a cost containment company that specializes in the reduction of medical billing for government and private entities. (link) (link)
- Karen Bennett *. currently a member of the Metro Council representing District 8. She is a member of the Republican Party State Executive Committee. (link) (link)
- Al Carota (link)
- Erin Coleman, President of YAD consulting. She is endorsed by Women for Tennessee's Future, which is reason enough not to support her candidacy. (link) (link)
- John Cooper, He is the brother of Congressman Jim Cooper. (link) (link)
- Elizabeth Dachowski, a Green Party activist. (link)
- Adam Dread*, a former member of the Metro Council and a recent Republican candidate for a judgeship. (link)
- Robert Duvall*, currently a district councilman, term limited out, former unsuccessful candidate for the State House, and former Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party. (link)
- Leroy Johnny Ellis,
- Erica Gilmore, currently a district councilman representing District 19 and termed-out. She is the daughter of Democratic state Rep. Brenda Gilmore. (link)
- Ronnie E. Greer, Sr, a former member of the Metro Council representing District 17 prior to the current incumbent. (link)
- Frank Harrison, is currently a termed-out member of the Metro Council representing District 2.
- Phillip Hostteler,
- Walter Hunt. He is currently serving as the Councilman from District 3, he is a retired substitute teacher and served in a high level capacity in the Boner administration and is a member of the Davidson County Democratic Party executive committee. (link)
- Sharron W. Hurt, President and CEO of JUMP-Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership, an organization dedicated to revitalizing the businesses on Jefferson Street and bringing commerce to the North Nashville Community.
(link)
Ken Jakes - Ken Jakes, he owns a produce company and is a citizen activist who has often exposed government waste and corruption. He has previously sought the position of Councilman at-large, garnering the most votes other than the five incumbents. link, (link to everything ever published in this blog about Ken Jakes and learn of his work for honest and open government.)
- James Keeton,* (link) (link)
- John Lasiter. He previously served in the Council represented District 18 in 2007. He is openly gay. link, link, link,
- Don Majors, who has been working in constituent services for Rep. Jim Cooper, is leaving that position to run for council. He previously represented the Maplewood area in the Council in the 90s and early aughts. (link)
- Lonnell Mathews, Jr., currently representing District 1 and termed out. (link)
- Bob Mendes, an attorney, chairs the board of Nashville Electric Service. (link)
- Jim Shulman, Former Chief of Staff for Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh, former member of the Metro Council. (link) (link)
- Sandra V. Moore, she is the Council member in District 17 who is termed-out.
Below are the people who are running for a District council seats. Most of the current Council members are "termed-out," meaning they have served two terms and are not eligible to seek reelection. The names of incumbents who are seeking reelection are italicized in the list below. Three Council members, Josh Stites in District 13, Brady Banks in District 4, and Chris Harmon in District 26 are not termed-out but have chosen not to seek reelection. In some of the races I am enthusiastically supporting someone and in some of the races, I am selected the least bad choice. In some districts, I do not know enough about the candidates to have a preference.
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| Lioniel Green, Jr. |
District 1.
- Sylvester Armour, (link) (link)
- Ruby Baker, (link)
- Rueben Dockery, he is a former candidate for the State Senate.
- Lioniel Green, Jr. Former officer in US Army, served in Iraq, on the board of the charter school Purpose Prep and Northwest YMCA. I have met him and am very impressed. (link)(link)
- Nick Leonardo, several YMCA affiliations. (link)
- John H. Montgomery,
- Johnathan Richardson, Democrat, (link)
- Roosevelt Williamson, A retired Air Force Major, he has taught Junior ROTC at Whites Creek High School for the last 21 years. Prior to teaching at Whites Creek, he had a successful career in the Air Force, primarily in the Space and Missile career field, with assignments in missile operations, missile maintenance and missile test and evaluation. (link)
- Laura Fortier,
- Decosta Hastings, He is a member of the Davidson County Democrat Party Executive
Committeeman.(link)
Carrie Searcy - Danavan Hylton, President and Owner of Hoshana Management Group (link)
- Carrie Searcy is an attorney focused on criminal defense, family law, and personal injury with the law firm of Edward J. Gross. (link) (link)
- Robert "Bobby" Stockard, (link)
- Terry Clayton
- Tim Coleman,
- Brenda Haywood, retired teacher, wellness consultant, talk Show personality with 760 AM a Gospel Radio station. (link)
- Robert Swope, has had a successful career in the music business. He has leadership ability and
is a strong conservative. With the music business being so important to our city, I think it is important to have someone with that perspective on the Council. Mr. Tuttle is also a good conservative but I have talked to Mr. Swope and believe he is the better choice of two very good candidates. (link)(link)
Robert Swope - Peter Tuttle,(link)
- Scott Davis, is the incumbent. There is not a good choice in this race but the incumbent would be preferable to the challengers. (link)
- Sarah Martin, She is a liberal, works in the non-profit sector, neighborhood activist. She is a liberal, works in the non-profit sector, neighborhood activist.(link) (link) (link)
- Pam Murray, is the former council member who was removed from office. (link)
- Peter Westerholm, He is the incumbent and one of the more liberal members of the council (link)
- Brett A. Withers, a community activist. Withers would be the better choice. (link) (link)
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| Steve Clements |
- Anthony Davis, he is the incumbent councilman.
- Stephen Clements, a Republican who heads the Caffeinated Conservatives group, works for the State of Tennessee, former Army officer, active in Madison Now and other civic affairs. He has leadership ability and will be an independent thinker. He is one of the candidates I am enthusiastic about. (link) (link)
- Randy Reed, he is a retired policeman who previously ran against Anthony Davis and did not do too well.
- Ramona L. Gholston,(link) (link)
- Nina Ground
- Robert Sawyers, Sr.,
- Chris Swann,works at Olympus Corp. and has spent more than 20 years in the medical field. He is a conservative. (link) (link) (link)
- Nancy VanReece, (link) (link)
- Daniel (Danny) Williams,
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| Cris Swann |
- Bill Pridemore, He is the incumbent seeking reelection. He was the recent Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. He is moderately conservative. There will be a massive turn over of the Council this time. We need to keep some experienced councilmen in office.
- Rod McDaniel, (link) (link)
- Doug Pardue, He is the incumbent seeking reelection and he is unopposed. He is one of the "good" councilman.
- Larry Hagar, He is the incumbent, elected in a special election in August 2014. In the short while he has been in office, he has voted the right way on the several controversial issues. He deserves another term.
- Steve Glover, He is the incumbent seeking reelection and is unopposed. He is one of the "good" councilmen.
District 14.
- Kevin Rhoten, a former Tennessee state attorney and legislative liaison in Gov. Pill Bredesen's administration. (link)
- Jim Garrett, (link) (link)
- Jeff Syracuse, There are two good candidates running in this district. Jeff Syracuse has 15 years experience in the music business, he is active in several neighborhood civic organizations and has the support of the current termed-out incumbent Phil Claiborne. (link) (link)
- Tony Tenpenny, He is the incumbent. He was active in the effort to save the fair grounds. He
is one of the "good" councilmen.
Tony Tenpenny - Mike Freeman, (link)
- Christopher Cotton, an attorney and Vice Chair of the Davidson County Democrat Party (link)
- Colby Sledge, A community activist, public relations professional with McNeely, Piggott and Fox and former employee of the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus. (link)
- Paula Foster. She is endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. She is practicing privately as a clinical social work supervisor and therapist as well as a practicing faculty member for the Vanderbilt School of Nursing. She lives with her "wife." (link) (link)
- Tony Watson, He is a conservative and was active in saving he fair grounds. (link)
Tony Watson
- Burkley Allen. She is the incumbent and is unopposed. She has shown leadership on the issue of regulating peer-to-peer vacation rentals and attempting to apply reasonable regulations of in-home recording studios and developed legislation to accommodate an innovative car-share program. She has worked to accommodate innovation and make the regulations not overly onerous. Her experience and her approach to resolving problems will be valuable in the new council.
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| Amanda Harrison |
- Keith Caldwell (link)
- Amanda Harrison, (link)
- Freddie O'Connell, President of the Salemtown Neighborhood Association, board member of Walk Bike Nashville. (link)
- Bill Shick, an attorney, member of the Tennessee Democratic Party's executive committee. (link) (link)
- Marisa Frank, (link)
- Frank Stabile, a neighborhood leader in the Nations Neighborhood. (link)
- Mary Carolyn Roberts (link) (link)
- Leah P. Dupree, An attorney and legislative liaison for the Tennessee Department of General Services. (link)
- Edward Kindall, a former school board member. (link)
- Mark Lollis, Jr
- Sheri Weiner, The incumbent Council member, a Republican. A member of Budget and Finance who asks good questions. She has no opponent. (link)
- Thom Druffel, (link) (link). Mr Druffel failed to turn in his qualifying petition. He says he was so busy he just forgot it. His name will not be on the ballot but he is conducting a write-in campaign (link).
- Mina Johnson, very active in the West Meade neighborhood organization. (link)
- Timothy Lee, Tim Lee is a Republican and a former candidate for the state house. I like both Tim Lee and Jim Roberts in this race, however, I had already committed to Jim Roberts and am
supporting his candidacy and believe he would be the better choice.
Jim Roberts - Jim Roberts, former Republican candidate for Chancery Court Judge. (link)
- Allen Grant, a neighborhood leader in the Sylvan Park community. link) (link)
- Kathleen Murphy, She is a government lobbyist and active in Democrat Party politics and the daughter of Mike Murphy. (link)(link)
- Russ Pulley, (link) He is the only candidate in the race.
- Jeremy Elrod, An attorney, employed at the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association. (link) (link)
- Luseni Bangalie Kromah
- Jimmy Mitchell (link)
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| Davette Blalock |
- Davette Blalock, The incumbent council member, A Republican. When Nashville had livery service price-fixing, she let the effort to repeal it. (link)
- Clement Ledbetter, (link)(link)
- Daniel Lewis, is Chairman of the Davidson County Libertarian Party. I like Daniel and have in the past contributed to his campaign for another office. I would like to see one libertarian in the Council, but am supporting Melissa Smithson. I do not think Lewis is electable and he seems more interested in promoting the Libertarian brand than getting elected. (link)
- Melissa Smithson, A Republican. She has the support of Duane Dominy, the termed-our incumbent. (link)
- Tanaka Vercher, (link)
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| Melissa Smithson |
- Karen Johnson, She is the incumbent Council member. I know and like Karen a lot. Karen takes her duties seriously and is a good council member and is responsive to her constituents. I know nothing about Karen's opponent, but I want to see Karen reelected. Karen is a Democrat but is moderate in her views and is not an ideologue. (link) (link)
- Vicky Tataryn, (link)
- Jason Potts, the incumbent council member. It is unfortunate he does not have an opponent. If you live in his district I would suggest writing in your own name. (link)
- Fabian Bedne, the incumbent council member. No doubt Fabian Bedne is a liberal, but he scored a point with me when he took an extremely free market position of advocating removing the cap on the number of taxis allowed to operate in Nashville, something I have heard no conservative in the Council do. He also seems to be one of those Council members who carefully studies the agenda and asks good question. He returns phone calls and will listen to other opinions. (link)
- Jacobia Dowell is the incumbent. She scored a point with me when she voted to "abstain" rather than vote for Metro benefits for same-sex couples. She also took what I consider a pro free market position in advocating for a co-op taxi company to get more permits. She also took a strong position against the jail locating in Antioch. She is smart and asks good questions in committee. Also, with such massive turn over in the Council this time, it is important to keep some continuity by reelecting some incumbents. I would probably vote to reelect Jacobia Dowell, if I lived in her district but I do not have enough information to make an informed decision, so at this time I am undecided. (link)
- Ronald A. Haskins, I have heard favorable things about this candidate. I am still undecided in this race. (link) (link)
- William Kissie,
- Sam Coleman, He is an attorney and a former Councilman. He has been described as a moderate Democrat. He has served in the Council before and with such a massive council turn over, having some people with experience is important. I don't know much about the other candidate, so at this time I am not making an endorsement but lean toward Coleman. (link)
- Jimmy Gafford, former police officer. He got the endorsement of the SEIU, so that is one strike against him. (link)
- Steve Butler, on the board of Matthew 25 and on the board of Stem Preparatory Academy, a charter school. (link)
- Angie Henderson, (link)
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| Lonnie Spivak |
- Lonnie Spivak, a Republican and a former Republican primary candidate for the 5th Congressional district. He is smart and thoughtful and I suspect he will become a leader in the Council if elected. He is one of the candidates about which I am enthusiastic. (link)
- Vic Lineweaver, A former Metro Councilman who went on to be elected Juvenile Court Clerk and terribly mismanaged the office. He was once arrested for failing to provide client files to the court. He was filmed by a local news station in his driveway getting his newspaper while on the phone claiming to be at work. Lineweaver lost his re-election bid for office of Juvenile Court Clerk. He has been trying to get back into politics every since. (Lineweaver arrested by Juvenile Court officers) (link)
- Dave Rosenberg, a supporter of State Rep. and Council member Bo Mitchel and a supporter of School Board member Amy Frogge. Those are two good reasons to vote against him. He has several Bellevue community involvements. (link)
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