The Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund endorsed John Cooper for mayor.

The Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund endorsed Metro Councilman John Cooper in the race for mayor. Apparently, this organization only endorsed in the mayor's race and not in council races. There are a couple or maybe more organizations claiming to be the voice of neighborhoods but I think this is the most legitimate of them.  The Tennessean says, "The Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund is an advocacy group that registers as a political action committee, but doesn't raise funds to give to candidates. The organization is comprised of activists from more than 65 neighborhood groups."

I am glad to see Cooper got this endorsement. It is better to get it than not get it,  but I take all of the endorsements from neighbor groups or neighborhood associations or an organization representing neighborhood organizations with a grain of salt. Often neighborhood groups are mostly inactive and maybe once a year a half dozen people will get together to chose officers. Sometimes groups are dormant for years at a time. Sometimes there are more than one organization claiming to represent a neighborhood. A neighborhood organization may represent no one except the two or three activist who claim to represent the organization.

Neighborhood groups are most active when they have something to be mad about such as someone going to take their park or build a commercial development or some affordable housing in their neighborhood. When the issue that motivated them goes away, often the neighborhood group becomes inactive. There is another group called, Coalition For Nashville Neighborhoods headed by former Council member John Summers (at least I think it is another group).  I don't know much about that group either but I don't think it is much more than John Summers.

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