Reflections on the Fox loss. Congratulations to Mayor-elect Megan Barry.

I, like I am sure many of you who are reading this, are feeling blue today about the outcome of the mayoral election yesterday.  I have been in elections where I have won and in elections where I have lost and winning feels much better.

Why did we lose? The short answer is Megan Barry got more votes than David Fox.  In days to come, I will be looking at the returns and be talking to people who have insight to see why and where we lost and provide an update and some analysis or asking others who are better at that than I, to provide some analysis.  Did the last minute race-baiting, painting Fox as a segregationist win the election or some other factor?  Did the questioning of Barry's values and faith backfire and cause more secular and progressive voters to rally behind her? I don't know. I would welcome readers thoughts on these questions.

I cannot second guess the Fox campaign team strategy. Up until last night, I thought it would be a very close election but I really thought we were going to win.  I thought the Fox team had ran an excellent campaign. I was very impressing.  I am disappointing in that people like Representative Beth Harwell and Senator Steve Dickerson did not endorse David Fox, while the whole  Democrat machine got behind Barry, but maybe there was a logic to that.  Maybe they did not want to turn the race into a partisan contest. Also, the State Democratic Party spend money on behalf of Megan Barry, but the State Republican Party did not do so on behalf of David Fox. Would that have made a difference?

I enjoyed being involved in this campaign and getting to attend the rallies, fundraisers and forums. I enjoyed the substantive issue discussions and the camaraderie of being with friends fighting for the same cause.

I enjoyed getting to know David Fox.  I saw him speak numerous times and attended several functions with him. Back in April, I met him for coffee and presented my ideas on transit issues and we also discussed some other issues.  We met in just a one-on-one for over an hour. David Fox really listens to what you have to say when you talk with him and he asks questions and takes notes. He is smart, humble, and has a sly sense of humor. Having talked to David on that occasion and having been around him on several other occasions, I believe David Fox is one of the finest people I have ever met. I believe he would make a great elected official. I hope he will consider a future run for public office. Maybe David has had his fill of running for public office, but if not, I think he should consider a run for the 5th Congressional District next go around. The demographics are a little more in our favor in that contest. He would make a great U. S. Congressman.

Congratulations to Mayor-elect Megan Barry.  I am sure she cares deeply about Nashville and people who know her say she is a consensus builder and works hard and is a good person.   I hope my worse fears do not come true and she is concerned about unfunded liabilities, growing city debt, continuing education reform, and spreading some of the benefits of being an "it' city beyond downtown. I hope she realizes that constantly increasing taxes can have a detrimental effect on growth and on the budgets of working families and I hope she will be constrained in raising taxes. I hope she will govern moderately and responsibly and not be a crusader for social issues, but will deal with the nuts and bolts of making Nashville an even greater place to live.

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Dems Reach a New Low in Slimy Politics in Davidson County by Implying David Fox is a Racist

The Tennessee Democratic Party has reached a new low  in slimy politics in Davidson County by paying for an advertisement implying that David Fox is a racist who wants to bring back segregation. The ad in question is paid for by the Tennessee Democrat Party and not the Barry campaign although Megan Barry has not repudiated the ad. Barry is close friends with Mary Mancini, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party.

The Tennessean and prominent Democrats had previously taken a high-minded pious position that criticized Republicans for supporting Fox in the non-partisan mayors race.  My name was printed in The Tennessean along with The Republican Minority Coalition, Dr. Ming Wang, Representative Glen Casada, Senator Jack Johnson and several other Republicans who were among those hosting a Fox fundraiser, implying that Fox was a Republican candidate for mayor and that Republicans were turning the mayor's race into a partisan contest. (See Ming Wang, area Republicans raise funds for David Fox.)

The Davidson County Republican Party, nor The Tennessee Republican Party, nor Davidson County Republican Senator Steve Dickerson, nor Nashville Republican Representative Beth Harwell have made endorsements in the non-partisan mayor's race while many prominent Democrats have endorsed Barry.  The Republican Party has not spend the first dime promoting the candidacy of David Fox. Now, the State Democratic Party has paid for this despicable ad accusing Fox of being a racist. It is not Republicans who have made the mayor's race partisan; Democrats have.

Ad paid for by Tennessee Democrat Party
and mailed to Black voters.

Not only have Democrats spend money in what is a non-partisan race but they have done so in the most  vile manner.  They are trying to appeal to Black voters by telling them that David Fox is a throw-back to the 1950's segregationist.  I assume they are hoping that most Black voters will not recall that it was Democrat governors and mayors across the South
who blocked school house doors and beat and jailed Blacks for attempting to register to vote or for not sitting in the back of the bus.  I assume they think Blacks are so ignorant that all they have to do is call someone a racist and Blacks will automatically vote for the other person.

No one should be stirring  the pot of racial animosity to pick up votes. No one should be accusing their opponent of being a racist unless they have a solid reason to believe that is true.  While I find it hard to believe that there was not coordination between the candidate Megan Barry and Dem chair Mary Mancini, if Megan Barry had an ounce of decency should would condemn such a race-baiting  appeal.


Read The Tennessean's report on this issue at this link: Democrats' ads evoke segregation in attacking David Fox
Here is the WSMV news coverage:
WSMV Channel 4

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Nashville Mayor race three-way tie for top spot: Barry, Fox, Freeman.

From the Tennessean, July 26:

But a new poll — one funded by an outside special interest group, not a mayoral campaign — says it's now a three-way statistical tie for first. And Freeman, the poll says, is no shoo-in to make a run-off.

A poll obtained by The Tennessean that was funded by the Tennessee Laborers PAC, which hasn't endorsed in the mayor's race but leans to the left, has Megan Barry in first with 20 percent of support from likely voters, followed by David Fox at 19 percent and Freeman at 18 percent. That puts the three in a statistical dead heat for the top spot. (link)

David Fox has ran a masterful campaign and followed his plan. Early on when Fox was at about 6% in the polls, near the bottom of the pack, he held back.  His plan all along was to wait until the public started paying attention and then launch his ad campaign. It worked. He held back until June then started his ad campaign and has steady climbed in the polls. That took discipline.

I am supporting David Fox.  He is the only candidate expressing concern about Nashville's growing debt and the $3 billion unfunded pension and health benefits obligations facing the city.  He also seems like the candidate least likely to raise taxes and he is the only candidate who has said he would not use eminent domain for redevelopment. While the last item may not concern too many people, I want to elect a mayor who respects basic property rights. Fox also is favorably inclined to seek out-sourcing and public-private partnerships to save money and solve public problems. I have set down and had a private conversation with David Fox that lasted almost an hour and half.  We talked about education, transportation, crime, development and more.  While Fox may not be as socially conservative as I would like, he is a real fiscal conservative.  Beyond that, he is smart and thoughtful. He would solve Nashville's problems, such as our crumbling infrastructure,  that is often being ignored in this campaign.  He has experience in improving public education and has a passion for it. You can learn more about Fox's position on the issues by following this link.

Several people I know have told me they are supporting either Linda Eskind Rebrovick or Jeremy Kane in this race. The most recent poll shows Rebrovick at 7% and Kane at 3%.  Face it; they are not going to make the run off. Polls do not get it that wrong.  Rebrovick would most likely be my second choice if Fox was not in the race. I like her business success and her tech approach to addressing Nashville's problems.  Kane would also be a good second choice simply due to his success with charter schools and the importance of education.  Kane would make a good chairman of the school board or director of schools, but I do not think he is the person for mayor. In any event, Rebrovick nor Kane are going to make the runoff. If you are the least bit conservative or even moderate, you do not want to see the run-off be between Barry and Freeman.  At this point I am undecided which I would least prefer be mayor. Both are extremely liberal. Both, I fear, would continue Nashville's growing debt liability. Both would likely seek major tax increases.  If you do not want to be given a choice between Megan Barry and Bill Freeman in the run-off, then please vote for David Fox.

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Early Vote Surge Shows David Fox Well-Positioned for Election Day

Press Release, Nashville, Tenn. – Strong turnout, during the early voting period for Nashville’s mayoral runoff election, shows a likely surge of support for David Fox heading into Election Day on Thursday.

“David and the team have knocked on over one hundred thousand doors and from what we saw in the early vote, that hard work is now paying off with a huge jump in Fox support across the county,” said Chris Turner, campaign CEO for the David Fox for Mayor campaign.

Turner said he sees massive gains in areas that are likely to go big for David Fox, as he itemized the turnout increases from the early vote in the runoff versus the early vote from the August 6th election.

Here are the top performers:

- Hermitage Library (+21.48% versus August 6^th election early vote)

- Green Hills Library (+15.89%)

- Edmondson Pike Library (+15.26%)

- Bellevue Community Center (+13.05%)

- Belle Meade City Hall (+11.11%)

- Goodlettsville City Hall (+9.64%)

Each is an area the Fox team refers to as a “Fox Box” meaning that they are among David Fox’s strongest areas, areas he’ll either win or win big.

Other areas, that the Fox campaign considers to be “battlegrounds” showed much less growth, did not grow at all, or failed to deliver the same number of votes as the prior election.

- Casa Azafran Community Center (+7.88%)

- Howard Office Building (+5.36%)

- Madison Library (+0.78%)

- Southeast Community Center (-0.78%)

- Bordeaux Library (-9.4%)

“Combine these early voting results with The Tennessean poll that showed Fox up by 10 points (51% to 41%) over Barry among voters who intend to vote on Election Day, and we are feeling very good about where things are headed,” Turner said.

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Join David Fox and Family on Election Day

Nashville, Tenn. – David Fox and family will vote on Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 8:15 am at

West End Fire Hall #17.  After voting, David Fox will address the media and be available for questions.

WHO:              David Fox and Family

WHAT:            Election Day – Voting

WHEN:            Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 8:15 am CT

WHERE:          West End Fire Hall #17 – 3911 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205

Thursday evening, the Fox family, friends and supporters will convene at the David Fox for Mayor Victory Celebration at Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery in Marathon Village.

WHO:              David Fox and Supporters

WHAT:            Victory Celebration

WHEN:            Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 7:00 pm CT

WHERE:          Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery – 1414 Clinton Street, Nashville, TN 37203. In Marathon Village – (Just West of Downtown and 2 Blocks North fromCharlotte Avenue.)

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Update: Meet David Fox, Sunday, August 30th.

Update in an email from Tim Skow at 3:43 today:

My friends:
In a mere 11 days, we will decide if  we pursue " The Nashville Way" with Mayor David Fox....OR.... if our city will become what Megan Barry envisions...that being... 

"The San Francisco of the South"

Sunday afternoon, you and those you'd care to have join us are welcome to do so at the home of Dr. Ming Wang for the Tennessee Republican Minority Coalition event to support David Fox . Given the growing support for David Fox, we have made ample arrangements for many to join us at the last minute. So plan to join us if your schedule allows. Details are attached.... Valet parking awaits starting your arrival and you're encouraged to invite those you know to join us as well !

Thanks again.. and I hope to see you Sunday afternoon. If you'd interested in becoming a Co-Host... and coming early, feel free to reach me at 615-429-xxxx.

Thanks again !

Tim

Since Tim sent this out as an email to people he knows, I have removed his phone number.  I did not want opponents of David Fox or malicious people to be calling Tim.  I will be checking my email regularly from now until the event. If you would like to co-host or attend, email me at Rodwilliams47@Yahoo.com and I will pass it on.

Please join me Sunday in supporting David Fox's for Mayor. If you would like to co-host the event, you will spend an hour with David from 2pm to 3pm prior to the event. Also, co-host may invite two others to attend as their guest. To attend the event or co-host please RSVP to Tim Skow at tdskow2001@yahoo.com.

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Save Our Fairgrounds Supports David Fox for Mayor of Nashville

From Rick Williams, Chairman, Save our Fairgrounds:

YOU HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT VOTE TO CAST TOMORROW!

POLLS ARE OPEN 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM

The current board members of Save Our Fairgrounds have voted and gone on record supporting David Fox for Mayor of Nashville.

It was a simple issue for us to decide since just a few months ago Megan Barry voted to support a Mayor Karl Dean appointee to the Fair Board who we had on tape speaking for the demolition of the Tennessee State Fairgrounds just a few years earlier. She voted to support this gentleman's appointment to the Fair Board, the very organization that runs the Historic Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Several Board members tried to get her to not vote for the appointment. 

This was just one of the many actions taken by Megan Barry over the past 5 years that were negative to the Fairgrounds. We need a fresh start in the Mayor's Office and David Fox will be that person. A businessman with expertise in Finance and Business. David is also a humble man of faith who will show compassion to fellow Nashvillians that need a helping hand, but will also be guiding the growth and development of Nashville that looks after the whole city and not just in Downtown Nashville.

Please be aware that that Darrell Waltrip and Tony Formosa are also supporting David Fox for Mayor. The Save Our Fairgrounds Board of Directors asks that you PLEASE GO AND VOTE FOR DAVID FOX FOR MAYOR TOMORROW! 

For the article regarding David Fox endorsement from Save Our Fairgrounds - click here.
 
Thank you again for your support!

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Fox Leads All Mayoral Candidates With Close To $1.75 Million Raised & Almost $1.14 Million in Cash on Hand

David Fox

Press release, Nashville, Tenn -- The David Fox for Mayor Campaign today reported bringing in $437,569 for this campaign finance period and just under $1.75 million total since Fox began raising money back in October of 2014. Based on all available information, The Tennessean, via its Twitter account has already labeled Fox as, "your money leader so far in the Nashville mayoral race."

Perhaps more important, the Fox campaign announced having close to $1.14 million cash on hand in the bank. "The Fox campaign is right where we hoped we would be. Halfway to our campaign budget of $3.5 million. Check. Over $1 million cash on hand. Check. Now at 20,000 neighborhood door knocks and counting, while setting the pace on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check. We also added in a few hundred cell phone ‘speed dates,’ which was fun. People seem to love those. The Fox train is really rollin’,” said campaign CEO Chris Turner.

Fox has built his campaign around the theme of protecting what he calls, our "Nashville Way," the "special sauce" that makes Nashville the friendliest and best city in America. "The Nashville Way is not just a quality of life, it's a way of life and it's under severe strain right now. Folks are honking their horns more on the roads. The public square is not always as civil as it used to be. Our streets are getting clogged, water mains are breaking, schools are filling up, crime's affecting too many of our neighbors, and our city's debt problem limits what we can do about these things. Because of all this, people I talk to are just feeling stressed. We're at a 'fight for it' or 'lose to forever moment,'" says Fox.

"This campaign is about beating the odds and growing our city while maintaining and hopefully strengthening our Nashville Way. Together we can do this," said Fox.

For more information or to volunteer for the David Fox for Mayor campaign, please visit FoxforNashville.com, like the campaign on Facebook, or follow David on Twitter and Instagram.

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1st Quarter update on Who is contributing to the David Fox campaign

David Fox

Mainly self funded, no lobbyist, nor the Court House Crowd, are financing this campaign.

I have examined Mr. Fox's 1st quarter report which is for the period that ended March 31st, 2015, which had a report due date of April 10th.

Mr. Fox began the quarter with a balance on hand of $1,046,361, had receipts of $437,569, and ended the period with a balance on hand of $1,136,158. The candidate loaned his campaign an additional $350,000 for a total loans outstanding of $1,400,000.

A review of this report shows the following contributions of interest: He got several contributions from people with the last name "Fox," which I assume is supportive family. Gilbert Fox contributed $1,500;  Robert Frist, grandson of HCA Holdings founder Thomas Frist Sr. and nephew of former United States Senator Bill Frist contributed $1,000; Vera Gardner, "book seller" with Parnassus books contributed an additional $750 for an aggregate contribution of $1,000; Ken Grant of New York City contributed $1,500; Stan Hardaway of Hardaway Construction, $1,000;  Orrin Ingram, President of Ingram Industries, $1,500; Renata Soto, Executive Director of Conexion Americas, $100; and Dr. Ming Wang of Wang Vision Institute, $500.

What is listed above is all of the people who contributed who I knew who they are, or who struck me as interesting in any way. This financial report is the most boring of any of the candidates.  It shows a couple other contribution from people from out of town, but a Google search did not find any interesting connections. This report shows no contributions from the regular movers and shakers, none from the court house crowd, no lobbyist contributors, no contributions from members of the Metro Council, no contributions from Political Action Committees, and no labor union contributions.

He has contributions form a lot of retired people, some educators, some lawyers, a few people in real estate, a few people associated with Vanderbilt University and a few from people associated with Lipscomb University,  some investment bankers, a distiller, a foot ware salesman, a few people in the health care industry and some people in the construction industry. Also, he had very few contributions of more than $500; he had a lot of $100 contributions.

Below is what I previously wrote when I reviews his initial report:

I have reviewed the campaign financial disclosure report of mayoral candidate David Fox and recognized very few of his contributors. There are not many contributors from the same profession, unlike the many Vanderbilt professors who have contributed to Megan Barry or the many attorneys who have contributed to Charles Bone. Fox's contributors seem to come from a broad variety of professions.

Most of Fox's campaign money comes from a loan he made his campaign of $1,050,000. He started the campaign report period with no money on hand, raised 1,303,030, spend 256,666, leaving a balance on hand of 1,046,363.

Out of state contributors include Patrick Colman of Old Greenwich CT $1,500; Benjamin Fox of Greenwich, CT $1,500; George Fox of Samfort, CT $1.500; Matthew Fox of Greenwich, CT $1,500; Pamela Fox of Greenwich, CT $1,500; Barbara Jonas of New York City $1,500; Henry Klein of Rye Brook, New York and March Klein of Rye Brook, New York $1,500; Laurel Miller of Greenwich, CT $1,500; Ellen Wolfson of Lawrence, NY $1,500; Donald Jonas of New York City $1,500; Kyle Miller of Greenwich, CT $1,500; and maybe six other contributors of $1,500 each from Greenwich CT. He must have a supportive family in Greenwich Connecticut.

Contributors of interest include Fred Dettwiller of Det Distributing $1,500, Walter Knestrick $1,500 and Sarah Knestrick $1,500, Mary Pierce of the Metro School Board $500 and Ryman Hospitality Properties PAC $1,000.

There are lots of important civic minded people in the city I don't know and you may recognize the names of some of his contributors that I do not. To view his campaign disclosure report follow this link.

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The June 19th NashForward Millennial Mayoral Debate at Belmont University

If you missed this debate last Thursday at the Belmont University's McAfee Concert Hall you didn't miss much. However, if you want to watch the debate, here it is:


The Tennesseean has written something about the debate every day since Thursday, sometimes two or three things a day, but they have essentially wasted a lot of ink. There is just not that much to say about the debate. It was pretty boring and did not provide much insight as to who would be the best person to be Nashville's next mayor.

In one piece, The Tennessean said the seven candidates played, "to what they believe are their strengths." I would agree with that.  In an "unscientific poll" of 7,000 people who voted in an online poll, this is who that 7,000 people said won: Freeman  27%, Charles Robert Bone 25 %, Megan Barry 17 %, Jeremy Kane 13 %, Linda Eskind Rebrovick 8 %, David Fox 6 %, and Howard Gentry 4 %.  This tells you more about who chose to spend resources getting their supporters to vote in the poll rather what a cross section of what people really think.

In another piece in the Tennessean, Five takeaways from Thursday's Debate, The Tennesseean offered these points; (1) After more than 40 forums, the candidates have answered your questions, (2) Candidates are playing it safe, (3) Freeman is still the target, (4) Freeman might be his own worst enemy, and (5) No one won Thursday. That about sums it up.

My takeaway from this is that Bill Freeman may be replacing Megan Barry as my least favorite candidate. I am especially tuned off by Freeman's position that our schools are doing just great and we need to simply accentuate the positive. Howard Gentry dropped a point in my favorability rating, when asked what he would do to ensure that economic growth does not hurt current residents by  saying he would create an Office of Equity to ensure all that development helps the current community. In my view we do not need to be stiffing growth and we do not need another bureaucracy. Fox answered the same question by saying he would look at freezing taxes of current residents so growth does not force people out of their homes. I like that answer.

In response to the question about affordable housing, David Fox again distinguished himself by indirectly saying he did not support housing price control by saying, "I'm a 'carrot' guy; not a 'stick' guy," and saying he would support incentives for those who build affordable housing. I liked that answer better than any of the others.

In response to the question, who would you vote for among the candidates if you were not running, other of the candidates did not answer the question but David Fox said Jeremy Kane, Jeremy Kane said Howard Gentry, Howard Gentry said David Fox, and Bill Freeman said Linda Reborvik.

Some weeks ago, I reached a conclusion that David Fox was my preferred candidate. There is not a close second choice. This debate reinforced that decision that Fox is my number one choice. In this debate, however, if I had to rank the candidates, a second place choice would be either Rebrovic, Kane, or Gentry followed by Bone and my least favorite would probably be a tie between Barry and Freeman.

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Mayoral Candidate David Fox Launches Website, Announces Campaign Team

David Fox

Press Release, NASHVILLE – David Fox, candidate for Mayor of Nashville, has launched his new website FoxforNashville.com and announced two members of his campaign leadership team.

Serving as campaign CEO will be Chris Turner of the political consulting firm Stampede Consulting (StampedeConsulting.com). Turner is a veteran of more than 500 campaigns across 26 states. He has worked in races at every level from local mayor to president of the United States.  Turner, who also serves on the governing board of the American Association of Political Consultants, will act as the campaign’s lead staff person.

Also joining Team Fox is Rachel Barrett of Rachel Barrett & Company (RachelBarrettandCompany.com), an accomplished Tennessee-based fundraising firm. Barrett has represented winning clients at both the state and federal level. She will lead the campaign’s fundraising arm.

“With these hires, we combine two of the best of the best. Both Chris and Rachel have winning pedigrees. They are highly respected in their professional worlds and they are a great fit for our campaign,”Fox said.

Turner and Barrett join Vesia Hawkins, former administrator of the Metro Nashville Board of Education, who became the campaign’s first staff member in August.  Additional announcements regarding Team Fox will be forthcoming.

David Fox is a businessman, former Chairman of the Metro Nashville School Board and fifth- generation Nashvillian. He and his family – wife Carrington, food critic at the Nashville Scene, and sons Oscar, Julius and Simon – reside in the Whitland neighborhood. The election will be held in August 2015.

My Additional Comments: Stampede Consulting is a Republican consulting firm and Rachel Barrett is a Tennessee-based Republican fundraising, communications and political consulting firm whose clients have included Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus, Tennessee House Republican Caucus, GOPAC, Beacon Center of Tennessee, Jim Tracy for Congress, and members of the Tennessee General Assembly.

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David Fox to address Conservative Groups, Thursday July 30, 2015 from 5:30 - 7:15

From Tony Roberts:

David Fox

Our meeting has moved back to Logan’s steak house on Elliston place. The meeting will be held Thursday July 30, 2015 from 5:30 - 7:15. Thursday, July 30 we will hear from Straw poll winning candidate for the Mayoral Race, David Fox, and Senator Mae Beavers. 

David Fox will discuss his platform in the role of the Mayor of Nashville featuring his ideas for the future growth of Nashville, and identifying how to achieve these goals while keeping taxes low. His platform encompasses education, safe neighborhoods, and improving the infrastructure of the city.  Here is one thing you need to know about David Fox: Of the six candidates running for mayor, he may be the only one who doesn't think the recent boom years have Nashville pointed in the right direction. He is concerned, to put it lightly, about the billions of dollars in debt and unfunded liabilities the city is carrying into the future. He thinks the 30-year experiment with an elected school board, of which he was once the chairman, has been a failure, and he's calling for a discussion about a wide expansion of charter schools. He envisions a "complete redo" on public transportation.

Senator Mae Beavers will discuss the truth in the legislature of Tennessee and the proposal of protecting our servicemen on the grounds in the United States and Tennessee.

Beavers is "solidly" pro-life, a pro-Second Amendment activist, a supporter of lower government spending and the abolition of state income taxation, and a proponent of tougher laws and measures against illegal immigrants.  Beavers as well as current congressmen and former state legislators Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black were known as the "Angry B's" during the Tennessee income tax debate, and were credited with helping stop the passage of a state income tax. Beavers also strongly opposed the 2010 health care reform legislation proposals, sponsoring instead the Tennessee Health Freedom Act in order to protect "a citizen’s right to participate, or not participate, in any healthcare

We will follow with candidates running for Metro office. Some leaders of groups who will be supporting council races will be in attendance. The City Council helps to set the pace of monetary expenditures for Davidson County. We are in a spending path similar to Washington, D.C. and if we do not pay attention to our council, we like many cities in California will go down the path of bankruptcy. Come and listen to our council candidates and help to vet the future of Davidson County.

Please RSVP to Tonyr549@hotmail.com .

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Gov. Winfield Dunn and Sen. Douglas Henry Team to Turnout Vote for David Fox

Gov. Winfield Dunn

Nashville, Tenn. – David Fox announced today that two of Nashville’s most beloved statesmen, former Gov. Winfield Dunn (R) and Sen. Douglas Henry (D), are on the phones reminding Nashville voters to vote for David Fox as Nashville's next Mayor.

“I could not be more pleased and thankful to have such an outstanding and bipartisan pair of Nashville leaders as Gov. Dunn and Sen. Henry helping us get out the vote. They are two of Tennessee’s finest, and I am honored to have their support.” Fox said.

“And the work they are doing is very important,” Fox said. “Our internal polls show that this race is currently a dead heat among those voters who are definitely going to vote and have already decided who to vote for.”

“But now the push is on for those who are still undecided or need a reminder to go to the polls. So I am deeply grateful to Gov. Dunn, Sen. Henry, and our thousands of supporters and volunteers in every neighborhood across the county, who are reminding their friends, families, co-workers and neighbors to vote for David Fox.”

Early voting in the mayor’s race continues through this Saturday, September 5. Election day in the mayoral run-off is Thursday, September 10.

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Ex-mayoral candidate David Fox joins the fight to stop Mayor Barry's mass transit plan

Ex-mayoral candidate David Fox lends hand to PAC fighting Mayor Barry's transit referendum

by Joey Garrison, USA Today Network, Tennessee - Former Nashville mayoral candidate David Fox is lending his support to a new political action committee that has organized to defeat Mayor Megan Barry's transit referendum proposal. 

The new group, called the NoTax4Tracks PAC, was announced Tuesday to oppose over the coming months what its leaders call "an ill-conceived plan" that would make Nashville's sales tax the highest in the nation while not fixing the city's traffic congestion. Barry wants a referendum on her transit plan put on the May 1 ballot. 

....Fox, who has broken what had been more than two years of public silence on city matters... "It's just an enormous outlay of capital," Fox said. "If you look at just the capital costs, it's eight times the size of the Music City Center. And it's going to be more than that because this assumes federal grant money, which the feds have indicated is not going to happen."

Fox said other cities with similar densities have been unsuccessful in building riderships to justify light-rail projects like the one put forward by Barry. He also said the proposal to increase sales tax by a half cent, and later by 1 cent, would be "brutal to the middle class and brutal to the lower-income residents.

"I think the plan is like a tribute to urban transit plans of decades ago. It's like something out of the 1980s to me. It's like, well, we missed our turn 25 years ago when this was the vogue thing to be doing, and now we're adopting a plan that's I think a backward-looking, extraordinarily expensive change that's not going to materially improve transportation here," Fox said. (link)

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Senator Douglas Henry endorses David Fox for Mayor.

Senator Douglas Henry

Former State Senator Douglas Henry, a conservative Nashville Democrat who served six decades in the legislature before retiring this year, on Wednesday announced his endorsement of David Fox for mayor.

"I have watched this race closely, and I am convinced that David Fox will be a great mayor for Nashville," Henry said. "David Fox has both the business and government experience we need to move this city forward in a responsible way. I am proud to endorse him, and encourage all my friends and neighbors to support him."

"Senator Henry a true statesman and gentleman of the highest order, and I am honored to have his support," said Fox.

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Kathleen Starnes: Why I am supporting David Fox for Mayor of Nashville

Kathleen Starnes

Dear Friends;

 I would like to take a minute to tell you why I am supporting David Fox for Mayor of Nashville.

 If you’ve been following the news in the this week, you know The Tennessean ranked him as a Top 3 candidate and polls show David can win! Here’s why I am asking you to help make that happen.

After years of tremendous and exciting growth, Nashville is at a critical point, where rapid expansion threatens to consume what is special about the city we love. If we don’t act quickly to shore up infrastructure—including transit, water pipes and sewers—our special quality of life will erode. And we must make these improvements at a time when we have a record amount of debt on the books. David Fox is the only fiscally conservative candidate committed to protecting our city from excessive debt, $3 billion+ of unfunded liabilities, and the risk of higher property taxes. David brings a unique set of skills to the financial challenges facing our city. Furthermore, his service as chairman of the Metro Nashville Public School board gives him a head start when it comes to improving public education. He became school board chairman just as the state was on the verge of taking over our nearly non-functioning school system, which is 40% of Metro's entire budget. He is also a business man in the Financial field.

I hope you will consider David Fox as our next Mayor for Nashville. He is the only fiscally conservative of the 3.

GO VOTE!! (All Politics is local)

Kathleen Starnes

Kathleen Starnes is the former chair of the Davidson County Republican Party.  

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Former mayoral candidate Jeremy Kane endorses David Fox

Fox, left, listens as Jeremy Kane announces his endorsement.

This afternoon, former mayoral candidate Jeremy Kane endorsed David Fox for mayor. They made the  announcement at about 2 p.m. at the James C. Cayce Homes public housing complex in east Nashville off Shelby Street.

“This was a tough decision for me,” said Kane. “On August 7, I obviously became an undecided voter and I really wanted to take my time and think about this. Ultimately the decision came down to looking at the issues I cared most about,” he said. “For me, this is a personal decision. I’ve been impressed throughout this campaign by what he’s stood for, the issues he’s pushed to the forefront, and so ultimately, this became a very easy decision that not only did I want to vote for David but come out publicly and show my support for him,” he explained.

"Jeremy Kane brought tremendous compassion and intellect to his campaign for mayor," said Fox. "I am honored by his endorsement and his willingness to share his talents and energy with Fox for Nashville."




Jeremy Kane and David Fox share a commitment to education excellence and improving education in Nashville and to advancing school choice.

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The big Belmont mayoral debate. Who won?

Last night was the night of the big mayoral debate at Belmont University sponsored by The Tennessean and WSMV-TV Channel 4.  Unfortunately I was unable to watch the debate. It was live-streamed but I was otherwise occupied. Fortunately, it is achieved on YouTube. Here it is.


The format of this debate is such that not each candidate gets to answer each question but any candidate can give a quick rebuttal to what another candidate says. With seven candidates in the race, there  is no way to have a real debate unless it lasted hours and hours then no one would watch it, so this is probably about as good of a format as one could have. Also, since most of the candidates are saying the same thing, there is no point to hearing seven candidates say the same thing but just saying it a little differently. Here are some highlights:

Transit and the AMP: Megan Barry says she would chase federal dollars to get transit funding and that sidewalks would go some where. Bone did not say anything much different and said we need a local transit plan and a regional transit plan. David Fox said we must find ways to have the private sector meet some of our transit needs.

The Education Gap between the good schools and the bad schools. David Freeman Howard Gentry get asked this question and neither one answer it. Freeman says the Mayor cannot do much about our schools except be a cheerleader and he says our teachers are not getting a fair shake by all the criticism of our public schools. Gentry doesn't say anything of importance either.  Kane, Fox, Bone and Barry give a rebuttal but one can't say much in one minuet. Fox says the mayor can be very important in influencing school policy.  Megan Barry calls for universal pre-K which confirms why I think she is the worst choice for Mayor. Young children from two-parent middle class or privileged families who have parents that read to their children, give them experiences and engage them, do not need pre-K while kids living in the projects may benefit. Why make pre-K universal rather than focus on where it may actually do some good?

The move of the jail and police headquarters to Antioch and Jefferson St..  Kane and Rebrovick are asked how they would have handled this. Kane says we should start from the neighborhood up and not impose things on neighborhoods. Rebrovick gives a lame answer not addressing the question.

How much would you invest and how would you pay for mass transit: Fox says he cannot come up with a dollar amount and say lets spend that amount. He says we need to come up with a plan, see what we need, what we can afford and sequence that. He again says he would seek private sector partners. I like his answer. Gentry gives a lame answer and says he would seek regional funding. Kane says, "whatever it takes."  Rebrovick offers a rebuttal and says we need to use smart technology.

I am discontinuing my question-by-question report. You can watch the debate for yourself. To save time you can watch it in double time and not lose content, if you know how to do that. Here are some highlights and impression:

• Megan Barry says she would put more money into the office of neighborhoods and gives an endorsement of NashvilleNext.
• Howard Gentry in addressing the proposed $100 Million flood wall ask a question I have wondered about. He says the water diverted from flooding downtown by the wall has to go somewhere else and he would want to know who would be negatively impacted by protecting downtown from a flood. He says the flood wall needs more study.
• Freeman says he is frustrated that the first he knew of the flood wall proposal was when he read it in the newspaper. He says there needs to be discussion and debate before something like this happens. 
• Freeman says we need to pay our police, fireman and city workers more, especially the police.
• Gentry says what happened in Baltimore could happen in Nashville and we need to address inequality.
• Are we investing too much too quickly and should the public be concerned? No, says Gentry; Kane says we must invest in education and transit but does not answer the question; Bone says keep the momentum going and quotes the Bible as he often does; and Barry says we need to take the growth all of the way to the county line.
• Megan says everybody should have transit to get them wherever they want to go.
• Rebrovick keeps pushing synchronized traffic lights.
• Fox is the only candidate who expresses concern about our city's debt obligations.

All of the candidates are personable and seem like friendly, likable people. Charles bone is quick on his feet with zingers and is quick to quote the Bible. Just judging the candidates on performance as a campaign speaker, I think Bone is probably the best one to play the role of a mayoral candidate. Freeman seems like the closest to a good ole boy, backslapping politician and someone you might want to have a beer with.

Fox makes fewer bold and visionary statements and is a little less charismatic than some of the other candidates. When asked to name a song that would make a statement about their campaign, Fox could not come up with anything. I am not sure I could either on the spur of the moment, but anything would have been better than just passing on the question. It is a shame that debate moderators ask such stupid questions. These forums should be about who can best manage the city and what political values a candidate subscribes to rather than questions of the "boxer or briefs" category.  Fox seems the most thoughtful and cautious of the candidates but in a day of massive attention deficit disorder where campaigns more closely resemble a Miss America Beauty contest, Fox's thoughtfulness and intellect may not be an advantage.

Having watched this debate and several others forums and having read the position papers of the candidates and visited the websites of the candidates and knowing something of their record, I have come to the conclusion that Megan Barry would be the least desirable of the candidates to have as mayor, and David Fox would be the best.  The other candidates are kind of lumped together somewhere between.

Fox seems the candidate most concerned that we may be overextending our indebtedness, the most open to seeking private sector solutions to problems, and the only candidate to express respect for private property rights and concern about the abuse of eminent domain. For sometime my support for Fox has been growing but I have been reluctant to reach a conclusion that he was the candidate I would vote for until I knew more about all of the candidates. I met one-on-one with Fox recently and talked with him for a little over an hour and am convinced that he is the best candidate and is absolutely genuine and has deeply held believes about the proper function of government and how the city should be managed. He would not be the mayor that would offer shiny new projects as much as a mayor who would protect our bond rating, use common sense to solve problems, and repair our crumbling infrastructure.

To read the Tennessean report on the debate, if you can get behind their pay wall, follow this link and another Tennessean report at this link. To see The WSMV Chanel 4 report follow this link.

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Who's got the money in the race for mayor and where did it come from.

by Rod Williams, June 19, 2023- We are not that far from elections for mayor and Metro Council. Early voting starts July 14th. 

Maybe, it is just me, but it seems that this campaign season has been kind of boring. I do not feel a lot of excitement. It seems like the election is slipping up on us. I have not seen that many campaign signs and have not as of yet received that many mailings, or text messages, or emails from candidates and have only seen a few commercials. Frankly, it is hard to tell the candidates apart. All seem to be playing it safe and no one seems to be offering a bold vision or much of an agenda. 

You can tell who a serious candidate by seeing how much money a candidate has raised and spend. It takes money to run for mayor. Also, sometimes you can tell a lot about a candidate by looking at who is supporting him financially. That can recommend a candidate or give reason to not support him.

I have reviewed each of the candidate's campaign financial disclosure forms for the year end 2022 report and the 2023 first quarter report. Below, I have listed the campaign contributions that I found of interest for each of the candidates. I obviously don't know who all of the movers and shakers and important people are in town, so if you are knowledgeable about who's who in Nashville, you may want to look at the reports for yourself. You can find all of the reports at this link. Below is what I found on each of the candidates,

Freddie O'Connell

Amount Raised this quarter: $113,958. 

Loans outstanding: 0

Balance on hand: $299,045.

Who contributed to his campaign: Former Mayor Megan Barry contributed $400; Former Mayor David Briley contributed $250; Charles Bone, $1600; A Better Tomorrow PAC, $2500; Mark Deutchman of Village Real Estate Services, $1000; several contributions of $1500 from people who work for the Roers Company of Plymouth, MN;  Ned Horton Chairman of the Fair Board, contributed $250; Rich Reibling, $500: Waller Landen PAC, $3500; John Ingram, $1000: Gresham Smith PAC, $2000: Ragan Smith PAC, $500; Hilton Nashville Downtown, $1,000. Dreick Bell of Bell Construction $1,000. Four students by the last name of Tyler who all live at the same address in Brentwood gave $1600 each, David Fox contributed $500, but that is not the David Fox who is the former mayoral candidate who is supporting Alice Rollie in this election; it is a different David Fox.  He also received contributions from a lot of lawyers and several $1800 contributions from Family members, and several contributions from people who work in Constructiion, development, or real estate. 

Allice Rolli

Amount Raised this quarter: $208,765

Total Loans outstanding: $144,275

Balance on hand: $197,482

Who contributed to her campaign: Orrin Ingram of Ingram Industries, $1.800, and John Ingram $1,000; JCB PAC, $2500; Former Chair of the Tennessee Republican Party Tom Beasley, $1,800; former mayoral candidate David Fox, $1,000.

This is a draft of a work in progress. Please check back.

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(update) Who's got the money in the race for mayor and where did it come from.

 by Rod Williams, June 21, 2023- We are not that far from elections for mayor and Metro Council. Early voting starts July 14th. 

Maybe, it is just me, but it seems that this campaign season has been kind of boring. I do not feel a lot of excitement. It seems like the election is slipping up on us. I have not seen that many campaign signs and have not as of yet received that many mailings, or text messages, or emails from candidates and have only seen a few commercials. Frankly, it is hard to tell the candidates apart. All seem to be playing it safe and no one seems to be offering a bold vision or much of an agenda. 

You can tell who a serious candidate by seeing how much money a candidate has raised and spend. It takes money to run for mayor. Also, sometimes you can tell a lot about a candidate by looking at who is supporting him financially. That can recommend a candidate or not support him.

I have reviewed each of the candidate's campaign financial disclosure forms for the year end 2022 report and the 2023 first quarter report. Below, I have listed the campaign contributions that I found of interest for each of the candidates. 

I obviously don't know who all of the movers and shakers and important people are in town, so if you are knowledgeable about who's who in Nashville, you may want to look at the reports for yourself. You can find all of the reports at this link. If you do review the campaign reports and find something of interest, please share. Below is what I found on each of the candidates, that I found of interest.

Freddie O'Connell

• Amount Raised this quarter: $113,958. 
• Loans outstanding: 0
• Balance on hand: $299,045.

Who contributed to his campaign: Former Mayor Megan Barry contributed $400; Former Mayor David Briley contributed $250; Charles Bone, $1600.  

Mark Deutchman of Village Real Estate Services donated $1000; several contributions of $1500 from people who work for the Roers Company of Plymouth, MN;  Ned Horton Chairman of the Fair Board, contributed $250; Rich Reibling, $500: Waller Landen PAC, $3500; John Ingram, $1000: Gresham Smith PAC, $2000: Ragan Smith PAC, $500; Hilton Nashville Downtown, $1,000. Derick Bell of Bell Construction $1,000. 

He received $7500 from the A Better Tomorrow PAC, and that PAC received $7500 from Uptown Property Holding, LLC of San Diego, CA. Uptown Property Holding, LLC is the company developing Nashville Yards and has a lot of other properties in Nashville.  

Four students by the last name of Tyler who all live at the same address in Brentwood gave $1600 each, David Fox contributed $500, but that is not the David Fox who is the former mayoral candidate who is supporting Alice Rollie in this election; it is a different David Fox.  He also received contributions from a lot of lawyers and several $1800 contributions from Family members, and several contributions from people who work in Constructiion, development, or real estate. 

Allice Rolli

• Amount Raised this quarter: $208,765
• Total Loans outstanding: $144,275
• Balance on hand: $197,482

Who contributed to her campaign: 

Orrin Ingram of Ingram Industries, $1.800, and John Ingram $1,000; JCB PAC, $2500; Former Chair of the Tennessee Republican Party Tom Beasley, $1,800; former mayoral candidate David Fox, $1,000.

Vivian Wilhoit: No report on file.

Matthew Wiltshire

• Total raised this quarter; $515,875
• Total loans outstanding, $384,904
• Balance on hand: $1,409,771

Who contributed to his campaign: 

He received a $2500 contribution from A Better Tomorrow PAC. Uptown Property Holding, LLC of San Diego, CA notated $7500 to this PAC. The PAC also contributed $7500 to Freddie O'Connell. 

H. G. Hill Realty PAC donated $9400.

Charles Bone a former candidate for mayor donated $1800. Notice that Charles Bone also contributed to Freddie O'Connell's campaign. Former Mayor Karl Dean donated $1800. Hal Cato former CEO of Thistle Farms, who considered a run for mayor, but did not run, donated $750. Former Council Member and candidate for Council Davette Blalock donated $45. Council Member Tanaka Vercher donated $200.

John Ingram of Ingram Industires donated $1,000. Notice he also contributed to other candidates campaigns.  Gerald Nicely, Executive Director of Nashville’s Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency from 1979-2002, and Transportation Secretary under Governor Phil Bredisen donated $1,000. Ned Horton, who also contributed to other campaigns, donated $200. Rich Reibling donated $1800. Eddie Latimer of Affordable Housing Resources donated $355.08.  Bobby Joslin of Joslin Sign Company donated $1800.

He received lots of contributions from attorneys, people who work in the field of real estate, consultants, people who work in property management. developers, and people who work in finance.

This is a draft of a work in progress. Please check back.

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