What To Expect In Nashville’s Election

By Tony Gonzalez, Nashville Public Radio - There are 111 candidates who have qualified for Nashville’s citywide election in August, which includes the races for mayor, vice mayor and the 40-member Metro Council.

But that’s actually fewer people running for local office than in recent years — and the ballot could still shrink a bit more, as candidates have until noon Thursday to withdraw their names.

Here are a few observations following the candidate qualifying deadline: (continue reading)

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This is the final candidates list of those eligible to run for mayor, vice mayor or Metro council.

by Rod Williams, 5-18-2019 - The qualifying deadline has come and gone. This is the final list of those who have qualified to run for mayor, vice mayor, or metro council. If there were some names that were on previous list and not on this list that means the person picked up a qualifying petition but did not turn it in, or, they turned it in and it did not contain twenty-five good names and the petition was not verified. All of these names on this list may not appear on the ballot; a candidate may withdraw his name up until noon May 23rd.

There are no districts where no one has picked up a petition but there are several where only one person has picked up a petition. Unfortunately, there are several incumbents who I would like to see replaced who will be running without opposition.

Of the developments reflected on this list, I am most pleased to see that in District 16, Tony Tenpenny is running. He previously served in the council representing this district. He is a good conservative and was a big supporter of the fairgrounds. Not only would I like to see Tony Tenpenny back in the council, but I especially want to see Genny Welsch defeated. Genny Welsch is a left-wing activist and a founding member of the low-power left-wing radio station Radio Free Nashville.  Welsch is often seen at left wing protest gatherings advocating the liberal cause of the moment. I will be making a financial contribution to Tony's campaign.

In the race for council-at-large, we still have  fifteen candidates running for the five seats. I plan on voting for Steve Glover only. One may vote for up to five candidates but to do so weakens the influence of your vote. You may think of it like this; voting for only one candidate is almost the equivalent of casting five votes for that candidate.  There are some other candidates who are not bad, a couple are even good, but if conservatives split their vote and chose five candidates, no conservatives will win an at-large seat.

You will notice that in addition to circling in red those I would like to see elected, I have struck through the names of people I would especially like to see defeated. In District 5, Pam Murray is running. She was formerly a member of the Council.  She does not need to be reelected.  I don't have a preferred candidate in the race but know I would like to see Pam Murray defeated.

In District 7 there are  nine candidates and I know nothing about any of them. In District 8, I do not know Danny Williams but would like to see Nancy VanReese replaced. I look forward to leaning more about Williams. In District  19, a previous person who had picked up a petition is not on this list but a new person picked up a petition and got qualified in the last week. I don't know Joshua Parant but know I would like to see Freddie O'Connell replaced. I hope to learn more about Parant.


In District 30, I do not know Ruben Ford. I know Sherry Jones. She was a member of the Council in the 80's and then served several terms in the state legislature. She is very liberal. I do not want to see her regain a council seat. Sandra Sepulveda is Hispanic and she is running an identity politics campaign saying vote for me because I am Hispanic.  I would not like a candidate whose message was vote for me because I am white any more than I like a candidates whose message is vote for me because I am gay, or female, or Black or Hispanic. I would not want to see Sepulveda elected.  I am supporting Lydia Hubbell. She is a solid conservative.

Below is the list of those who are now eligible to run for the office of mayor, vice mayor, at-large and district council seats. Circled are the names of those I would vote for if these were the only choices and I knew only what I know today, the elections were today and I could vote in that contest. My selections are still preliminary but are getting more firm by the day. I may change my mind, if I learn more about the candidates and find a candidate I did not select is a better candidate. In districts where I have not selected anyone, I may be picking a preferred candidate as the campaigns take shape.

If you are a candidate running for office, please send me your press releases.  Email me at Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com.

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Nashville's homeless population on the decline.

by Rod Williams 5-17-2019 - I don't know why and those serving the homeless community do not speculate as to why, but Nashville's homeless population is on the decline and this is good news. Nationwide it is estimated that 0.17% of the population is homeless. This however, is an improvement over previous years except for the last two years which showed a minuscule uptick. Homelessness is down nationwide from 2007. It has been decreasing for about ten years but is now leveling out.  The fact that we have the lowest unemployment rate in fifty years no doubt contributes to less homelessness nationwide but state polices raising the minimum wage probably counteract the positive impact of the improved economy.

While homelessness is down in Nashville and much of the nation, there are places were it is drastically up and of chronic proportions. California which has the highest poverty rate in the nation
 has a severe homeless problem, particularly in the bay area. You have probably seen the videos or news reports showing block after block of sidewalks turned into tent camping sites.  Human excrement, rampant drug use, and the crowding of people into close quarters in unsanitary conditions leads to increased health risk.  A contributing factor to the California homeless crisis is that California destroyed their housing market through over regulation. It is estimated that local fees on on home construction adds an additional 6% to 18% to the cost of a home. The recently enacted California rule mandating solar panels on nearly all new home construction adds about $10,000 to the cost of a home (link). A statewide minimum wage of $12 an hour, the status of California as a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants and various other liberal policies no doubt contributes to the growth of homelessness in the state.

One thing that I would suggest contributes to a decline in homelessness is that Nashville has not allowed the development of large homeless camps.  If you recall, early in the administration of Megan Barry, the Fort Negley site had developed into a large homeless encampment. The city gave people amble time to move and adequate warning then moved in and forcibly removed them. There has also been other sites that were turning into homeless communities that the city has cleaned up.  If we did not prevent them from doing so,  I don't doubt that Centennial Park or Riverfront Park would be a vast homeless encampment.

Whatever the combination of factors that has let to a decrease in homeless, we are doing something right. To make sure we continue on the right tract, we need to ensure the nation continues on a path of economic growth and low unemployment and Nashville needs to look at what San Fransisco is doing and not do it.

The above was modified to reflect more accurate data  resulting from additional research on 5-19-2019. Rod Williams

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U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen: “I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress."

Rep. Steve Cohen

Link

Link

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Sen Blackburn Discusses Immigration with Jon Scott on Fox News

This morning I spoke to Jon Scott on Fox News about this week's big immigration news.

For Tennesseans, immigration is issue number one. President Trump and the Republicans in the Senate announced plans this week to secure our borders and keep our citizens safe. We are going to tighten restrictions around asylum seekers. Soon, I plan to introduce legislation that works to extend an information-sharing provision between DHS and HHS so that we are certain about knowing the identities of criminal human traffickers so we can stop them from harming children going through the system.

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The candidates list of those running for Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Metro Council

Here is the link to the candidates list of those running for Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Metro Council. The election will be August 1, 2019.  If a name previously appeared on a list of those who picked up petitions but the name does not appear on this list, then the person did not turn in their petition or the petition failed to be certified because of an insufficient number of valid signatures. Check back for more information.

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Charlie Cardwell, RIP

Charlie Cardwell was good man. He served several high level positions in Metro government and there was never a whiff of scandal. He was a gentleman. He would not mislead you. When I served in the Council and he was in the administration, he was a good advocate for the administrations proposals, but never tried to get you to trade you vote or make an inappropriate deal. If he told you something you could count on it being the truth. RIP

Metro Trustee Charlie Cardwell dead at 83 after heart complications

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

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Tennessee Charter School Center celebrates successful legislative session during National Charter School Week.

From Tennessee Charter School Center: 

Dear Friends,

Happy National Charter School Week! Each year, this special celebration is a time for everyone in the public charter movement—leaders, teachers, students, parents, and advocates—to come together to showcase our schools and students. As a kick-off for this week, we wanted to share the results of our work “on the Hill” during this legislative session. During the 2019 Legislative Session we:

• Doubled the Charter School Facilities Fund bringing the total to $24 million over the past three years;
• Established a statewide Charter School Commission;
• Established the State Board of Education as a formal accountability body for charter school authorizers;
• Fixed the default closure law;
• Blocked 100% of negative legislation for the 4th consecutive year

We couldn’t have done this without you. Now for National Charter Schools Week, we want to celebrate your successes! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@tncharters) as we share highlights from the center, our charter schools and a special announcement to close out the week! Help us out by sharing our posts, and letting us know what positive impacts public charter schools are having in your community.

We also invite you to check out our 2019 Annual Impact Report highlighting the successes of the 2017-2018 school year, and to sign up for our monthly eNewsletter to keep up with what's happening inside charters.

Thanks for a great session.

Sincerely,

Dr. Maya M. Bugg

President & CEO, Tennessee Charter School Center

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Ten more people pick up qualifying petitiions.

by Rod Williams, 5-11-2019 - Since last week, ten more people have picked up qualifying petitions and time is running short. There are no districts where no one has picked up a petition but there are several where only one person has picked up a petition. Several incumbents who I would like to see defeated have no opposition.

There is still time to run. One may pick up a qualifying petition up until the deadline for turning in qualifying petitions which is noon May 16th. It only takes the name of 25 voters to qualify. One can get that many names in one evening, if you also purchase a voter registration list so you are only knocking on the doors of registered voters. Almost anyone will sign a qualifying petition if you explain they are simply signing to allow your name to be on the ballot. If you are at all interested in running, get qualified. If you then find that someone else who you could support is running or someone else is too formidable for you to beat is running, you could simply not turn in the petition. Once a qualifying petition is submitted and the petition is approved, then a candidate may withdraw his name up until noon May 23rd. Please, if you know someone who lives in one of those districts with a liberal council member and no challenger or only one candidate and know the person to be liberal, please run yourself or encourage someone to run. At this point, a sensible liberal who is concerned about Metro's debt, which is the highest per capita in the nation, would be an improvement over some of the progressive candidates who are running.

In the race for council-at-large, there are now fifteen candidates running for the five seats. I plan on voting for Steve Glover only. One may vote for up to five candidates but to do so weakens the influence of your vote. You may think of it like this; voting for only one candidate is almost the equivalent of casting five votes for that candidate.  There are some other candidates who are not bad, but if conservatives split there vote and chose five, no conservatives will win an at-large seat.

You will notice that in addition to circling in red those I would like to see elected, I have struck through the names of people I would like to see defeated. In District 5 Pam Murray is running. She was formerly a member of the Council.  She does not need to be reelected.  I don't have a preferred candidate in the race but know I would like to see Pam Murray defeated.

In District 7 there are  nine candidates and I know nothing about any of them. In District 8 I do not know Danny Williams but would like to see Nancy VanReese replaced. 

 
In District 16, I am supporting Paul King and I know nothing about him but anyone would be better  than Genny Welsch. She is left-wing activist and a founding member of the low-power left-wing radio station Radio Free Nashville.  Welsch is often seen at left wing protest gatherings advocating the liberal cause of the moment.

In District  19, I do not know Nick Johnson but know I would like to see Freddie O'Connell replaced.

Notice that in District 23 the incumbent council member, Mina Johnson, has picked up a qualifying petition. While I did not  see a statement from her that she was not running, people had told me she was not seeking reelection. That was either wrong information or she changed her mind. A good candidate, Thom Druffel is seeking that seat.

In District 30 I do not know Ruben Ford. I know Sherry Jones. She was a member of the Council in the 80's and then served several terms in the state legislature. She is very liberal. I do not want to see her regain a council seat. I have learned something about Sandra Sepulveda. She is Hispanic and she is running an identity politics campaign saying vote for me because I am Hispanic.  I would not like a candidate whose message was vote for me because I am white any more than I like a candidates whose message is vote for me because I am gay, or female, or Black or Hispanic. I would not want to see Sepulveda elected.  I am supporting Lydia Hubbell.

Below is the list of those who have picked up qualifying petitions to run for the office of mayor, vice mayor, at-large and district council seats as of Friday, May 10. The names highlighted in yellow are people who have appointed a campaign treasure but have not yet picked up a petition.  Circled are the names of those I would vote for if these were the only choices and I knew only what I know today, the elections were today and I could vote in that contest. My selections are preliminary. I may be changing my mind, depending on who else gets in the race or as I learn more about the candidates.

If you are a candidate running for office, please send me your press releases.  Email me at Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com.

 

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The Tennessean says Casada not worthy of being speaker.

Glen Casada

by Rod Williams - The Tennessean today editorialized that Glen Casada is not worthy of being speaker.  While the Tennessean is a major Tennessee newspaper, my view is that its opinion does not carry much weight, especially with Republicans.  It is predictably Democrat and predictably progressive Democrat. While this contributes to pressure on Glen Casada to resign, he should not buckle.  Being attacked by The Tennessean may even make the Speaker more popular among Republicans.

I continue to stand with Casada.  Maybe Casada did show poor judgment in hiring Cothren.  However, Cothren claims he had turned his life around and was changed man from the time when he was using cocaine.  Maybe Casada was wrong to give Cothren an important post.  Maybe Cothren did not deserve another chance.  In any event, Cothren was the author of the offensive emails, not Casada.  And, Corthren has since been fired.  Technically, he resigned but usually that means the boss asked for the resignation which I would assume is what happened.

I am still standing with Casada because I have seen no evidence that indicates he has done anything deserving of him losing his post. Maybe Casada misled radio host Phil Valentine by implying he did not know if the offensive emails were actually from Cothren when apparently he should have known.  If that is true, I am disappointing but don't think that is reason enough for him to lose his position as speaker.  I am also supporting Casada because I hate to see a rush to judgement and a mob mentality take down a good man.  Also, Casada has proven an effective leader in getting the governor's agenda though and running an effective legislative session. One thing I really like about Casada is that he has stopped Nashville from becoming the San Francisco of the South.  He has stopped Nashville from enacting several pieces of  progressive legislation or modified Nashville's progressive initiatives.  He has stopped Nashville from becoming a sanctuary city, he stopped Nashville from adopting inclusionary zoning,  he stopped Nashville from putting additional requirements favored by gay activist on businesses located in Nashville, and he curtailed the power of the newly created police oversight board to issue subpoenas.

Until something concrete is presented to show Casada did something wrong, House Republicans should stick with him and not let The Tennessean and politically correct enemies drive him from office.

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Gov. Bill Lee: If House Speaker Glen Casada worked for me, I would ask him to resign

The pressure continues to build.
Gov. Bill Lee: If House Speaker Glen Casada worked for me, I would ask him to resign.

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