The Tennessean, May 20, 2023- Nashville mayoral race analysis: Candidate platforms come into focus in crowded field
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Saturday, May 20, 2023
This is who is running for Mayor. (update)
by Rod Williams, May 20, 2023 update. Fran Bush has now had her qualifying petition verified and is a candidate for mayor.
by Rod Williams, May 18, 2023- The qualifying deadline to run for Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Metro Council in the August election was today at noon. As of this posting, the last Election qualifying petition update was 11:30PM yesterday, so this may not be the final list. Someone could have turned in their petition this morning. However, this is the list of those who had turned in a petition as of last night. I will update when the final list is posted. To see the petition list, follow this link.
If a candidate qualifies and then has a change of mind, they may withdraw from the race up until May 25th at noon.
This is the list as of now of who is running for Mayor. Also, I have posted links to the candidate's campaign website if I can fine it and other news about the candidate.
Natisha "Our Miss" Brooks, ran in the Republican primary election for the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District. link, link
Fran Bush, former school board member representing southeast Davidson County. link, link, link
Heidi Campbell, state senator representing south and west Davidson County. link, link
Bernie Cox, business owner, entrepreneur, previously ran for mayor in 2019. link,
Jim Gingrich, Nashville newcomer and former Alliance Bernstein COO. link, link
Sharon Hurt, at-large Metro Council member and former nonprofit executive. link, link
Stephanie Johnson, Creative Director for a skincare company. link, link
Freddie O'Connell, two-term Metro Council member representing Germantown, downtown and Music Row. link, link
Alice Rolli, businessperson and neighborhood activist, served in former Gov. Bill Haslam's administration and as former Sen. Lamar Alexander's campaign chief. link, kink
Vivian Wilhoite, Davidson County property assessor and former Metro Council member. link, link
Matt Wiltshire, former Metro official working on economic development and affordable housing issues. link
Jeff Yarbro, state senator representing Sylvan Park to Antioch. link
In addition to the above list of those who have had a petition verified, these are candidates who have had a petition issued but as yesterday had not turned in their petition.
Michael Rowan
Wisdom Zerit Teklay, link
By now you probably know who is definitely not running for mayor: Mayor John Cooper, former mayor Megan Barry, State Rep. Bob Freeman, Council Member Bob Mendes, progressive activist 0dessa Kelly, Scarlett Foundation CEO Tara Scarlett, and anyone else who was speculated to be running. Stay tuned for an update.
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Thursday, May 18, 2023
2023 Nashville mayoral debate: Key moments as candidates seek to set themselves apart
by Cassandra Stephenson and Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, May 18, 2023- Core city services and restoring Metro’s relationship with the state were key points of debate as candidates vying to lead Nashville as mayor sought to set themselves apart during the first of The Nashville Mayoral Debates on Thursday evening. ...
Eleven candidates qualified to be on the ballot .. Two other petitions are still undergoing verification. Nine candidates were invited to participate in the debate based on their fundraising totals and elected positions:
- Natisha Brooks, former educator
- Heidi Campbell, state senator representing parts of Nashville
- Jim Gingrich, former chief operating officer of AllianceBernstein
- Sharon Hurt, at-large Metro Nashville Council member
- Freddie O'Connell, Metro Nashville Council member representing Nashville's downtown district
- Alice Rolli, business and education strategist, and former political aide to former Gov. Bill Haslam
- Vivian Wilhoite, Davidson County assessor of property
- Matt Wiltshire, former economic development director with experience in affordable housing
- Jeff Yarbro, state senator representing parts of Nashville
.. Here are some of the top moments of the debate. ...
“We made most of our affordable housing less affordable when we raised property taxes,” Rolli said. “We contributed to the housing costs of our older housing stock, which is by definition more affordable.” ....
... Rolli also took a swing at current city leaders — including several candidates on the stage — for dragging Nashville into national issues. “We need to get out of the business of nationalizing city hall,” Rolli said. “In my city hall, we will not have a pro-life rally, and we will not have a pro-choice rally. We will be completely focused on a pro-first graders reading rally, and a pro-filling the potholes, and pro-fixing our debt. That is the job of the city.” (There is too much info to fairly pick and choose what to repeat from this article. If you subscribe to The Tennessean, read it at this link.)
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FIRST TUESDAY NASHVILLE WELCOMES CANDIDATES for NASHVILLE MAYOR, TUESDAY JUNE 6th
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Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Tennessee will no longer serve as dues collector for teacher's unions and will increase teacher pay.
By Jon Styf | The Center Square, May 17, 2023- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that will raise the minimum wage for K-12 teachers and end the collection of dues for professional employee organizations as an automatic payroll withdrawal.
Senate Bill 281 will go into effect July 1.
The minimum teacher pay will increase incrementally from the current $40,000 to $50,000 for the 2026-27 school year by bumping the minimum to $42,000 in the fall, $44,500 the next year and continuing to rise.
A fiscal note on the bill said it would require $125 million of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula to be restricted for the pay increase starting next fiscal year and would result in a $1.6 million increase in combined local expenses starting in financial 2026-27.
Lee had proposed the bill and putting the two elements together, so he was expected to sign it.
Bill sponsors argued the Tennessee Education Association is a political organization and public entities should not be collecting their dues. They said TEA donated $529,000 to candidates in the 2018 election cycle and had assets of $11.5 million with $9.2 million in revenue and $10.9 million in expenses that year.
"The Paycheck Protection Act will increase teachers salaries and prevent automatic deductions from their paychecks," Americans for Prosperity Tennessee State Director Tori Venable said previously. "We thank Gov. Lee for putting these proposals forward and every member of the legislature who voted to prioritize students and teachers over unions."
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Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Moms For Liberty Williamson County Legislative Recap and my thoughts on the bills.
by Rod Williams, May 16, 2023- The following are a list of bills that were passed and enacted in the just completed legislative session. This list comes from Mom's for Liberty and was in its May 13 newsletter. Clicking on the bill number will not take you to the bill as this is a cut and paste from Moms email letter. To find the bill follow this link and enter the bill number.
I support almost all of these bills and have added my comments.
HBO437 amended the 2021 reading law by putting fewer third graders at risk of being held back this year. The change was necessitated due to the COVID-19 shutdown which resulted in drastic student learning loss. Last year, around 65% of third graders statewide did not meet the threshold. In the House this bill passed 73 to 21. Republicans favored it and Democrats opposed. Here is some background on this bill as explained by a Knox.News article:
In January 2021, Tennessee legislators passed a law requiring third graders who do not score “met” or “exceeded expectations” on TN Ready tests to attend a summer reading camp or tutoring program, or to repeat the grade. English language learners and those who have already been held back a grade are exempt. Students at the end of third grade right now are facing this issue.
After pushback, the law was tweaked. Next year, third graders won't have to face the worry of one test determining their fate. Gov. Bill Lee signed a law that will go into effect for the 2023-24 school year altering how third- to fourth-grade promotions are handled.
The new law takes another benchmark test into account when considering whether kids get held back, streamlines the retention appeals process and tracks summer school, tutoring and retention data to allow the state to measure the policy’s success. (There is more to it and to learn more follow this link.)
I am not sure what Democrats wanted exactly but they wanted a change that would result in even fewer retentions. I know COVID was rough, and I know canceling that beach vacation so your third grader can go to summer school is a bummer, but we must have standards. If we advance students automatically, we will return to a time when kids graduated high school unable to read.
SB0300 is addresses the same issues as HB0437 above. Republicans favored; Dems opposed.
I support both of the above. Certain divisive concepts such as that one race is inherently superior or inferior to another race should not be taught in our schools.
I support. Dems opposed this bill.
Good bill!
Good bill!
I have reservations about HB0841. First of all, I doubt the necessity of the bill. I doubt there are publishers who knowingly distribute materials that violate state obscenity law to public schools and school districts. If that is a real problem, I could be persuaded this bill is needed. To read more about this issue follow this link.
Good bill!
I doubt that the problem of harmful obscenity in public schools is a serious problem. Maybe it has occurred, but I think it is rare. I have attended a Moms event where they displayed blown-up pages from books Moms found objectionable, and I did not find what was exhibited objectionable.
There are books that address adult topics, but they are not addressed in a manner designed to arouse or titillate. I assume that if students can read at the reading level required and have the interest to read a book like The Kite Runner, they have the maturity to handle the subject matter. The book should not be required reading, but if a student decides to read the book, I am glad he is reading rather than watching Tic Tok or playing video games.
While I am concerned about books that normalize deviancy being available to young children, I think we need to be cautious in banning books. There is a book in probably all school libraries that includes reverences to infidelity, having multiple wives, genocide, infanticide, bestiality, and gruesome torture. It is the Holy Bible. I would not want it removed from school libraries.
I support HB0306.
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Monday, May 15, 2023
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Connie Reguli's client Wendy Handcock has her conviction overturned.
Connie Reguli's conviction steams from her role in a 2018 endangered child alert that resulted in a missing child being located in Ms Reguli's home. To me it is clear that Reguli was not trying to keep her client from turning over the child to DCS. She was working on appealing DCS's custody of the child. Neither Hancock nor Reguli were aware that there was a warrant issued for Handcock to surrender the child. This story in The News provides details of how Reguli was trying to communicate and work with DCS.
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| Wendy Handcock and Connie Reguli |
Connie Reguli is a long-time critic of the Department of Children's Services and is an outspoken advocate for parental rights. My observation is that Connie Reguli is a thorn in the side of DCS and the prosecution of her was revenge for her relentless defense of victims of DCS abuse and her activism for parental rights. She has testified before state lawmakers, calling for DCS reform. She also is a national spokesman for children and parental rights and often speaks at conferences across the country. Connie Reguli heads a national group called Family Forward Foundation. The mission statement of the organization says: "The Family Forward Foundation is a national organization dedicated to the rights of familial integrity, and the rights of parents and children to be free from unreasonable intrusion of the government, as protected by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution."
I had met Connie Reguli through political activity but became aware of her fight for parental rights through a friend who had a long involvement with the courts is trying to regain the right to mother her child.
I have long had an interest in the issue of parental rights, stemming from my own experience as a divorced father who had to fight for his right to have regular visitation with his young daughter. While I never got entangled with DCS or had my parental rights or visitation rights revoked, I had to fight to have regular visitation enforced. During this time, I got involved with a couple of parents' rights groups, one called DAD (Dads Against Discrimination) and another called PARENT (I can't recall the acronym). While in these groups, which were as much self-support groups as political activist groups, I heard many stories of the system abusing parental rights and acting in what certainly did not seem to be the best interest of the child. Many of these stores were heartbreaking. Thankfully, since that time, there has been meaningful reform that levels the playing field for fathers who want to remain active in their child's life. While that is a good thing, there are still horror stories of DCS abuse and parents cavalierly losing their parenting rights.
I am delighted to see this development. Our justice system often fails to provide justice and I am glad there are people like Connie Reguli fighting to for the rights of parents and children and a more just society. I am happy for Wendy Hancock and Connie Reguli and an outcome that tilts toward justice. It is good to see an injustice reversed. It needs to happen more often.
Below is the Court order overturning the conviction of Wendy Hancock:
State Of Tennessee V. Wendy D. Hancock
Case Number:M2022-00483-CCA-R3-CD
In August of 2018, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (“DCS”) secured an ex parte order placing B.B.,1 the minor daughter of Wendy Dawn Hancock, Defendant, in the custody of DCS after a referral prompted an investigation. During the span of severaldays, Defendant and B.B. stayed at both a hotel in Lebanon and Defendant’s attorney’s, Connie Reguli’s (“Ms. Reguli’s”) home in Brentwood without ever being formally served with the ex parte order. Police eventually located B.B. and Defendant in Brentwood.
Defendant was indicted for one count of custodial interference, in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-306. Ms. Reguli was also charged with several offenses for her actions. Defendant sought a dismissal of the indictment before trial. The trial court denied the motion. After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of custodial interference. She was sentenced to two years on supervised probation. The trial court denied the motion for new trial; Defendant appealed. On appeal, Defendant argues that: (1) the indictment should be dismissed because it fails to allege all of the elements of custodial interference; (2) the trial court improperly instructed the jury on the elements of custodial interference; (3) the trial court improperly instructed the jury that the ex parte custody order was “valid and enforceable”; (4) the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction; and (5) Tennessee should adopt an advice of counsel defense for specific intent crimes. Because the trial court improperly instructed the jury essentially removing one of the elements of the offense and lowering the burden of proof, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and vacate Defendant’s conviction. We remand the case to the trial court for any further proceedings that may be necessary.
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Friday, May 12, 2023
Default cannot be an option. Our fiscal path is unsustainable. Little time to waste in pursuing deficit reduction.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, MAY 12, 2023 - Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its Updated Budget Outlook, which presents a new ten-year baseline that incorporates new legislative and technical (but not economic) changes since last February.
CBO projects the budget deficit will total $1.5 trillion this year and rise to $2.9 trillion by 2033. It also projects the national debt will reach a record 107 percent of the economy by 2028 and grow to 119 percent by 2033. In total, debt will rise by $22 trillion between now and the end of the decade.
The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:
If ever negotiators needed a sign they should be pursuing deficit reduction, this is it. We absolutely must raise the debt limit as soon as possible – without drama and without any threat of default. At the same time, inflation and interest rates are too high and our fiscal path is unsustainable. We need over $8 trillion of ten-year deficit reduction just to hold debt at its current share of the economy.
CBO’s report shows clearly why any plan to fix the debt will ultimately need to include changes to Social Security, Medicare, and the tax code. But real progress can be made focusing on other areas of the budget, including by enacting multi-year discretionary spending caps.
Congress and the President should work quickly to enact some budget savings and reforms. They should appoint a commission or establish another process to address the rest of the budget.
With inflation surging and debt approaching a record share of the economy, there is little time to waste. And with the debt limit deadline well in sight, lawmakers must act as soon as possible to make sure the country can pay its bills. Default cannot be an option.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization committed to educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact.
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