Who has the money in the race for Vice Mayor, Council-at-large, and District Council.

Below is the summary of funds raised and spend by candidates for the office of Vice Mayor, Councilmen-at-large, and District Councilmen.

What is noteworthy about the reports is that some candidates raised a lot of money by the end of the first reporting period. Several candidates for district council have already raised over $20,000! This campaign will probably prove to be the most money ever spend by candidates for district seats.

This summary is for the period that ended January 15th.  Since then another period has ended, that being the report period that ended March 30th. The filing deadline for that report is tomorrow, April 10th.

I will be analyzing each candidates financial report as soon as the April 10th reports are posted to the website of the Election Commission and reporting who is contributing to which candidates. There are many people of influence that I do not know however, so you may wish to look at the full report of the candidates yourself. To see the financial disclosure reports follow this link.

What is shown below are the candidates who had filed a report by January 15th.  Some candidates did not appoint a treasurer until after that date. No candidate is supposed to raise money until they file a report naming their treasurer. Expect to see quite a few more candidates listed when the April 10th reports are filed.

Candidates for Vice Mayor	Balance on hand at start of this period	Money raised	Money spend	Balance on hand 1/15/2015
David Briley	15,825	44,500	15,406	44,919
Tim Garrett	3,058	0	0	3,059

 

Candidates for Councilman at Large	Balance on hand at start of this period	Money raised	Money spend	Balance on hand 1/15/2015
Walter Hunt	2,162	6,000	954	7,208
Ken Jakes	1,200	80	1,152	128
Don Majors	0	7,075	2,312	4.763
Lonnell Matthews	101	0	100	1
Jim Shulman	0	11,485	149	11,236

District Councilmen candidates	District	Balance on hand last report	Funds Raised	Funds Spent	Balance on Hand 1/15/2015
Ruby Baker	1	0	1,200	821	379
Loneil Green	1	0	3,752	2,712	1,040
Melvin Black	2	0	0	0	0
Carrie Search	2	0	1,512	1,512	0
Bobby Stockard	2	460	925	0	1.385
Peter Westerholm	6	0	9,525	82	9,443
Stephen Clements	7	0	1,260	257	1,002
Robert Sawyers, Sr	8	0	0	0	0
Nancy VanReece	8	0	3,998	975	3023
Kevin Rhoten	14	0	5,900	1,484	4,416
Jeffrey Syracuse	15	10,795	6,714	3,148	14,361
Paula Foster	17	0	10,481	817	9,664
Peter Colby Sledge	17	0	20,330	1,196	19,134
Burkley Allen	18	1,551	12,300	171	13,680
Freddie O’Connell	19	0	22,335	2,395	19,940
Bill Shick	19	0	100	0	100
Sheri Weiner	22	929	14,250	13,792	1387
Mina Johnson	23	0	0	0	0
Allen Grant	24	0	25,052	1,466	23,585
Kathleen Murphy	24	0	10.975	441	10,534
Russ Pulley	25	0	24,473	4,400	20,072
Davette Blalock	27	2	0	0	2
Gary Clement Ledbetter, Jr.	27	0	0	0	0
Melissa Smithson	28	0	8,300	153	8,147
Tanaka Vercher	28	0	5,295	0	5,295
Fabian Bedne	31	1	2,699	1,062	1,634
William Kizzie	32	0	0	0	0
Steve Butler	34	0	500	247	252
Angie Henderson	34	0	17,633	$5,672	$11,960
Dave Rosenberg	35	0	6,900	428	6,472
Lonnie Spivak	35	138	0	75	67

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The Council Meeting of Apirl 7th: Funding the Barnes Fund

I have not watched the meeting yet, check back and I will summarize and point out the important parts. Rod

Below is the Tennessean's report on the meeting:

Plan to boost housing fund with Airbnb tax revenue advances

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Medical marijuana fails but Steve Dickerson fought the good fight. Maybe next session.

In case you missed it
 
GOP medical marijuana bill delayed until next year

The Tennessean

The move to delay action until next year is not a surprise: House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, recently touted aspects of the bill but said it ..

Medical marijuana would help neediest Tennesseans

Steve Dickerson

by Senator Steve Dickerson, The Tennessean, April 6, 2015- Tennesseans are in need.

About one in three Tennesseans will suffer from cancer at some point in their lives and over 30,000 Tennesseans depend on end-of-life palliative care. While medical science is rapidly advancing in both areas, we have a medicine now that could be of great benefit but we are unable to use it.

In numerous studies, extracts derived from cannabis have been shown to have widespread, beneficial impact on these illnesses and a host of others. Among the benefits, these extracts have been shown to decrease nausea, reduce pain and even impair tumor growth. Due to the federal and state laws, however, medications derived from cannabis are in legal limbo.

For several reasons, I am convinced now is the time to give these medications due consideration.

My Comment: I am proud of Steve Dickerson for sponsoring this bill and the support it gained among Republicans. I am disappointing it failed. While it failed, it advanced and will most likely pass next session . Frankly, I think recreational use of marijuana should be decriminalized. It is a relatively harmless drug, much less harmful than alcohol. People on pot do not tend to drive recklessly, commit domestic violence or engage in aggressive behavior. Any substance can be abused but no one overdoses on marijuana. I thing it is criminal that we still send people to prison for possession of small amounts of a relatively harmless substance. 

If Tennessee is not ready to decriminalize recreational use of marijuana however, the prejudice against this drug should not blind us to the medicinal properties. The bills sponsored by Steve Dickerson would have allowed medical marijuana for various ailments.  There is still pending a separate bill that would legalized cannabis oil which has proven successful in preventing seizures in people with  epilepsy. That bill deserves to pass and next session the medical marijuana bill should be passed.

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We Need a Balanced Budget

Phil Roe

by U.S. Representative Phil Roe, 1st District of Tennessee -  Earlier this week I launched a redesigned Congressional website, which will allow me to better serve and communicate with constituents in the First District. In order to spread the word to as many East Tennesseans as possible, I emailed everyone on my newsletter list to let them know and asked for some feedback on a very important question: What do you think Congress most needs to focus on the most to get our country back on track? While the poll wasn’t scientific, out of nearly 2,000 responses, almost 32% said government spending. Another 16% said jobs and the economy should be the focus in Congress. You might be pleased to know that just last week the House took an important step to address these issues when we passed a budget.

Like you, I believe that out-of-control spending is one of the most significant threats to American prosperity. For too long, lawmakers from both parties have been irresponsible with tax dollars and put off the tough choices until the next budget year or the next Congress—really just leaving them for the next generation. I feel so strongly that we need to balance our budget that I am a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 2, a Constitutional amendment to prohibit spending from exceeding revenues unless three-fifths of both the House and Senate vote otherwise. I voted for this Constitutional amendment in the 112th Congress, but, unfortunately, it did not receive the two-thirds vote required to pass the House. Tennessee has a balanced budget, as do 48 states, and it’s time Washington live by the same rules.

The budget proposal passed by the House last week cuts spending by $5.5 trillion and brings the budget into balance in less than ten years. It preserves Medicare for future generations, repeals the president’s health care law and provides adequate resources to maintain a strong military and national defense. It paves the way for investment in important things like education and infrastructure, and ensures Americans who are facing hard times have a safety net by funding public housing, unemployment and disability insurance and other programs intended to provide temporary assistance to those who are struggling.

The proposal also eliminates waste and targets fraud and abuse in government programs. For example, there are 92 different anti-poverty programs, 17 food aid programs and 22 housing assistance programs. An Inspector General report found that employees at the Environmental Protection Agency are taking paid leave after work-related violations. I believe we can provide important services without dozens of duplicative programs and there is no reason taxpayers should pay leave for government employees who are being disciplined. These are just a few of many examples of ways our wasteful, bloated government is repeatedly failing taxpayers.

I was also proud to support the Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal, which would cut spending by $7.1 trillion and balance the budget in six years. Unfortunately, this budget did not receive enough votes to pass the House.

I’m open to many ideas and proposals that would get our country’s fiscal house back in order. I believe Congress can work together to introduce and debate bills that will start the process of shrinking government while making the government we have work for the American people. Please rest assured I will continue to support proposals that will cut spending, eliminate wasteful programs and pave the way for private-sector economic development and job creation.

Feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family. Our contact information can be found on our website,  www.roe.house.gov.

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High School students to be required to take a portion of Naturalization citizenship test.

Bill Promoting Civics Education Advances in Senate Education Committee 

 

Excerpted from Tracy's Talking Points Newsletter - Legislation which would promote civics education in Tennessee advanced through the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. Senate Bill 10 would make components of the test administered by the United State Citizenship and Immigration Services to those seeking citizenship one of the tools used in assessing student progress under Tennessee’s civics education program.

The bill follows legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2012 which restored the teaching of project-based civics and required the assessment of student progress between grades 4 and 8 and between grades 8 and 12.

The legislation approved by the Education Committee calls on local education agencies to utilize 25 to 50 of the 100 questions posed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the citizenship test. The test, which would be administered during high school, may be taken by the student multiple times until he or she scores at least 70 percent as required for graduation. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) would be exempt from the requirement under certain circumstances as provided by the bill. Students will continue to receive the project-based civics assessments provided under the 2012 law.

The bill provides that schools where seniors have all made a passing grade on the civics test be recognized on the Department of Education’s website as a U.S. Civics All-Star School.

#

Follow this link to see a the civic questions and answers for the Naturalization test. This is very elementary stuff. I would expect every American to be able to pass this test. I would think that if someone cannot pass this test then they should consider themselves too little informed to vote and I would hope they would abstain from voting.  I would like to see no student be allowed to graduate unless they can score a 95% on the test, but at least the state is promoting a minimum level of civic knowledge. That's an improvement. Below are the first five questions on the Naturalization test. Rod

A: Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?
▪ the Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do?
▪ sets up the government
▪ defines the government
▪ protects basic rights of Americans

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
▪ We the People

4. What is an amendment?
▪ a change (to the Constitution)
▪ an addition (to the Constitution)

5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
▪ the Bill of Rights

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Fund raiser for Sheri Weiner tonight.

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Grant Starrett to challenge Scott Desjarlais

In Case You Missed It: National Journal: "Who's the 27-Year-Old Republican Challenging Rep. Scott DesJarlais?" 

Grant Starrett

Press Release MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-  National Journal is up with a piece today looking at the "eye-catching" levels of support that Grant Starrett has received in his run for Congress: "That's Grant Starrett, whose recent campaign launch earned praise from well-known conservative pundits like RedState's Erick Erickson, National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru, and Power Line's Paul Mirengoff. Ted Cruz's pollster, former Republican National Committee staffers, and conservative activists joined an eye-catching collection of people tweeting about a young, first-time candidate.

Starrett has motive, means, and opportunity to win a congressional seat, though. He's made allies across Republican politics who insist he'll be a formidable campaigner and fundraiser. And DesJarlais, a physician and third-term Tennessee Republican, has faced political trouble since decade-old divorce proceedings became public in late 2012, detailing sexual relationships with patients and coworkers-some of whom he urged to have abortions.

In announcing his campaign last week, Starrett made a passing reference to the fact that DesJarlais was the only member of Tennessee's congressional delegation who wasn't endorsed by National Right to Life, but he otherwise criticized DesJarlais for votes against balanced budgets and on other fiscal issues. When asked how much Starrett's campaign would call attention to DesJarlais's personal issues, spokesman Mark Braden said in a statement that the campaign will focus on how DesJarlais's 'liberal voting record in Washington does not add up to his rhetoric when he is back in the district.'"

Read more at http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/scott-desjarlais-challenger-grant-starrett-20150407

What They Are Saying About Grant Starrett 

Paul Mirengoff, Founder of Powerline: "Starrett is a rising conservative star...It's clear to me that Grant is the kind of energetic, talented Constitutional conservative we will need to preserve the House of Representatives as a bulwark against the left's "transformative" agenda and, should circumstances permit, to make it the engine of conservatism transformation." (Powerline, 3.26.15)

Erick Erickson, Editor in Chief of RedState: "Here's what I know: Grant is a man of character and conviction.  He is a constitutional conservative of the highest order," (RedState, 4.2.15)

Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor of National Review: "I've met Starrett and was impressed by his intelligence and commitment to conservative causes," (National Review, 4.2.15) ...

Ponnuru: "[Grant] would be a tremendous improvement." (Twitter, 3.9.15)

The Hill: "Starrett's statement notes that in 2014, the National Right to Life group endorsed every Tennessee Republican up for reelection except DesJarlais." (The Hill, 4.2.15)

Powerline: "He would be a welcome addition to the Hill at a time when the world is increasingly dangerous but too many members still do not understand the importance of a strong defense to handle and deter rising threats." (Powerline, 3.26.15)

 Huffington Post: "Starrett bills himself as a conservative Christian who intends to run against DesJarlais from his right. He has picked up some support from the conservative blogosphere," (Huffington Post, 4.2.15)

Chattanooga Times Free Press: "[Grant] once worked at the Senate Steering Committee under then-U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, a hard-right Republican who is now president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington." (Chattanooga Times Free Press, 4.2.15)

Nashville Post: "Starrett said that while DesJarlais "claims" to be the the most conservative member of the Tennessee Congressional delegation, the congressman has "voted against legislation that would have balanced our budget, cut wasteful spending, implemented pro-growth tax reform, and put our country on a path to prosperity."  (Nashville Post, 4.2.15)

Murfeesboro News Press: "Starrett appears to be running to the right of DesJarlais, whose voting record doesn't match his rhetoric, the challenger said. "We lack people in power with conservative principles," he said." (Murfreesboro News Press, 4.3.15) Associated Press: "[Starrett] said he wants to be elected to Congress to help fight a "moral crisis" facing the country." (Associated Press, 4.3.15)

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Budget and Finance Committee meeting of April 6th. $15millon out of 4% deferred one meeting.

This is the meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee meeting of April 6th.  The Budget and Finance Committee is the most important committee of the Council. If any real probing of proposed spending occurs it occurs in this committee. If anyone wants a real understanding of Metro's finances and spending decisions, I urge them to watch B&F committee meetings. In addition to learning about Metro's spending, you can see which Council members are thinking and asking the hard questions. Really, the Budget and Finance committee meeting are a lot more interesting than most council meetings.

A lot of questions are asked about the short-term financing of sewer improvements.

On  RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1419  there are some good questions about the $15 million request for money from the 4% fund. There especially are a lot of questions about Farmer's Market.  In the discussion it is revealed that the Farmers Market has actually been spending money it does not have and the request from the 4% fund would cover that loss. If the council does not approve it, then at the end of the year, their audit would show a loss. It the Council does not cover this deficit out of 4% money then it would have to be covered out of the cities reserve but one way or the other it would have to be paid.

In addition to pushing the flea market vendors of the farmers market, it appears the city has forced a lot of farmers out.  I assume this is a result of the policy that prohibits farmers from being retailers and restricting the farmers to selling local or regional produce they grew themselves. As an example, up until now a farmer could sell his produce but also sell some banana's or pineapples or other produce that he did not grow himself. Now that has changed and those vendors who were retailing produce they did not grow are being forced to leave the market. The pushing out of some farmers and the pushing out of the flea market vendors has resulted in a lot of angry people calling councilmen, and it is obvious some of the council members are mad at Farmers Market management.  Also, apparently the Farmers Market did not handle this change in policy with the best diplomacy. Jacobia Dowell made a motion to take the money for the Farmers Market out of the bill, but after more discussion the committee recommended to just deferred the whole resolution one meeting. The Committee was running out of time and had not even gotten to some of the other departments requesting money.

On  BILL NO. BL2015-1056 which would take a portion of the Hotel-Motel tax to fund The Barnes Fund, some good questions are asked but the bill gets a positive committee recommendation with no dissenting votes. Steve Cover and Tim Garrett asked questions that indicated they did not think this was a wise thing to do, but then they did not vote against it.

I find it frustrating when someone seems to "get it;" you know they are thinking right, but then they won't cast a "no" vote. I am not speaking of this instance only but I observe that all the time. Everything does not have to be unanimous. Voting alone or in the minority won't be embarrassing or painful. I do not know why we do not have more divided votes in committee or the Council. If 40 people are always going to agree, then we don't need 40 people. You would think out of large diverse body their would occasionally be a dissenting voice.

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Mario Ramos, Hispanic/Latino Activist, Named Campaign Vice Chair

Press Release, NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 7, 205-- Mario Ramos, long time community and immigration activist, will serve as Vice Chair of the Bill Freeman for Mayor Campaign. State Senator Thelma Harper has previously been named Campaign Chair. 

“Bill Freeman is the best choice for the future of Nashville, and I am excited to serve as Vice Chair of his campaign,” Ramos said. “Bill’s experience in building a successful business and his years of giving back to our community give him the skills to lead Davidson County into an era of sustainable growth, inclusivity, and job development,” Ramos said.

Ramos formed his full service immigration law firm in Nashville in 1990. He has a long history in advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform; he was a major force in defeating English Only Nashville in 2009, he coordinated the Nashville stop of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride in 2003, he is on the Executive Committee of the Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and is the 2009 recipient of the Advocacy Award for Outstanding Efforts in Support of AILA’s Legislative Agenda.

“We are beyond thrilled to have Mario on our team,” stated Bill Freeman. “Mario has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the Hispanic community. I am lucky to benefit from his incredible leadership abilities and history of strong advocacy”.

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Who has the money in the race for mayor how much does it matter?

I have examined the financial reports of all of the mayoral candidates for the campaign finance report period that ended Jan. 15, 2015. That period started when they filed the form appointing a campaign treasurer so it may have been different for different candidates.  Some candidates, in the case of Megan Barry and Charles Bone, filed a mid-year disclosure back in July 2014 and had funds on hand at the start of this reporting period. I have not examined those reports for the mid-year filing but have requested them from the election commission and will examine them when I get them.

The first quarter report for the period from Jan.16 though March 30th are due to be filed on April 10.  As soon as they are filed and posted by the Election Commission to their website, I will be analyzing them and reported who is supporting which candidate. I think it can be instructive to know where the candidates are getting their money from. It gives you an idea who their friends are and to whom they may be beholding if they get elected and who it is that you know that believes enough in the candidate to financially contribute to the candidate. If someone I admire and respect contributes to a candidate that makes me think they may be worthy of my support.

By all accounts, this will be the most money ever spent on a mayor's race. The seven major candidates are all wealthy and can put mass amounts of money into their campaign. I am not sure how wealthy each are or how much they are willing to risk of their own money but lack of money should not hinder any of them from running a good campaign. Probably by August 7th, we will be sick of TV ads, mail pieces, radio ads and robo calls. But it won't end then unless one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote and with seven major candidates in the race, I don't think anyone will get 50%, so the campaigns will continue a while longer.

Money may not win this race. I assume Bill Freeman is the wealthiest of the candidates and is willing to spend million to win it, but more than an adequate amount of money to spend on the race may not be a big advantage.  No one candidate is permitted to buy up all the available advertising spots on TV and freeze out his competitors.  I am not exactly sure of the rules, but it is my understanding, that if one candidate has pre-bought most of the available TV spots and another candidate wants to buy a spot, then the candidate who had first purchased them, must release them back to the media outlet and they will be made available at the same price to the opponent.

Also, I don't think that once one has received four or five pieces of mail from a candidate that the sixth, seventh or eighths piece has much impact. I am not a campaign professional, but there must be diminishing returns to saturating the voters with your message.

Another factor that makes me think money will not necessarily win this race is that voter turnout will probably be low. It is amazing how few people care about local politics. Among people I know many of them just can't generate much interest in a local election although they may be passionate about national politics. They may want to complain about the quality of schools, or lack of sidewalks or high taxes but they don't care enough to vote in local elections.  If this election coincided with a more high profile race such as a presidential election, then many people would vote for president and then vote for the mayoral candidate who had the most name recognition, but there is nothing to draw people to the polls this election unless they care about local government. Which, in a way, is a good thing. That means the people who do vote are more serious and are not going to be swayed by name recognition alone or a catchy slogan, but are more likely to carefully consider their choices. So, if a candidate has adequate money, more than adequate money may not be of that much help.

Below is the spread sheet of showing the money raised by each candidate. Fox leads the pack now, but that very well may change after the April 10th reports are released. To see what stood out when I examined their financial report, click on their name.  If you would like to see the complete report of a candidate, follow this link.

Candidate	Balance on hand at start	Funds raised	Funds spent	Balance on hand  at end 1/15/2015
Megan Barry	$321,967	$234,572	$109,849	$451,609
Charles Bone	$509,742	$250,224	$268,410	$491,556
Kenneth Eaton	0	0	0	0
David Fox	0	$1,303,030	$256,666	$1,046,363
Bill Freeman	0	$31,500	$30,000	$1500
Jeremy  Kane	0	$310,381	$39,297	$271,084
Linda Rebrovick	0	$658,463	$172,195	$486,268

I will also soon be reporting on the financial contributions to candidates for Vice Mayor, Council-at-large and council district races. I am in the process of reviewing them now. Stay tuned.

If you are a candidate for office, if you will send me your announcements or press releases or position paper on a topic of interest, I will most likely post it. If I post a candidate's press release I will note it as such and my posting of a press release of a candidate should not be construed as my endorsement. I will be making it clear which candidate I am endorsing. I do not generally post annoncememts of funrd raising events except for candiates I support.

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