The Nashville Mayoral Debates debut on May 18

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Mayor John Cooper, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee to Host Informational Forum

Medical and Legal experts will discuss the impact of new laws governing reproductive freedom on Nashville residents

Metro Nashville Press release, August 4, 2022 - The Office of Mayor John Cooper and Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi will host a forum on Thursday, August 11 to discuss how the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade impacts Nashvillians. Medical and legal experts will provide critical information about how residents can access the information and resources they need as new laws governing reproductive freedom in Tennessee go into effect.

Nashville Post-Roe Forum Event Details

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Mayor Cooper Announces Multiple Initiatives to Combat Climate Change and Promote Sustainability, Signs Global Covenant of Mayors

Metro press release, 12/5/2019 - Mayor John Cooper today announced that his administration has signed the Global Covenant of Mayors as a precursor to participating in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a coalition of 94 leading cities around the world focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Mayor Cooper also introduced multiple local initiatives underway by his administration to address climate change and sustainability in Nashville and Davidson County.

“Since entering office, I began addressing immediate impediments to the function of our city – namely our financial condition,” said Mayor Cooper. “But my administration has been keenly aware of other longstanding concerns, including threats to our environment and the protection of our limited natural resources. Members of my staff have been focused on identifying opportunities to improve the stewardship of our city’s clean air, water, tree canopy, and other natural amenities.” 

Nashville’s participation in the Global Covenant of Mayors requires ambitious local climate and energy action and a transition to a low-emission and resilient urban environment to benefit public and environmental health and to lay the foundation for a prosperous economy.

“Since Nashville is my home, I am honored to help Mayor Cooper advance our city’s work to address the climate crisis,” said former Vice President Al Gore. “He is taking important steps forward that should lead to even greater commitments. He is thinking globally and acting locally -- as we all should.”

Mayor Cooper’s administration will also work toward reducing Nashville’s community-scale emissions 30 percent by 2030 and 70 percent by 2050. To lead by example, CO2-reduction targets for Metro Government will be 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. Using Nashville’s most recent emissions inventories as a baseline, these targets were developed upon surveying those adopted by peer and aspirational cities and align with science-based recommendations in the Paris Climate Accord to reduce absolute CO2 emissions by three percent annually until 2050 in order to hold global warming to 2°C.

Mayor Cooper’s initial climate change and sustainability initiatives include:

• solar power array installation atop Historic Metro Courthouse to be included in the next Capital Improvements Budget, expanding Metro’s renewable energy portfolio; 
• the creation of an “Energy Savings Program” to support energy efficiency efforts in Metro’s general government facilities; 
• LEED certifications achieved for Sheriff’s Office Downtown Campus, Metro Police Department Headquarters and Family Safety Center; 
• the establishment of a Sustainability Advisory Board to review active proposals as they are being implemented through legislation; 
• and the introduction of legislation with Metro Council members to further strengthen tree protections under the Metro Code.

“As we enjoy the holiday season, it is perhaps likely we will not see a proverbial white Christmas this year,” added Mayor Cooper. “But we can certainly work to have a green one. To ensure that our environment is as safeguarded as our pocketbooks, I am proud to announce these initial sustainability projects and policies with the guarantee that more are forthcoming, for the sake of our children and all future Nashvillians.”

Following is a detailed list of Mayor Cooper’s initial climate change and environmental initiatives:

1. Solar power installations across Metro facilities

A. Metro Courthouse

Among Mayor Cooper’s initial proposals is the implementation of a full solar panel array atop the Historic Metropolitan Courthouse. This effort will reduce the building’s costs by offsetting consumption with clean, onsite renewable energy.

Initial steps will include conducting a solar feasibility assessment to determine the ideal location and total number of solar panels that can be installed. It is estimated that the courthouse rooftop could accommodate over 200 individual solar panels capable of generating 72 kilowatts of renewable carbon-free energy.

This would constitute the first retrofit of an existing Metro building under the Metro Council’s local “Green New Deal” enacted under Ordinance Nos. BL2019-1599 and -1600. This legislation adopted a renewable energy standard outlining staged goals toward eventually achieving 100 percent renewable energy for Metro-owned buildings by 2041. The “Green New Deal” legislation also adopts an energy retrofit program across at least 9 percent of metro government-owned buildings with a goal of achieving at least 20 percent reductions in average energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Mayor’s Office has instructed the Department of General Services to manage the solar installation and building retrofit. The department currently manages nearly 100 facilities and has had experience and success with managing, monitoring, and reducing energy costs across its facilities.

The Historic Metropolitan Courthouse building, managed by the Department of General Services, currently offsets an average of 3.5 percent of its electricity by solar via a subscription to Music City Solar. The production from 510 solar panels at the city’s community solar park in Madison are directed towards the Courthouse’s electricity bills.

B. Other solar power array locations forthcoming 

Once installed, the Historic Metropolitan Courthouse will join other Metro locations where solar power arrays are being installed, including the Sheriff’s Office Downtown Campus (with 144 solar panels generating 50.4 kilowatts), the Metro Police Department Headquarters and Family Safety Center (with 864 solar panels generating 302 kilowatts), and the Bellevue Community Center (with 430 panels generating 150 kilowatts).

C. Metro Water Services 1.7-megawatt solar power facilities

An even more expansive plan is underway at Metro Water Services (MWS), which has initiated plans to install 1.7 megawatts of solar power generating capacity at three of their facilities − two wastewater treatment plants and one water treatment plant. The combined facilities will generate over 2 GWh of electricity annually − enough to power over 100 homes − and will avoid nearly 2,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The MWS procurement process begins December 5, 2019 with publication and release of the RFP. The procurement approach relies upon a third-party ownership model that will result in only marginal capital investment by the department. MWS will then enjoy direct use of the solar power generated at their facilities, offsetting an estimated six million dollars’ worth of conventional power over 20 years.

D. Renewable Investment Agreement with TVA for utility-scale solar power

In pursuit of even more substantial utility-scale solar power for Nashville, Mayor Cooper recently directed the Department of General Services to sign an initial agreement with NES and TVA allowing the Mayor’s Office to explore a Renewable Investment Agreement (RIA) whereby TVA would procure renewable energy from new renewable generation resources within the Tennessee Valley area for the benefit of Nashville.

While Metro’s efforts to develop clean sources of renewable energy are just beginning, the Mayor’s Office encourages Nashvillians who have the resources to consider solar installations at their own homes and businesses.

2. Energy Savings Program to improve efficiency

Mayor Cooper has commissioned the Department of General Services with establishing an “Energy Savings Program” to support energy efficiency efforts in Metro’s general government facilities with a goal of substantial reductions in energy consumption and costs.

To implement reductions, the Department of General Services will manage an “Energy Savings Revolving Fund” deploying ongoing measurement and tracking of energy savings projects for most Metro department facilities. This approach will provide a broad range of energy solutions, including design and implementation of energy savings projects, energy conservation measures, energy audits, energy infrastructure retrofits, building automation systems, utility expense management, and building retro-commissioning.

To track and manage the projects and energy savings, General Services’ sustainability team will be installing a new energy management system. The system will deliver high-quality data tracking used to provide visibility into an asset’s energy performance, accurate reporting of Metro’s progress towards greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, and the identification of actionable energy conservation measures. The software will be able to organize, track, visualize, benchmark, and effectively communicate trends of all commodities related to energy consumed by buildings managed by the Department of General Services.

General Services currently manages nearly 100 facilities and has had experience and success with monitoring and reducing energy costs in these facilities. Further, the department has an innovative Center of Responsible Energy staffed with an experienced team knowledgeable in energy management that monitors building automation systems in nearly half of its buildings, a seasoned energy manager, and in-depth expertise in reporting on energy utilization through the Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 3. LEED certifications for Metro buildings

A. Sheriff’s Office Downtown Campus, Metro Police Department Headquarters and Family Safety Center

Achieving cost savings from energy efficiency will be a priority under the Cooper administration. Today, Mayor Cooper is proud to announce the pursuit of green building certification by two Metro-owned facilities.

With the assistance of the Department of General Services, the Sheriff’s Office Downtown Campus has just been awarded LEED Silver certification. And the Metro Police Department Headquarters and Family Safety Center is successfully tracking toward LEED Gold certification.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of efficiency and sustainability. Through design, construction, and operations practices that improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings make the world more sustainable.

The Sheriff’s 416,000 square foot campus in downtown Nashville will be the first of its kind to achieve LEED Silver certification in the state of Tennessee. The campus includes 436 detention cells on five levels, 60 behavioral health beds, a medical unit, kitchen and laundry facilities, intake and processing facilities, administrative space and visitation, and staff parking. This state-of-the-art facility achieved LEED certification by implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions toward sustainability in several areas, including site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. More than 84 percent of the construction and demolition debris was diverted from landfills, with 33 percent of the materials containing recycled content and 50 percent of the materials procured regionally. The facility was designed to reduce water consumption by 45 percent and energy use by 21.6 percent, with a portion of the electricity demand generated onsite with rooftop solar panels. Certification is proof that the Sheriff’s Office Downtown Campus is being constructed and operated to the highest level of sustainability.

4. Establishment of Sustainability Advisory Board

Among Mayor Cooper’s other initial undertakings will be the establishment of a Sustainability Advisory Board that will review actual sustainability initiatives advanced by the Mayor’s Office and by the Metro Council.

Previous administrations have convened environmental groups whose well-meaning members ably gathered, discussed, and prepared reports filled with ambitious proposals and recommendations. But today, Metro’s problem is not a lack of proposals − it is the implementation of those proposals into actual practice. That is why the Advisory Board will be charged – to review active proposals as they are being implemented through legislation and policy changes.

5. Saving and strengthening Nashville’s tree canopy

Locally, Metro’s policies must promote and protect efforts to restore a healthy tree canopy. Planting trees is an effective and cost-conscious way to fight climate change. The Metro Council has approved important legislation toward the protection of Nashville’s tree canopy, yet much more remains to be done. While a wholesale revision to Metro’s current Code is suggested by some, such efforts would require substantial costs and labor at a time of significant budgetary constraint. But incremental measures can at least continue the momentum forward until Metro’s fiscal house is in order.

To that end, Mayor Cooper is introducing initial legislation with Metro Council Member Angie Henderson to further strengthen tree protections under the Metro Code. Specifically, the legislation will propose the elimination of an exemption to tree density requirements that unintentionally reduces tree volume by nearly 70 percent based solely upon lot dimensions. (See, Metropolitan Code of Laws, sec. 17.24.100.B.2).

Christmas Tree

Sustainable practices for a vital tree canopy can and should include Nashville’s annual Christmas Tree – an important symbol where Metro’s practices can likewise be of symbolic significance. Therefore, for the first time, the Metro Parks Department will provide a “replacement value plus” for each tree harvested for Public Square holiday decorations. After a Christmas Tree is donated, the Parks Department will plant multiple replacement trees equivalent to twice the caliper inch measurement of the Christmas Tree, literally doubling the diameter volume of replaced trees. Further, the Christmas Tree will be decorated with over 5,000 LED lights powered exclusively by solar energy.

Joining the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy

As Metro acts locally, it is important to continue to think globally − being mindful of the impact the city’s conduct has upon others around the world. To that end, Mayor Cooper has added his signature to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, a global coalition of city leaders dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making their communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change, and providing access to sustainable energy.

By taking these initial actions, Nashville secures its commitment to local climate and energy action and the transition to a low-emission and climate-resilient urban environment that will benefit the health of the community and lay the groundwork for a prosperous economic future. 

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John Cooper raised the most money in the Second Quarter. Briley has the most "on-hand" for the final stretch.

By Rod Williams - John Cooper raised the most money in the Second Quarter, which covers the period of April 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019, having total receipts of  $850,137, of which, $555,000 was a loan from himself to his campaign.

David Briley raised $443,116, but started the second quarter with over $400,000 on hand. Cooper had no money on hand at the start of the second quarter, entering the race late. Clemmons follows with less raised and less on hand and Carol Swain brings up the rear.

Entering the finale stretch of the campaign, Briley leads with $440,194 on hand, followed by Cooper with $142,312, Clemmons with $120,006, and Swain with only $49,669.  While candidates my continue to raise money, the "on-hand" amount is important because it tells you who can buy TV and radio ads, billboards, and print media advertising. Of course, a candidate may also contribute to his own campaign or make a loan to his own campaign.

To see who the contributors were to the candidates, you can follow this link and find the full copies of the candidates campaign financial disclosures.  Below is a summary of their reports. I have not bothered to review the campaign reports of the other candidates for mayor, but if interested you can find their financial reports at the same link.



David Briley

Balance on hand last report: $416,209
Total receipts this period: $443,116
Total Dismemberment this period: $419,113
Balance on hand: $440,194

No outstanding loans

John Ray Clemmons

Balance on hand last report: 109,227
Total receipts this period: $168,445
Total Dismemberment this period: $157,666
Balance on hand: $120,006

Outstanding loans:$150,000

John Cooper

Balance on hand last report: $0
Total receipts this period: $820,137
Total Dismemberment this period: $677,824
Balance on hand: $142,312

Outstanding loans: $555,000. 

Carol Swain

Balance on hand last report: $116,198
Total receipts this period: $111,779
Total Dismemberment this period: $178,309
Balance on hand: $49,669

No outstanding loans

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Mayoral Candidates stake out positions on affordable housing

Last night candidates for mayor took part in a forum sponsored by NOAH, Nashville Organized for Action and Hope. This is a  progressive coalition of interfaith and labor groups. About 500 people attended the event but unfortunately I was not able to attend. One of the topics of this forum was  affordable housing. In addition to this event, the mayoral candidates shared their views on affordable housing at a televized event on June 25th and each talked about affordable housing when interviewd by the Tennessean editorial board. Below in a nutshell is the opinion of the candidates on affordable housing:

David Briley
David Briley says affordable housing  is a "human right."  I am bothered by categorizing the things to which society may determine people are entitled as "rights."  Liberals do not know the difference or do not recognize a difference between liberties and entitlements. Categorically, freedom of speech and a right to paid maternity leave are different things. Right off the bat, Briley is losing me by calling affordable housing a "human right."

Briley has outlined an affordable housing initiative called Under One Roof 2029, which would spend $750 million over 10 years, primarily towards the redevelopment of aging public housing into mixed-income communities. This plan has come under a lot of criticism. Critics says it takes pieces of what is on the drawing board anyway and puts it in a new package. Also it calls for increasing funding to the Barnes Fund, the money to come from the operating budgets.  Budgets are approved each year and there are competing needs. This intent to fund the Barnes Fund at a higher level is no more than a good intention. One mayor or council cannot obligate the next.

$350 million of the money Briley proposed would come from issuing new general obligation bonds. This is at a time when Nashville has the highest debt obligation per person of any city in America. We need to be lowering our debt, not adding to it.

$250 million would come from voluntary investments in affordable housing by the private sector.  This is pulling money out of thin air. He could have made his plan a billion dollar plan by saying the private sector would make $500 in voluntary investments.

Briley's plan is smoke and mirrors based on wishful thinking.

John Cooper
At the NOHA event, Cooper pandered and said he advocates putting a NOHA representative on MDHA's board. While I generally have a negative view of NOHA, and while I would not want to specify than any one political group be entitled to a representative on the MDHA board, I would not oppose that their be a low-income person  from a "pocket of poverty" or low-income census track be on the board.  In my view, MDHA is too focused on building luxury condo's and one advocate for poor people on the board, would not hurt. That is not much of a solution to the problem of the declining availability of affordable housing however.

Cooper has a modest, practical affordable housing plan on his website. He advocates small changes that can make a difference. It is not a bold creative vision; he is not reinventing the wheel, but I like that.  It includes better management of what resources we already have, a new revolving fund for affordable housing, and greater leverage of federal and state housing funds for affordable housing.  

Carol Swain
Carol Swain has a plan she says is based on parcels of land owned by the city. She would make those excess parcels available for development of homes costing about $200,000. While I like this, those parcels are already being made available for development under an existing program. I am not sure, this is anything new. One thing she does advocate is to "use modular technology, new creative ideas to get the price down even further."  It is a shame Nashville stands in the way of the development of affordable housing by the private sector by effectively prohibiting the use of factory build housing in Nashville. I am pleased to see the advocacy of modular construction.

John Ray Clemmons
He says affordable housing is a "real crisis."  He would commit at least $50 million a year to the Barnes Fund using a dedicated revenue stream, but he does not identify that revenue stream. There is nothing magic about a dedicated revenue stream.  If the city, for instance, should take $50 million that now is paid in codes fees and direct that money to the Barnes Fund, that is $50 million that now goes into the city coffers to pay for education, police protection and everything else the city does.  That is not free money. That means the city would have to make $50 million in cuts to other services or raise taxes.

He would also create "income-source protection" for people with Section 8 housing vouchers, and a land bank for surplus public property. I am not sure how "income-source protection" works. So, I would have to know more to know what he is talking about.  For a primer on Land Banks, follow this link.  I tend to favor letting property be developed to its highest and best use but am not opposed to land banks playing a limited role in helping low income people become homeowners but it is no magic bullet that will solve the housing "crisis."


Rod's thoughts
First of all I do not think we have a housing "crisis." We have an "issue" or "problem."  For the person making the median income in Nashville, the median priced house is still affordable. We are in much better shape than many other cities in America where the median income person cannot afford the median priced house.

In one sense, this is what we asked for. When you attract people to move from elsewhere to Nashville and those people make a much higher income than most Nashvillians, they are going to drive up housing prices. A lot of what we are experiencing is simply supply and demand. That is not to say that for lower income people that they are not priced out of the market. What we are experiencing is an issue to be addressed but not a crisis.

I am disappointed that none of the candidates took the position that Nashville should stop taking actions that make the problem worse. Much of the fault for loss of affordable housing, is directly due to government policy. As an example of this, there is a new plan to redevelop Dickerson Pike. The Dickerson Road area has long been one of the cheapest parts of the city to live.  In addition to affordable apartment buildings along Dickerson, the neighborhoods adjacent to the thoroughfare have lots of modest affordable homes.  On Dickerson Road there are several old-fashion junky trailer parks.  On Dickerson Road itself there are businesses that serve the people who live in the vicinity. There are businesses such as laundromats, payday lenders, convenience stores, and discount tobacco stores, and used car lots.  Dickerson Road has always had a problem with hookers walking the street and the area has a lot of drug dealers.

Metro has a plan to improve this bad part of town. The plan envisions a dense collection of modern offices, shops and multifamily housing, widened streets and added transit hubs, greenways, crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes.  The city is going to beautify and upgrade one of the worst parts of the city.  The Tennessean says, "But the increased investment is expected to send property values soaring in one of the few areas where relatively affordable housing can still be found near downtown."  I am pleased to see this recognition of the effect of improving parts of the city.

We are talking about hundreds of units of housing are going to be lost.  Thousands of people will no longer be able to afford to live there.  Some of the people living in trailer parks rent by the week. Where are they going to go?   No one likes to have a seedy part of town, but when you beautify and upgrade a seedy part of town you are destroying the only place poor people can afford to live.  Every community can't look like Brentwood and still have affordable housing.

Less ambitious than a master plan such as is planned for Dickerson Road are city policies that little by little destroy affordable communities and thereby affordable housing.  These are policies that make busy corridors look nice. These are rules which say used car lots must have an attractive decorative fence in front of them, that say one can not have in close proximity businesses of the same or similar type such as used tire stores and auto repair businesses, and rules that say all dumpsters must be placed on a reinforced concrete pad behind the building, and rules that require a certain distance between pay day lenders.  These rules drive out the kind of business that serve low-income people.  They make unattractive parts of town more attractive and change the character of the community and make it attractive for people who make more money.  They turn low-income parts of town into middle-income parts of town.

Another way in which Nashville destroys affordable housing is by the policy of making large parts of the county single-family only.  Almost every Council meeting, there is a bill to down-zone a neighborhood from a zoning which allows duplexes to a zoning which does not.  Such legislation may change a zoning from R20 to RS20. I understand people wanting to preserve the character of their neighborhood.  I understand people wanting things to stay the same. However, this has an impact on future home prices.  This makes future affordable housing less likely and it encourages urban sprawl.  With higher density, there are fewer places to build houses and this causes the available places to be more expensive.  Also, with less available building spaces close in, it causes people to move further out.

Another way the city causes a loss of affordable housing is by driving up the cost of development and stifling the development of more affordable housing. Take the policy that requires a sidewalk in front of every house.  Sidewalks can add thousands of dollars to a the price of a house. This means developers will build more expensive homes rather than less expensive homes to absorb in the home price the cost of the sidewalks.  Also, I have talked to developers who say they have tried to build communities of affordable housing and instead of getting assistance from planning, they got obstacle after obstacle thrown in their way.  It is simply easier to build pricey homes rather than affordable homes.

Another way government destroys affordable housing, is my stringent codes enforcement.  I own a little rental house in Woodbine.  I only own one rental property.  It is the house I lived in  myself until I moved to my current home.  It is a two-bedroom one-bath house.  A few months ago I got a codes complaint and I had to deal with it. It is not the first time.  It was a headache and an annoyance.  I have a tenant who has different taste than I do and likes "yard art."  He also keeps a lot of stuff that he might can sell to make a little money.  The stuff was stored neatly in covered storage.  He also was parking a car on an unpaved or graveled area.

I only charge the tenant a modest price for rent.  I could put central heat and air in the house and dress it up just a little and rent it for about half again what I am getting, or I could sell the house.  I get about two postcards a week from someone wanting to buy that house. If I sold it they would tear it down, and build an expensive house on the lot. There would go a unit of affordable housing.

Quite frankly, I don't need the money I could get from selling the house or from upgrading and raising the rent.  My tenant is a Cuban refugee who really did come to America by a raft made of intertubes.  He has been here about twenty years or so but has a heavy accent and little education. He makes a living by selling scrap metal.  He would have a difficult time paying more rent.  I rent to him at a modest rent more out of a sense of doing a good deed than anything else.  When I get a codes letter, however, I am tempted by the postcard offers to buy my house.  I have talked to other landlords who get harassed by codes.  I know we have to have codes enforcement, but there is an effect.  When codes officials harass property owners they destroy affordable housing.

The other way Metro government contributes to the loss of affordable housing is by refusing to zone property for greater density if what is planned to be build on the property is affordable housing.  Worse yet, is the taking away of ones property rights in order to stop them from building affordable housing. This was attempted in Antioch. Ultimately, the person's property rights were not taken but the threat hung over the owners head for two years and the affordable property was never build.

Nashville could have more affordable housing if would embrace manufactured housing. There is a certain snobbish elitism that doesn't want "trailer trash" in Nashville and Nashville has had a long-standing attitude that we would keep "mobile homes" or "trailers" out of Nashville. A lot of the prejudice against manufactured housing is irrational. Manufactured housing could play a major role in insuring there was housing available at various price points.

The best way to make housing affordable is to increase incomes for those at the bottom of the income scale.  Rather than subsidizing poverty, in my view, we should strive to lift people out of poverty. You can't lift all people out of poverty, but we should have as a goal to have fewer poor people.

The loss and increasing lack of affordable housing is of concern, but much of the blame can be laid at the doorstep of the same people who bemoan the fact that we are losing affordable housing.  You can't have affordable housing if you don't want affordable neighborhoods.  You can't have affordable housing and have every neighborhood look like Brentwood. You can't have affordable housing, if you are going to ban greater density or fight having affordable housing in your neighborhood.

For source material and more information, follow these links: link, link, link, link, link.

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The Tennessean' profile of each of the four major candidates for mayor.

The Tennessean has done a profile of each of the four major candidates for mayor. Each piece tells the biography of the candidates and essential facts about the candidate and lets the candidate share his or her vision for Nashville.  With a word length of about 2600 words, the articles are long enough to do the candidates justice and let their personality shire through. None of the articles are a hatchet-job and none of the top four are slighted. Good reporting.

 David Briley, after an improbable political comeback, wants to finish what he started

Carol Swain is running for Nashville mayor after 'a life of beating the odds'

Cooper sees bipartisan path to win in election 

John Ray Clemmons: A mayoral candidate underdog who wants to change Nashville

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John Cooper reception Thursday July 25 at Gruhn Guitars

RSVP online

or to Kaye Whitacre

kayewhitacre@gmail.com

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Nashville police union backs John Cooper for mayor

Nashville police union backs John Cooper for mayor, other Metro Council candidates

by Yihyun Jeong, The Tennessean - The Fraternal Order of Police  — which represents thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement personnel stationed in the Nashville area. — released their endorsements Monday for candidates running for Metro office. 

"I am honored to be endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police," Cooper said in a statement. "Keeping people safe is the first job of government. Policing is a difficult and noble profession and the rank and file should be treated fairly by their superiors, just as the citizenry at large deserve to be treated fairly. It is the job of the mayor to set clear goals, provide the resources necessary, and hold people accountable for results." (read more)

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Just who are all of these people running for mayor

When you go to vote in the August 1st election, you will see a lot of candidates name's on the ballot of whom you have never heard.  Why do people put their name on the ballot who have zero chance of winning? I don't know. Maybe they are delusional and think they can win. Maybe they know they can't win but have a point of view that they want to express and running for office gives them a platform to be heard, at least by a few people. Maybe they have a big ego and get satisfaction by seeing their name on the ballot.

You will see some names that you have heard of but of whom you know very little.  It is a shame that so many people are elected by voters who just pull the lever for a person because he had a lot of yard signs.  It is a shame so many people are elected because they got the most votes from uninformed people.  If you have a strong political philosophy, and know you want to only vote for a Democrat or a Republican and there are only two choices, then party label can be a good guide for whom to vote. In the race for mayor and council, people do not run on party labels so a voter cannot be guided by party identity of the candidate. I tend to think that is a good thing. There are very few votes a member of the council cast where political affiliation would be an indication of how the council member would vote. There are no Democrat or Republican pot holes.

I am posting below the list of candidates for mayor. Next to each list I will provide links to the candidates website, Facebook page or blog or news stories about the candidate. For some of the candidates I will tell you what I know about them, or if I know nothing. If I have a favorite, I will let you know.  I plan to do the same for council races, but this may prove to take more effort than I want to give it. We'll see.

Candidates for Mayor

Jody Ball: He is a Republican and good sensible candidate but doesn't have a chance. The Republican vote will be split between Carol Swain and John Cooper and even if all Republican voted for one candidate that candidate could not win. Republicans are outnumbered about two to one in Davidson County.  Ball ran for the 5th Congressional District as a Republican and lost that November 6, 2018 election to incumbent Jim Cooper. Cooper beat Ball 67.8 percent to 32.2 percent but some of  the areas where Ball did best lay outside Davidson County. I like Ball but won't vote for him. I appreciate him carrying the banner and providing a token alternative to Cooper in the congressional election but why he thinks he can be elected mayor, I don't know. For more information see this link, Twitter feed, Jody Ball for Mayor.

Mayor David Briley

David Briley: He needs no introduction. As everyone knows he is the incumbent and is running for reelection. I am going to skip posting any links. You will hear his name a lot between now and the election and can learn more than you want to know about him without even trying. Just be aware that Nashville is a financial disaster and Briley has no plan to fix it. Metro is a mess and Briley needs to go.


Julia Marguerite Clark-Johnson: I never heard of her until now.  Here is the Tennessean profile piece from when she ran for mayor in 2018. In that election she got a total of only 168 votes.

John Ray Clemmons: He is a major candidate so I don't need to say much. He is currently a Democrat State Representative representing District 55.  There has been some speculation that he is not running to win but to increase name recognition in order to later challenge Steve Dickerson for his state senate seat. For more see, John Ray Clemmons for Mayor.

John Cooper

John Cooper:  I am supporting John Cooper.  He is a Democrat and the brother of Jim Cooper but in this case I am not going to hold that against him.  John Cooper may be the last sane Democrat left.  I watch almost every Council meeting and study the issues. I have been impressed with John Cooper ever since he began serving.  He has become an expert on Metro's finances. He knows Metro government like the back of his hand.  I don't know his views on building the wall or abortions or medicare for all or Agenda 21, and I don't much care.  Those are national issues. The most important issue facing us as voters for mayor is that we need to get our financial house in order and we need to select the person most qualified and committed to doing that. That is John Cooper.  Metro is the city in the nation with the highest debt per capita of any city.  Our police and fire are understaffed and Metro Schools are underfunded but we are not under taxed. Our local media would be focused on these issues if we had a mayor advocating a tax increase. There could be hysteria created if it served to advance an agenda. John Cooper knows what is wrong and has pledged to fix it. For more see John Cooper for Mayor.

Bernie Cox: He is a person with successes and recognition, apparently in the construction business and the entertainment business. He describes himself as conservative. This is apparently his first time running for office. Link.

Jimmy Lawrence: I can't find anything about him.

Jon Sewell: I can't find anything.

Nolan O.Starnes: He is African-American, has a criminal record but says he has turned his life around. He is a Hemp farmer. He is concerned about gentrification and says he will keep Nashville's New Transit Plan as a priority. His focus seems to be on the plight of low-income Nashvillians. For more see Nolan Starnes for Mayor.

Carol Swain: I like Carol Swain. I feel I know her. She has a compelling life story.  She courageously stood up to liberal intimidation as a professor at Vanderbuilt University.  However, I won't be voting for her. I did in 2018 when she was the only reasonable alternative to David Briley.  Before John Cooper got in the race, I thought she again was going to be the only real alternative. I contributed to her campaign.

She is a devout Christian, a scholar, an author, and a pundit advocating conservative policies. However, I think John Cooper is a better candidate. He has been in the trenches fighting for fiscal sanity in Nashville.  Despite Swain's conservatism, I am don't think she is the person we need for mayor at this time. Also, I just don't see how she can win. There is no path to victory.  As conservatives we must face the fact that Nashville is a very liberal city and more liberal by the day. Swain's position on issues such as homosexuality, immigration, the nature of Islam and her critique of the damaging effects of our welfare state, would make her unelectable by Nashville's progressives. There are, however, liberals who would vote for fiscal responsibility. To decide to support John Cooper over Carol Swain was not an easy decision, but I am firmly convince that it is the right decision.  See Carol Swain for Mayor and do a search engine search and you can find her commentaries and YouTube videos and much more.

Erica Gilmore

Candidates for Vice mayor

The vice mayor conducts council meeting and makes committee appointments and if the mayors office become vacant, the vice mayor become mayor. There are three candidates for vice mayor.

Erica Gilmore: She is an at-large member of the Metro Council.. She was elected to that seat in 2015. She previously represented District 19 from 2007 to 2015. Gilmore was a candidate for mayor of Nashville, Tennessee. Gilmore was defeated in the special election on May 24, 2018. See link.

Jim Shulman

Robert Sawyers, Sr.: I can't find anything about him. Sawyers was an independent candidate for Governor of Tennessee in 2018. He was a  candidate for State House, 54th District, in 2016. 
 
Jim Shulman: Shulman is the current Vice mayor. Prior to that he served as an at-large council member and prior to that he was a district council members. He conducts meetings fairly and has a long list of civic engagements. I will be voting for Jim Shulman.

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John Cooper training and meet and greet event June 1

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John Cooper: Why I Am Running To Serve You As Mayor!

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It's Official! John Cooper is running for mayor!

John Cooper

by Rod Williams - He announced it this morning in an interview with The Tennessean and he launched a website John Cooper for Nashville.  In the interview with The Tennessean this morning he said, "my issues are neighborhoods first — density is not its own reward. When density happens, we have to use it to build a livable city. And my second issue is financial stewardship. There is no question the city has deep financial issues. We've maxed out the credit card, so the easy decisions are behind us. Debt service is going to probably be once again the biggest item in the new budget.

Cooper had been considered a likely candidate for mayor until February when he announced he would not run.  Since that time many have encouraged him to reconsider and get back in the race. With Nashville's debt being the largest per capita in the nation and eating up more and more of the city's budget and crowding out pay raises and adequate funding for city services, many felt we needed someone who would take the debt issue seriously.  In the Council, Cooper has been a consistent voice advocating fiscal responsibility. 


Now that he has entered the race,  he begins as an underdog. The other candidates have had months to build a campaign team and raise money and get pledges of support. Cooper does have the advantage, however, of having run county-wide and been elected.  Also, being the brother of Congressman Jim Cooper gives him instant connection to a lot of people. Cooper also has a resume, that recommends him for the job. He has a record of being a thoughtful hardworking member of the Council who has consistently advocated for fiscal responsibility and been and advocate for the interest of Nashville citizens over that of corporation. He has consistently been a critic of using economic incentives to lure business to Nashville. 

Cooper is married and 62 years old. He earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University, worked in finance on Wall Street, returned to Nashville to work in real estate development and business. Most of his development was focused on projects on Williamson County. To read his bio follow this link.

While I had earlier supported Carol Swain and contributed to her campaign, I am now supporting John Cooper.  I like Carol Swain and voted for her in her last campaign for mayor, but in a city as liberal as Nashville, I feel her record as a pundit and author advocating conservative position on social issue would make her unelectable.  I would urge Carol Swain to drop out of the race and endorse Cooper.

I have closely observed Cooper on the Council.  He grasp the details of the functioning of the city.  He understands as well as anyone the complexity of city finances. He would not be learning on-the-job. He is the person we need at this time to serve as mayor. I have just sent him a campaign contribution and urge you to do so also. Visit his website John Cooper for Nashville and hit the "donate" button.

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Update: John Cooper is runnng for mayor!

4/15/2019 Update: It looks more certain every day that John Cooper will run for mayor. Sources tell me to look for an announcement anytime. There may be an announcement as early as tomorrow.

The Nashville Scene is now reporting it: John Cooper Might Change His Mind and Run for Mayor.  At this point, I will be very surprised if he does not run. 

by Rod Williams, April,11, 2019 - At least a reliable source told me he was.  Early on, Cooper was often mentioned as a potential candidate for mayor, then in early February he announced he would not be seeking the mayor's office. Rumors keep floating that he will get back in the race.  Assuming this is true, this is good news. I like Carol Swain but frankly, doubt she can win. She has a lengthy record of expressing  her views on social issue. I tend to share her views, but think they would hurt her in city as liberal as Nashville.  I wish she could, but just don't think she can win.

John Cooper is a Democrat and I don't know his views on social issues and I don't want to know. He has not made his views public.  I don't know his position on illegal immigration, abortion, or other social issues. Really, I don't care that much. I care about these issues but they are mostly irrelevant to administering the city of Nashville. I know that Nashville is the city with either the most or the second most debt per person in America. That matters more than these social issues. Our basic services are underfunded and we waste an enormous amount of money on delivering city services. Corporate welfare and cronyism are rampant. Our schools are failing and getting worse.  I believe John Cooper grasp this.  I think he would get our financial house in order. At this time, that is what is most important to me.  If Cooper is not fully decided, I would encourage him to throw his hat in the ring.

As soon as his decision to run is confirmed from other sources or Cooper issues a statement, I will post it.

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Councilman John Cooper: Transit plan is not a flexible plan

From No Tax 4 Tracks: We pay a lot of attention to what Metro Council member at large

John Cooper

John Cooper says.

He’s thoughtful.  He does his homework.  And he’s committed to a better Nashville.

So, when we saw his comments on Facebook about the $9-billion light rail plan, we took notice.

Mayor Briley and pro-transit people consistently say the plan is flexible, it can adapt.

Cooper doesn’t see it that way.

“By state law, there are 250 words that are going to be on the ballot that describe this transit. And this is a proxy. The 250 words are a proxy for the 55-page document which is available online, which I do encourage people to read. And that document is very important. It’s very detailed, and it really has an effective…force…of law. And so, the four bus rapid transit lines and the five railroad lines, and the tunnel is all in this document. And for that document to be changed, it has to be declared impossible, financially unfeasible, then the council has to say that it was unfeasible and then there has to be another referendum. So, it’s not that flexible of a plan.”

Charlotte, North Carolina.  Lots of talk about their system.  So, Cooper went.

“I went to City Hall and showed myself around and learned what I could, and they were very nice. And every single person there said, “What are you telling people in Nashville about transit”? And I said, well, congestion. That’s a big problem in Nashville. And to a person, everyone in Charlotte said, “You cannot say that. Congestion will get worse with transit.” And then I said, “Well why’d you do it in Charlotte?” and they said, “Development, development.”

“Fundamentally, this transit bill is about adding a large number of people to downtown Nashville — on the order of 200,000 people to downtown Nashville. If your transit-oriented development districts run at the density they feel it needs to be run at — in Charlotte that’s 22 people an acre — we have over 9,000 acres that’s going to a transit-oriented development district, that is relocating a city the size of Chattanooga or Orlando, Florida to downtown Nashville. So, ultimately this plan probably does not address congestion at all; it probably creates congestion.”

Congestion. I-65, 24, 40 and 440 and this plan.  Cooper says:

“They’re two entirely separate systems. One will serve downtown Nashville, and the other will not — there’s no way that you can pull off the interstate and use the transit. Now the internal downtown Nashville transit system will serve the people, but those are people who are not yet here. They are not yet here. So, the federal projections for population growth in Davidson County between now and 2032 is only, we will go from 685,000 to 740,000 — that’s more people for sure. But most of those people are already moving into downtown Nashville and really don’t need a regional transit system. Where the great growth is coming from are in all the surrounding counties — the Sumner, the Wilson, the Rutherford, and Williamson; and fundamentally they don’t link into this transit system. Now they may one day, but it is like that baseball movie “Field of Dreams” — build it and they will come. You’re taking this speculative idea of development in the future.”

It’s not that flexible of a plan.

...this plan probably does not address congestion at all; it probably creates congestion.

It is like that baseball movie “Field of Dreams” — build it and they will come. You’re taking this speculative idea of development in the future.

We think Cooper makes a lot of sense.

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