Elect Stacy Ries Snyder for Congress

The incumbent is a career politician who has spend 26 years in Congress. It is time for a change. For more information on Stacy Ries Snyder, visit her website at this link.

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Bob Ries on why David Fox lost the election and where do Republicans go from here.

Bob Ries

by Bob Ries - As the Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party, I have been asked to provide an analysis of the Mayor’s race from my viewpoint. First of all, I want to make it plain that as an individual, not as the DCRP Chairman, I strongly supported and voted for David Fox. As a Citizen and property owner, I congratulate Megan Berry, wish her well and willingly offer any advice or service she may seek from me to continue to keep Nashville as the “it” city in the world.

 Now for my analysis: Even though the municipal races are supposed to be non-partisan, they are not. This is not sour grapes, it is a fact. I would suggest we consider making the judicial elections non-partisan and the municipal elections partisan, instead of the other way around. That would be more transparent and fair to the citizens of Nashville and the candidates.

It is a fact the Democratic Party has been better organized in Davidson County than the Republican Party. They have a great political machine that can turn out voters and volunteers in great numbers and the Republicans cannot. What I am going to say now will probably create some political enemies for me, but it is the truth. There are many Republican voters in Davidson County, but for all practical purposes there is no organized Republican machine in Davidson County, and there has not been one for years, if ever. To understand the reason for this, we need only to look in the mirror and say: ”We have met the enemy and the enemy is us.”

There are many voters in Davidson County willing to vote for Republicans. I proved this when I spent less than $100,000 in Davidson County and received over 45,000 votes. David Fox spent millions of dollars in Davidson County and still received less than 50,000 votes. We have been capped at about 50,000 votes and that has got to be changed. Can it be done? Absolutely it can be done.

We need to change the minds of approximately 5% of the voters, which can be done through education. It worked with me. I was a Democrat when the Democratic President was lowering taxes to stimulate the economy, standing firm militarily against Russian missiles in Cuba and saying, “Ask not what your Country can do for you, but what you can do for your Country”. When I learned the leaders of the Democratic Party no longer believed in these three things, as well as our Constitution, I became a Republican. I am convinced we can, through education, convert at least 5% of the electorate from Democrat to Republican.

I can remember when, year in and year out, the New York Yankees were a virtual lock to be leading their Division. They are not in first place this morning. However, the New York Mets are leading their Division and I can remember when they were so bad their fans put bags over their heads. Santa Ana had the largest army and was winning every battle against Sam Houston, including the Alamo. Houston did not concede, he conceived a plan and eventually won the war. Everyone knows what George Washington faced and he eventually won.

Movers and shakers in Davidson County who philosophically should have been funding Republican candidates have been contributing money to Democrats for years, simply because that is where their money earned the best “return on their investment”. Republicans have got to earn their respect and change their minds so they will want to start contributing to Republican candidates

We have got to change the current mindset of conceding to the Democrats before the polls even open. That is my job and that is my goal. We need to organize and grow the DCRP so well that we not only re-elect Senator Dickerson and Representative Harwell, but we also elect at least two more Republican State Representatives as well as carry Davidson County for our Republican nominee for president. I am going to need a lot of help. I can assure you that every Republican willing to help me will be met with a welcoming hand extended in friendship and appreciation. Think of the joy we will all share when we accomplish the above goals in 2016.

Bob Ries is Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party, the 2014 Republican nominee for the 5th Congressional District seat, and a retired small business owner. 

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(Update #2) Bob Ries elected Chairman of the Davidson County GOP

Bob Ries

Update #2: I received this report from a friend who attended the convention:

Bob Ries won by five points over Tres Wittum. Robert Duvall did not make the runoff. 

These are the other officers who were elected: 
1st Vice Chair - Connie Hunter, 
2nd Vice Chair - John Wang 
Recording Secretary - Diana Cuellar 
Corresponding Secretary - Joshua Rawlings 
Treasurer - Michele Waddell
Associate Treasurer - Aaron Snodderly. 
Regional Vice Chairs - Sabrina Orr, Tony Roberts, John Goetz, Big John Smith, and Chuck Grimes. 

The convention was a real mess. I have never seen such an unorganized mess and we could contest the whole thing but I'm just glad it is over. 

 I will continue to update as more information becomes available. If any one else would like to shed light on what happened, I would welcome hearing from you.


In a contest between Robert Duvall who was seeking a second term as chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party and challengers Bob Ries and Tres Wittum, Bob Ries won.

Robert Duvall has served as chairman of the Davidson County Party for the past term of two years.  Duvall is a member of the Metro Council who is serving his second council term and has previously unsuccessfully sought election for a State House seat. He is termed-out from seeking reelection to the Metro Council as a district councilman and is running for an at-large Council seat.

Bob Ries was the Republican nominee running against Congressman Jim Cooper in the last election and he has been an unsuccessful candidate for a Metro council seat.

I do not know Mr. Wittum.  In the first round of balloting, incumbent Chair Robert Duvall was eliminated and in a second ballot between Wittum and Ries, Ries prevailed. 

I did not attend this year's convention due to my wife's illness and having out of town guest.  I was selected as a delegate however and got the below solicitation of support from Mr. Ries, but did not receive a solicitation of support from Mr. Duvall.

Delegates to the Republican Party Convention:

My name is Bob Ries. I am running for County Party Chairman and I am asking for your vote tomorrow morning. A lot of you may know me and may have supported my candidacy for US Congress.

For those of you whom I have just met - I have Degrees in Business & Economics. I have started 3 businesses, built them up and sold them. I have been Director of Sales for a Micrographics Company and a major hotel, a Vice President of Sales for an Insurance Company, a Business Consultant and a military veteran.

From 1968 to the time I moved to Tennessee in 1978, I was involved in political party organization as a Precinct Captain and Ward Chairman. I have not only seen how party politics is done, I have helped make it work. In a nutshell, I have a lifetime of experience in successful marketing and organizing political parties. That is what it is going to take to grow and organize this County Party so we can elect more Republicans. Success for Republicans in Davidson County will take 100% dedication to the task of turning the ship around and I have the time and energy to do it.

I am not running for any other office other than party chair. My only aspiration is to build the party for the next slew of candidates from the upcoming council races to the next candidate for US Congress. I believe I can make a difference; we can change the direction of Davidson County and we can be successful in the next two years with Republican Victories.

I am asking for your vote tomorrow and look forward to speaking with anyone who may have questions about the plan I will lay out for the future of the Republican Party in Davidson County.

Thank you for your consideration.

Bob Ries

Robert Duvall is a solid conservative and is generally well-liked. The only criticism I have heard of him as chairman of the Party is that he is too close to Mark Winslow and that Mark Winslow had too much influence over Duvall. You may recall, that Mark Winslow is the Republican member of the State Executive Committee who campaigned for a Democrat nominee for a Davidson County judgeship instead of working for the Party's nominee.  By virtue of his position on the State Executive Committee, Winslow has a seat on the Davidson County Executive Committee. There was one particularly contentious Executive Committee meeting where  Winslow's conflict of interest became an issue and Duvall sided with Winslow.  When Winslow was seeking his reelection to a seat on the State Executive Committee in a contested race, Robert Duvall endorsed him which some content was improper. The County chair is supposed to remain neutral in contested Republican primaries.

While the party grew rapidly under the previous two terms of Kathleen Starnes, my understanding is that party growth has declined in the last two years.  Someone who attended the caucus the previous Saturday said attendance was considerably less than the previous three caucuses.  That may not solely be attributable to the role of the Party chairman however but may simply be due to the political climate or other factors.

I do not know the vote totals for the candidates but will update this post when such information becomes available.

I extend by congratulations to Mr. Ries and thank Robert Duvall for his service to the Party.

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Fund Raiser for Bob Ries Thursday, Sept. 25th.

This is tonight! Sept. 25th. 

If $100 is a little steep, don't let that keep you from attending. Bob put out an email and said

"You can donate $20, $30, $50 $100 or more and make a big difference! "

Also Gary Chapman will be performing tonight

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Beat Lamar becomes Beat Jim Cooper, endorses Bob Ries

by Michael Cass, The Tennessean, August 11, 2014- With a little help from a few college students, the super PAC that failed to unseat U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander in the Republican primary is now turning its sights on a congressional Democrat.

The Spring Hill-based Real Conservatives National Committee said today that it's launching Beat Jim Cooper and endorsing the six-term Nashville Democrat's Republican opponent, Bob Ries, in the November general election. (link)

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Fund Raiser for Bob Ries, Saturday, July 12, 11AM

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DONELSON-HERMITAGE-Old Hickory CONSERVATIVE BREAKFAST GROUP SATURDAY Apirl 13th

DONELSON-HERMITAGE-Old Hickory

CONSERVATIVE BREAKFAST GROUP

Sponsored by

Davidson County Republican Party

SATURDAY, April 13th, 2013

8:30 am – Dutch Treat - Breakfast & Social

9:00 am - Meeting

SHONEY'S

546 Donelson Pike  37214

Guest Speaker

Bob Ries

Candidate US Congress 5^th District

Reaching out to win!

For Country, Constitution and Flag

Presented by Alex and Kathyrn Stillwell

Chairmen of the Donelson-Hermitage Conservative Group

astillwell@moneyconcepts.com or 615-773-2775

Join the Party!!!

www.davidsoncountygop.org/party

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Southeast Davidson County Conservatives’ Breakfast Meeting

Saturday, July 21^st  

8:30 am:  breakfast & social time

9:00 - 10:30 am:  Meeting

Shoney’s

Bell Road @ Cane Ridge Rd (I-24E)

Breakfast Buffet or order from menu - $5.00 minimum purchase required.

Probably your last chance to hear from House District 53 Candidates before Primary: 

Ben Claybaker

Tonya Miller

 

CANDIDATE DEBATE

+

Bob Ries

Candidate for 5^th District

U.S. House of Representatives

Please RSVP to hhtpat@aol.com , (731-1793), or Councilman Duvall at rduvall71@comcast.net

 

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Bob Ries Fundraiser

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Green Hills Breakfast Candidates Forum

Rise & Shine, Join Your Fellow GOP'ers

GREEN HILLS BREAKFAST SUMMIT

5^th CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES’ FORUM

Saturday, June 23, 2012
Swett's - Green Hills - 2209 Abbott Martin Rd
Breakfast begins at 8:15am--Meeting at 9am (sharp)
Bring $8.75 Cash To Cover Everything

JUSTIN JONES

BOB RIES

BIG JOHN SMITH

BRAD STAATS

TRACY TARUM

***RSVP BY EMAIL TO: GREENHILLSGOP@GMAIL.COM***

 Event Chairmen - Peter and Gail Voysey
Kathleen Starnes, DCRP Chairman
This event sponsored
by GOPNashville
Davidson County
Republican Party

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Update: What Happened at the June 5th Council Meeting: budget passes on 2nd reading.

 06/05/12 Council Meeting

This is the council meeting of June 5th. This meeting includes the lengthy public hearing on the budget which is on second reading. This meeting is over five hours long! Below are the highlights.

• When the council adjourns, it adjourns to June 12, 2012 at 6pm for consideration of the capitol improvement meeting and any other matter the vice mayor may deem appropriate. 
• Reappointment of Mr. Brian Winfrey to the troubled Transportation Licensing commission is deferred. Why? I don't know. 
• The first bill on public hearing is the capital improvement's budget. This appropriates no money. It is a planning document and establishes priority for proposed capital improvemeents. This hearing starts at 8:43 and ends at 15:26. The principal of Stratford speaks in favor of improvement of that school. The capital improvements budget is approved and rereferred to the Budget and Finance Committee.
• The vice mayor explains that if a majority of the council votes against the operating budget or abstains the Mayors budget automatically goes into effect.
• Proponents of the Mayor's proposed operating budget starts at 15:55. One after the other people plead for approval of the budget. Proponents plead for a yes vote because they advocate for headstart, for all services, for better schools, for paramedics, for the arts, for a summer writing program, lots of advocates for public transportation, and to get a pay raise.   Many are metro employees. Lots of policemen and lots of teachers speak.  Below are some of the more interesting examples of testimony of those in favor of the budget.
• Robert Weaver, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police.(21:25)
• David Peters, a business man with Universal Robotics. He is with the Chamber's report card project. (22:30)
• Doug ? with the Auto Diesel College. Pro mass transit. Students have no cars. Pro public safety.
• Bert Matthews, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He gives the address of the chamber but not his address. Should he have been allowed to speak? Favors mass transit and support of the Chamber.
• Ginger Cook, president of the Realtors. Again, she give the address of the organization but not her address. Is she a Nashvillian?
• Jane, Ellis, Chair of the Nashville arts.(1:22:28)
• Steven Entre representing the Greater Nashville Hospitality industry. (1:45:10)
• Eric Cole, a former council member. (1:51:00)   

• The opponent of the tax increase start speaking at 1:54:10)
• Burce McNealage (?). Watch this one. He is a real estate investor buying lots of slum property and turning them into nice places to live. This is a person who has been active in the anti tax movement.  
• Ken Jakes, citizen activist and former candidate for Metro Council. (1:57:30) He argues we do not need a department of internal audit. Very good. He argues against the arts. Is that art, he ask after giving a couple examples of bad art.
• Bob Ries, candidate for Congress. We should be expanding the tax base, not the tax rate.  (2:11:53)
• Daniel Lewis, Chairman of the Davidson County Libertarian Party. Taxation is theft! China, a communist country, is privatizing transportation. Many functions of government could be privatized. (2:17:43)
• Dan Davis, a Metro School teacher and the Vice Chair of the Davidson County Republican Party. Great job! Watch this one. The city's liabilities exceed it's assets. (2:21:27)
• Lonnie Spivak, a former candidate for Congress and a leader of the tea party in Nashville. He addresses how much more we spend on education than surrounding counties. Where are the teachers. Too many chiefs, not enough Indians. (2:29:34)
• Ken Marrero, blogger at Blue Collar Muse and local tea party leader. Great passionate speech. "I am not an ATM."  (3:00:47)
• Connie Hunter, former school board member. (3:05:36
• Ed Zeigler. Ed is humorous. Good plea against the increase.(3:24:32)

The public hearing ends at 3:29:20, The budget passes on a voice vote and is referred back to the Budget and Finance committee. Also, the tax levy is passed and referred back to committee.


In other Council action: 


There is a public hearing on a Granny White Pike area zoning bill (BILL NO. BL2012-151) that would interest no one but those in the vicinity. It last an hour. I pity the folks who came to speak on this zoning bill who had to sit through the public hearing on the budget. I think the Council needs to change their rules so public hearing on zoning bills do not occur on the same night as public hearing on the budget. The bill was approved on second meeting and Councilman Todd said he would defer it one meeting on third reading.


A bunch of bills are appropriately passed on the consent agenda, (281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 295, 297, 298, 299).

Several bills, such as bills to adopt an employee pay plan and bills that would issue bonds are deferred to follow the outcome of the budget.  

Three proposed charter amendments (278 and 278 and 298) are deferred indefinitely.  


original post 6/5/2012

Outside the Council Chamber about 6:30 PM

I just finished watching the Council hearing on the budget. It passed unanimously on a voice vote, as it should have. Had the combined majority either abstained or voted "no" the mayor's budget would have become law. The council had to pass this budget tonight. That is the way the charter requires it. The budget is now passed on second reading and referred back to the budget committee. It is amendable on third reading.

I arrived at the council chamber about 5:15 but by the time I got there the chamber was already full and about 200 people were on the mezzanine unable to get in the chamber. I had my remarks prepared and fully intended to speak. However, I had my wife Louella and her caregiver and our friend Sue with me. Louella has Alzheimer's and we had not had dinner and Louella got antsy. The pros got to speak first. By 7PM there was a very long line of "pros" waiting to speak and I knew it would be a very long, long time before I would get to speak and I had to leave.  I did get a chance to speak to my Council member and a couple others I know and I urged them to oppose the Mayors budget. I went home and watched the rest of the hearing on channel 3. The budget hearing was not over until about 10PM.

The people who spoke, for the most part, made intelligent and thoughtful remarks. Most of the "pros" were Metro employees who wanted the promised 4% salary increase or those who benefit from doing business with Metro or whose industry benefits from more Metro spending.  However, some of the "pros" were people who genuinely think Nashville needs more funding to move forward, especially people who believe we need more funding for schools. I disagree with them, but respectfully disagree. I think they are simply wrong; not bad people.

I was very impressed by the quality of comments from our side of the issue. I know many of these people and I was impressed. Connie Hunter, former school board member; Ken Marrero, blogger at Blue Collar Muse, tea party leader and a Davidson County Republican Executive Committee member; Ken Jakes, citizen activist and former candidate for Metro Council; Bob Ries, a candidate for the 5th Congressional District; Lonnie Spivak, former candidate for the 5th Congressional district and tea party leader; Ed Zeagler, a former member of the Davidson County Republican Party Executive Committee who's remarks were not only good but humorous; Daniel Lewis, Chairman of the Davidson County Libertarian Party; Dan Davis, Vice Chair of the Davidson County Republican Party; and others. I am proud of these people. I am not only proud of these people, but pleased that so many citizens cared enough to come out and miss a meal and stay late to be heard.

Now, it is up to the Council. I hope the Council will develop an alternative to the Mayors budget which does not increase taxes. Realistically, I expect some tax increase. The challenge of the opponents is to craft an alternative to the Mayor's budget. While I hope that the alternative is a no tax increase budget, to get a majority will probably require some compromise which is greater than no increase but less than the mayor's requested 13% increase. Unfortunately, the charter gives an edge to proponents.

As soon as the video of the meeting is available I will post it and provide notations to what I see as the best comments, so you can see the best parts and skip the rest. Stay tuned for updates.  

Here are my prepared remarks that I did not get to give: 

 My name is Rod Williams of 758 Roycroft Pl, Nashville. As a former member of this body I appreciate the difficult task you face.  I know the challenges you face in passing a no tax increase budget but I urge you do to so. 

Of the proposed 13% tax hike, 44% is slated to go to schools.  The largest part of that additional money for schools is a proposed increase in the starting salary for teachers, raising that starting salary to $40,00.  We are told starting salaries for teachers are too low in Davidson County. We are told that without raising the starting salary, we will lose teachers to other school districts.

I do not believe this. The facts do not support that argument.  

Thirty-nine of 133 districts do pay a higher starting salary. That means 93 of 133 school districts pay a lower starting salary.

For those that pay a higher starting salary, how much more do they pay? The one immediately above Nashville in starting salary pays $119 more per year. That is $2.23 more per per week.  Of the next seven, they pay less than $500 dollars a year more. Not much difference.

Where are the better paying districts? Only one, Murfressboro City schools, is in this vicinity. Those paying more include Memphis and Sevier County and Maryville City and other districts which are over 200 miles away. Several others including Bristol city, Johnson City and Kingsport are more than 300 miles away. Those are not our competitors.

There are a lot of reasons people choose to live and work where that do.  I do not believe we are losing talented educators to other districts.  If we are, it is not due to starting salaries of our teachers.

We are always told a tax increase is "for the children." I am not buying it. Please do not pass the mayor's budget.  Thank you.

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Realtors endorse candidates

 Below is the list of candidates endorsed by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors.

I am mystified. I don't know what to make of it. What goes into consideration in making their endorsements?  I am disappointed at some of the choices. Neither Karen Bennett, Robert Duvall, Duane Dominy, nor Emily Evans, some of my favorite incumbent district council members, received endorsements. I know these council members to be smart, fair-minded, even-handed, hard-working and proponents of good government. Is the GNAR so in the pocket of the Mayor that they dare not support any of the candidates the Mayor has targeted for defeat? I don't know.

While they did pick a few good candidates (highlighted in red below) they also picked some real losers. I also do not understand why they would pick two candidates in some districts. (highlighted in blue below) By picking two candidates, if there is a third candidate in the race, that gives the third candidate an advantage by splitting the vote of the opponents of the third candidate. It makes no sense to me. In District 19, by picking two candidates that may actually help Bob Ries. I hope so, Bob Ries is a good guy.

Also, in districts with only one candidate (highlighted in green below) they made no endorsement. You know who is going to win and have nothing to lose by endorsing an unopposed candidate. What is the logic in making no endorsement when  their is only one candidate in the race, unless that one candidate is known to be adamantly opposed to your agenda. Endorsing an unopposed candidate could win you a little good will.

I wish someone from the GNAR could explain the criteria used for endorsing candidates.

Mayor: Karl Dean
Vice Mayor: Diane Neigbors
At-Large: Maynard, Jerry
               Garrett, Tim
               Tygard, Charlie
                Barry, Megan
                Steine, Ronnie
District 1: Matthews, Lonnell Jr
District 2: Harrison, Frank
District 3: Hunt, Walter
District 4 Banks, Brady
District 5: Murray, Pam
District 6: Westerholm, Peter
District 7: Davis, Anthony
District 8: VanReece, Nancy

District 9: no endorsement

District 10: no endorsement

District 11: Jernigan, Darren

District 12: no endorsement

District 13: Stites, Josh
District 14: Stanley, James Bruce
District 15: no endorsement
District 16: Page, Anna
District 17: Moore, Sandra

District 18: Allen, Burkley

District 18: Glasgow, David

District 19: Gilmore, Erica
District 19: Wallen, Curt
District 20: Roberts, Mary Carolyn

District 21: no endorsement

District 22: Brandmeir, Seanna
District 22: Weiner, Sheri 

District 23: no endrosement

District 24: Tally, Sarah Lodge
District 24: Holleman, Jason
District 25: Mc Guire, Sean
District 26: Harmon, Chris
District 27: Parks, Brock
District 28: Vercher, Tanaka
District 29: Tataryn, Vicky
District 30: Hodge, Jim
District 31: Bedne, Fabian
District 32: No endorsement
District 33: Turner, Page
District 34: Todd, Carter

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Endorsements for Metro Council

Below are my endorsements of candidates in the upcoming Metro council elections. I personally know several of the candidates who I am endorsing.  Others, I have heard speak at public meetings or have observed on TV. I have studied the voting records of the incumbents. For those with no record and who I do not know, I have taken the recommendation of other people whose opinions I value.  I have not made an endorsement in every race. In some of the races, I simply do not know any of the candidates and in other races it appears that no contender has anything to recommend him over his opponent. This list is subject to change and new endorsements may be added. In a separate post, I will giving my endorsements for the Council-at-large race.

Feedback is welcome. If you disagree with any of my endorsements or have your own recommendations, I welcome hearing from you.  

Charles Hoosoer

District 1, Charles Hoosoer On his website he states he for keeping taxes low and saving the fairgrounds. He has the endorsement of the Davidson County Republican Party (DCRP) For more information see Charles (Chuck) Hoosier For District 1 Council.

District 2, no recommendation

Walter Hunt

District 3, Walter Hunt.  Walter Hunt is an incumbent and has no opposition. I have known Walter for a long time. He is generally a nice guy. One thing that recommends Councilman Hunt is that he supported the effort by Councilman Gotto to curtail eminent domain abuse.

Dave Patterson

District 4, Dave Patterson, 40, is and Army Veteran and still serves in the Army Reserves. He is the area manager for a building maintenance and janitorial business that specializes in "green" cleaning practices. He and his wife are competitive runners and active at Our Savior Lutheran Church. I know David. He is a solid, common-sense conservative. He has a vision for the city. He says he will focus on creating an environment to spur job creation, improving schools through more choices for families, expand transportation options and improve traffic flow. He is one of six candidates running in this open seat.

District 5, no recommendation

District 6, no recommendation

District 7, no recommendation

Karen Bennett

District 8, Karen Bennett. Karen Bennett is one of the "good dozen" council members who voted to curtail eminent domain abuse. She voted against the bill that would have extended special protections to homosexual and transgendered people. Karen is a member of the State Executive Committee of the Tennessee Republican Party. For more information see Elect Karen Bennett.

District 9, no recommendation.

District 10,  no recommendation

William Guthoerl

District 11, William Guthoerl.  He is a former police officer. He favors preservation of the fair grounds. On eminent domain he says, “Resolution RS2008-431 was a proposal to amend the Metro Charter and limit the power of eminent domain utilized by Metro Government. My opponent voted against this measure, leaving your property open to the vulnerability of the use of eminent domain." For more information go to William Guthoerl for Metro Council

Steve Glover

District 12, Steve Glover. I have met Steve and heard him speak. He is a conservative and well qualified to serve on the Metro Council. He is a former member of the Metro School Board where he served as Chair of Budget and Finance, overseeing a budget in excess of $633 million. he is also chair of the McGavock parent cluster for Hermitage, Donelson and Old Hickory. He is running unopposed. For more information see Steve Glover for Metro Council.

Josh Stites

District 13, Josh Stites. He has an MBA in finance and serves as assistant to the Treasurer of the State of Tennessee. His knowledge, skill and experience would be an asset to the Council. His platform is: Responsible Growth and Development, Fiscal Strength, No new taxes, Maintain balanced budgets, Community Strength, Well-equipped Police and Fire Departments. and Improved Infrastructure.

For more info see JoshStites.com.

District 14, no endorsement at this time.

Phil Claiborne

District 15, Phil Claiborne.  Councilman Phil Claiborne has an outstanding record of achievements for his district and an impressive list of civic involvements. He was an outspoken critic of the pro-gay ordinance recently passed by the Metro Council arguing owners with religious convictions must "abandon their core beliefs" to do business with Metro if it passed. He is running unopposed. For more information see www.metro15.com

District 16, No recommendation at this time. This is tough one. I do not personally know much about either candidate but have met incumbent Anna Page. This is the district I used to represent when I served in the Council in the 80's so I have a special interest in this district. I encourage voters to get to know both candidates and make an informed decision. While Anna Page voted against the effort to curtail eminent domain abuse and while she has not distinguished herself as a leader in the council, she is responsive to her district and very involved in the community.

Her opponent, Tony Tenpenny, has been endorsed by the Davidson County Republican Party but I am concerned about his lengthy arrest record. The last arrest however was in 2002 and he very well may have cleaned up his act and be on the straight and narrow. I am not making an endorsement at this time. I cannot find a website on Mr. Tenpenny and have never met him and do not know his qualification.

Sandra Moore

District 17, Sandra Moore. I am not endorsing incumbent Sandra Moore because I agree with her politics but I would rather anyone get elected other than Jerry Graves. Jerry Graves was the person who defeated me by running a very dirty campaign of lies and a last minute smear campaign. Also Jerry Graves is just not that bright and is not qualified to serve. Sometimes you have to choose the least bad candidate. With four people in the race, I would not want to split the vote too many ways and allow Jerry Graves to get elected so I am supporting incumbent Sandra Moore.

District 18, no recommendation

Bob Ries

District 19, Bob Ries. I know Bob and he is one of the nicest men you would ever want to meet and has an engaging sense of humor. Bob was one of the Republicans seeking the 5th Congressional Republican nomination last August. He is pro-growth and often thinks outside the box. He is a small business owner and has a degree in economics. 

District 20, no recommendation

District 21, no recommendation
 

Sherri Weiner

District 22, Sheri Weiner. Sheri Weiner has a long list of civic involvements and recognitions including 2007 Bellevue Citizen of the Year; Past President, Bellevue Chamber; President, Bellevue Exchange Club; President, Pine Forest Homeowners; Chair, Bellevue Picnic; Chair, Bellevue Clean Up Days; and Chair, Bellevue Weather Radio Distribution to Seniors. She has the support of Councilman Eric Crafton who is vacating that seat due to term limits and at-large Councilman Charlie Tygard and the endorsement of the DCRP.

For more information see Sherri Weiner for Metro Council.

District 23, Emily Evans. Emily is running unopposed. Evans, with a background in finance has distinguished herself as the "go to" financial expert in the council. She is respected and listened to. She provides thoughtful opinions on Nashville's issues. Instead of running for district Council member, I wish she was running for Mayor. She would make a great Mayor. She has opposed Mayor Dean on the Convention Center and the fairgrounds redevelopment plan and generally votes conservative. To read more about Emily Evans go to Metro Council District 23.

Jason Holleman

District 24, Jason Holleman. Jason Holleman has apparently really annoyed the mayor and it looks like he may be at the top of the list of those being targeted for defeat. He opposed the new convention center and supported preservation of the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. He also was a supporter of Councilmen Michael Craddock's short-lived mayoral campaign. You can read more about the vendetta of the mayor to defeat Jason Holleman in this Nashville Sean article.

James Kaminski

District 25, James Michael Kaminski. James say, "a lot more work needs to be done to address the shortage of sidewalks, the poor planning of existing sidewalks, and the inconsistent bike lanes that plague our area. Upon his election, James will dedicate himself to giving the residents of District 25 the pedestrian-friendly environment that they deserve." I also know Jason is a good conservative who has worked in the Republican Party but if I knew nothing else about him other than he was going to support a "pedestrian-friendly environment" I would be for him. I am glad to see someone else recognized that we build sidewalks stupidly. We need to make Nashville safe for pedestrians and do more to make Nashville a walkable city.

For more information visit James Kaminski for Council.

District 26. No recommendations at this time.

Davette Blalock

District 27. Davette Blalock. Davette is owner of Blalock Services which provides insurance, real estate, and financial planning services. She has received the endorsement of the DCRP and promises good government. For more information visit Davette Blalock for Metro Council District 27.

Duane Dominy

District 28. Duane Dominy. Duane Dominy is one of my favorite Council members. He ran for the State Legislature last August as a Republican against Sherry Jones. He is a solid conservative. He has probably done more to save the fairgrounds than any other council member. He was one of the "good dozen" who voted to stop the abuse of eminent domain.

Distirct 29, No endorsement at this time. I am torn on this one. I personally know Karen Johnson and consider her my friend. She is a former school board member and she is smart and cares about her community. However, Karen is a Democrat and this spring while I was attending a tea party rally advocating teacher tenure reform, Karen Johnson was rallying with the unionist opposing education reform. Still, I like Karen Johnson. She is not such a dogmatic liberal that one cannot reason with her.

I have heard her opponent Isaac Okoreeh Baah speak and am impressed. He is an African immigrant. He is  a Republican and has received the endorsement of the DCRP. He is an engineer and has thirty one years of Building Codes, Zoning and facilities construction experience. That background would be valuable for someone serving in the Metro Council. In the end, ideology will probably win out over my personal friendship with Karen, but I am not prepared to make an endorsement in this race at this time.

Jim Hodge

District 30, Jim Hodge. Jim has been endorsed by State Senator Doug Henry as well as present and past council members Karen Bennett, Phil Claiborne, Eric Crafton, Duane Dominy, Buck Dozier, Robert Duvall, Randy Foster, Jim Forkum, Tim Garrett, Jim Gotto, Michael Kerstetter, J. B. Loring, Rip Ryman, Carter Todd, Parker Toler and Charlie Tygard. He was an outspoken critic of the bill that would have extended special protections to gays and transgendered people.

District 31, and 32 no endorsement.

Robert Duvall

District 33 Robert Duvall. Robert is another one of my very favorite council members.  He is a principled, common-sense, hard-working, smart conservative who is not hesitant to identify himself as a Republican. He has done a lot to help build the Republican Party in Davidson County. He cares about his community, Nashville and our country. He supports limited government, private property rights and low taxes.  In his district he revitalized and made financially solvent five neighborhood organization. He is a caring, kind individual. He is a fighter. He has been a strong advocate of saving the fair grounds. Because of his leadership and willingness to stand up to the administration, he is being targeted for defeat. We must reelect Robert Duvall. Please, contribute, volunteer and help reelect Robert.

Carter Todd

District 34, Carter Todd.  He is an incumbent running unopposed. He is legal council to Gaylord Entertainment and a 1982 graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. He has a long list of civic involvements including Board Trustee, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville; Member, The Green Hills Action Partners (TGHAP); Board Member, YMCA of Middle Tennessee; Member, Downtown Nashville Rotary Club, Board Member, American Red Cross, Nashville Area Chapter; Past Chair, Nashville Sports Council;  Former Secretary-Treasurer of Nashville Bar Association; Past Vice-Chair, Nashville Chamber of Commerce; and more. 

Tonya Jones

District 35 Tonya Jones. Tonya Jones a former Metro Planning commissioner and an unabashed conservative,  is running against incumbent Bo Mitchell, an outspoken Democrat and one of the most liberal members of the Council. Former district councilman Charlie Tygard and the DCRP are supporting Jones; every liberal and labor union in town are supporting Mitchell. For more info visit Tonya's facebook page at Tonya Jones For Metro Council District 35.

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