Rank Choice Voting faces Election Commisison discussion today. The Charter Revision Commssion voted against it. Status in doubt.

The Election Commission is today discussing Rank Choice Voting.  I am unsure if the Commission is voting on it or simply "discussion" it. Councilman Rosenberg is the sponsor of this proposal. I assume he has met with Election Commission staff and talked to election commissioners and explained the concept. I would assume he will be at today's meeting.  The position of the Election Commission will have an influence on the Metro Council. 

The Charter Revision Commission met on April 12th and vote 3 to 2 against recommendation. For something like this to pass, it has to have the buy-in from a lot of people.  In this particular case, not only does if have to jump a bunch of hurdles to be adopted but then the public must approve it in a public referendum. Government changes very slowly, which can be both bad and good.  It takes forever for government to kill a no longer needed program or adopt cost saving measures.  On the other hand, this cumbersome process and inertia keeps government from jumping on the latest fad or responding to the passions of the moment.  

On Tuesday April 16th the measure received exactly 27 votes on a resolution before the Council. That is the minimum required to be considered as part of a group of amendments the council will vote on to place on the ballot for the August 1 general election. Before it goes to the ballot however, this proposal, called Amendment A, would  have to be approved again, along with the other considered amendments, sand receive another 27 favorable vote minimum. This vote is scheduled for May 7. 

Even it this passes the Council and is approved in referendum by the public, that does not necessarily mean it becomes law. Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins has said state law doesn’t allow ranked-choice voting. I don't see much point in passing something inconsistent with State law. However, I approve of the concept.  If I was serving in the Council I would vote for this if I believed Goins opinion was in error, however if I was convinced that it did in fact violate state law I would vote against it. I do not think the Council should be putting before the public questions that would adopt policies contrary to law. If it does violate state law, then efforts should be made to change state law before advancing the policy at the local level.

The way rank choice voting would work is like this:  When you go to vote, if voting for mayor for instance, you would select your first choice, then select a second choice if the first choice is not elected, then a third choice. One could rank all of them if one wanted. If no one receives a majority, the candidate with the lowest votes would be eliminated and the second choice of those who voted for the candidate eliminated, would have their second choice votes distributed and added to the tally of the remaining candidates. If this gave a candidate a majority, that would be the winner.  If not, then again the candidate with the lowest vote total would be eliminated and the second choice of those voters would have their second choice votes allocated, until a candidate had a majority.  This would eliminate the need for a runoff election.

To read the resolution that contains Amendment one, follow this link. 

To read the legal analysis of the Council staff attorney, follow this link.

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Idiot Rep. Steve Cohen pulls stupid Chicken eating stunt to mock Bill Barr.

by Rod Williams - If there was any remnant of dignity remaining to the U. S. House of Representatives, Tennessee's Congressman Steve Cohen just stripped it. He brought a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to a House hearing room and a plastic chicken figurine to illustrate that he thought Attorney General Bill Barr was a chicken for not appearing before the May 2 House Judiciary Committee hearing.

After Barr agreed to appear, then the Committee changed the rules. House Judiciary Chairman  Nadler wanted to have House Judiciary Committee staff, rather than members of Congress question Barr about his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. Barr took the position that members should conduct the inquiry, not staff.  It was unclear why Democrats did not simply having staffers  provide questions to House members during the hearing. It happens all the time.

During his stunt Cohen handed out pieces of chicken and offered a piece to Congresswoman Val Demings from Florida who is African-American. Cohen apparently is not sufficiently "woke." Apparently it is considered racist to offer fried chicken to a Black person. He is being denounced as a racist for this insensitivity. It couldn't happen to a more deserving person. I don't think Cohen is a racist; I just think he is an idiot.

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Vanderbilt poll: More locals think Nashville is growing too fast and 'no longer on the right track'

Vanderbilt poll: More locals think Nashville is growing too fast and 'no longer on the right track' 

News Channel 5 - ....the percentage of residents who think the city is moving in the wrong direction has grown from 22% to 45% since the poll’s inception in 2015. Additionally, this latest poll says those who think Nashville is moving in the right direction has dropped from 72% in 2015 to 53%.

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GOP Rep. Mark Green to force vote on Cohen perjury probe

GOP Rep. Mark Green to force vote on Cohen perjury probe

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Annual Wilson County GOP Reagan/Trump Dinner

May 14th, 2019 at 5:30pm

Tucker's Gap Event Center, 2900 Callis Rd., Lebanon, TN

Join us at the annual Reagan/Trump Dinner on May 14th at Tucker's Gap Event Center, 2900 Callis Rd. Lebanon, TN.

Schedule:

• 5:30pm - Music by Kenny Lee, Country Rock Artist and author of "The Trump Card Song" and will debut his new Trump campaign song for 2020, "We're All Trumped Up".

• Main Event | 6:30PM - Emcee will be Steve Gill, Political Editor for The Tennessee Star.  Speaker for the evening will be Todd Starnes host of "Todd Starnes Radio Show" and "Starnes Country" on Fox Nation. Todd is the author of a number of best selling books, including "The Deplorables Guide to Making American Great Again".

Tickets: Dinner Price: 

• Sponsor Table $1,000 - includes table for 10 and meal plus listed as a sponsor in the Program 
• $600 for table of 10
• Individual ticket - $60

Mail check to Wilson County Republican Party, P. O. Box 124, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122 or buy tickets on website (website purchases require processing fee).

Click HERE for tickets and more info

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70th Anniversary of the Founding of the Nashville Republican Women Wednesday, May 8th

From The Davidson County Republican Party:

 

DCRP extends the following invite on behalf of the Nashville Republican Women: 

DCRP extends the following invite on behalf of the Nashville Republican Women: 

70th Anniversary of the Founding of the Nashville Republican Women

Wednesday, May 8th 

Hillwood Country Club

6201 Hickory Valley Road, Nashville  

You are invited to join us as weCelebrate the  70th Anniversary of the Founding ofthe Nashville Republican Women

Wednesday, May 8, 201910:00 a.m. - Registration and  mix and mingle.

11:00 a.m. - Program begins

$35 per person

Special Appearance by

The Honorable Beth HarwellFormer Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives

and

Phil ValentineAward winning radio talk show host, author and film maker

Reservations are requested by Friday, May 3rd

Make checks ($35 pp) payable to NRW and mail to:

Treasurer, NRW

P.O. Box 58882, Nashville, TN 37205

Or pay online at http://nashvillerepublicanwomen.org

Hillwood Country Club

6201 Hickory Valley Road, Nashville  

You are invited to join us as weCelebrate the  70th Anniversary of the Founding ofthe Nashville Republican Women

Wednesday, May 8, 201910:00 a.m. - Registration and  mix and mingle.

11:00 a.m. - Program begins

$35 per person

Special Appearance by

The Honorable Beth HarwellFormer Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives

and

Phil ValentineAward winning radio talk show host, author and film maker

Reservations are requested by Friday, May 3rd

Make checks ($35 pp) payable to NRW and mail to:

Treasurer, NRW

P.O. Box 58882, Nashville, TN 37205

Or pay online at http://nashvillerepublicanwomen.org

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Oops! I made a mistake. Qualifying deadline is May 16. There is more time to qualify to run for Council.

by Rod Williams - In post on this site regarding the election for mayor, vice mayor, and at-large and district council seats, I have said the qualifying deadline is May 3rd. Thankfully, but embarrassingly, I was wrong. The qualifying deadline is May 16. I regret the error. I don't know how I made that mistake.

I am pleased that the qualifying deadline is May 16th rather than May3rd. That means there is more time to qualify to run for Council. Please, if you are at all interested, please get qualified. There are several districts where the incumbent has no challenger or where there is not an incumbent and the only candidate is an extreme progressive or someone with no qualification.

If you pick up a qualifying petition, it only takes 25 signatures to get qualified. If you start the process and find out there is another candidate running who you could support, you can simply not turn in the petition. Or, if you turn in the petition and then for any reason change your mind, you can withdraw the petition and your name will not appear on the ballot. 

To view the Election Commission web page where you can learn what you need to know about the procedure of running for office and see the election calendar follow this link.

I served in the Metro Council in the decade of the 80's and have carefully followed the Council for many years since.  If you are thinking about running and would like to talk to someone who understands how to run and what it is like to serve, email me or Facebook message me and we can talk. My email address is Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com. My Facebook addresses is https://www.facebook.com/rod.williams.12327.

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Mayor Briley presents upbeat State of Metro address.

Mayor David Briley delivered the 56th Annual State of Metro address at Nashville Public Library at 10 a.m. today, Tuesday, April 30.  This is the second State of  Metro address for the current mayor. If you want to see it, you can watch the above video. To skip the prayer and entertainment and get right to the speech go to timestamp 11:40.

The mayor presented an upbeat message. He said, "a year after facing one of Nashville's most challenging moments, Nashville is strong widely admired, resilient, and welcoming." He touted the economic growth of the city but said we must work to create "equitable prosperity."

He said the city is in fine shape and much improved from a year ago. "When I spoke to you here a year ago, we were in a much different position," he said. "I said from this very spot that sacrifice leads to success. We had to get Metro’s budget under control by living within our means, and departments throughout Metro stepped up and did just that. Our plan worked."

He announced he will submit to the Metro Council this week a no-tax increase $2.33 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

To read the full text of the speech, follow this link. 

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Metro Council Budget & Finance Committee FY2019-2020 Budget Hearings May, 13, 2019.

Metro press release - The Metro Council Budget & Finance Committee will conduct FY2019-2020 Operating and Capital Budget Hearings with Metro Departments during the month of May. All budget hearings will be conducted in the David Scobey Council Chamber.
Budget hearings will be aired live on Metro Nashville Network and Nashville.gov.
Monday, May 13, 2019

• 4:00 p.m. - Mayor's Office
• 4:15 p.m. - Finance
• 4:30 p.m. - Internal Audit
• 4:45 p.m. - Metro Legal
• 5:00 p.m. - Economic Development
• 5:15 p.m. - Chamber of Commerce
• 5:30 p.m. - Beer Board
• 5:45 p.m. - Human Relations Commission
• 6:00 p.m. - Planning Commission
• 6:15 p.m. - Codes Administration

Location

David Scobey Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Historic Metro Courthouse
1 Public Square
Nashville, TN 37201

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Bellevue Republican Breakfast Club guest speaker is Carol Swain, May 4, 2019.

From Betty Hood: 

Dear BRBC Friends,

Carol Swain, former Vanderbilt professor and candidate for Nashville's mayor, will be our guest speaker  on Saturday, May 4 at 8:15 am. The meeting  will be held at Corner Pub in the Woods, 8058 Hwy 100.

Hope you will be able to attend.

See you there.

Betty

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Only eight more people have picked up qualifying petitions in the last week. There is still time! Run!

by Rod Williams, 4-27-2019 - Where are the candidates running for Metro Council?  Since last week, only eight more people have picked up qualifying petitions.  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.

District 16 is the worst disappointment. Only one person has picked up a petition and I know who this person is. It is an extreme progressive by the name of Genny Welsch.  In 2006 Welsch ran an unsuccessful campaign against Congressman Jim Cooper. Welsch is often seen at left wing protest gatherings advocating the liberal cause of the moment. She has advocated for singled-payer universal health care, a minimum "living wage," and various other liberal causes. She was a founding member of the low-power left-wing radio station Radio Free Nashville.  It will be a shame if she wins a seat on the Council without even being challenged.

In District 30, Sherry Jones is running. She is a former member of the Council and the State legislature. I would like to see her defeated. Lydia Hubbell is running for that seat and she is a good conservative but I question her electability. At this point I don't know anything about any of the other candidates.

In District 19, Nick Johnson is running against Freddie O'Connell. I know absolutely nothing about him. For some time I have been hearing that the association of honky tonk owners was going to field a candidate against O'Connell and I don't know if Johnson is that candidate or not. A search engine search turns up no web page for Nick Johnson.

In the race for council at large,  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. Since John Cooper has announced he is running for mayor, this makes my decision to single-shot vote for Steve Glover easier.  Former councilman Michael Craddock has picked up a petition. He was a good councilman but rather than splitting my vote, I will still be single-shot voting for Glover.

John Cooper has not yet picked up a qualifying petition to run for mayor, but he has announced and has a campaign website. I would be shocked at this point if he does not run. Early on, after John Cooper announced he would not be running for mayor, I supported Carol Swain and contributed to her campaign.  Since Cooper has reconsidered and is now running for mayor, I will be supporting him. Unfortunately, Carol Swain is too closely identified as a social conservative. In liberal Davidson County, I just don't think Swain can be elected. Cooper has been one of the most vocal advocates for financial responsibility in the Council.  As far as I am concerned, the state of Metro's finances is the most important issue facing the city.  We need John Cooper.

There is one more week in which one may qualify to run for mayor, vice mayor or Metro Council. One may pick up a qualifying petition up until the deadline for turning in qualifying petitions which is noon May 3rd.  That is four full days and a half day. It is not too late to run. 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.

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, April 26th.  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. Some choices I have not made because I do anticipate someone else to get in the race or because I know too little about the candidates to have an opinon.

Here is the list of those who have picked up petitions. The names highlighted in yellow have not picked up a petition but have appointed campaign finance chairmen.

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Why did DA Glenn Funk's office issues stern warning to NFL Draft visitors about domestic violence?

This weekend Nashville drew one of its biggest ever crowds to an event. An estimated 300,000 people attended part of the three day NFL draft event. The number of people in one place at one time may not be as great as some other events since attendees were spread between Lower Broad and the Nissan stadium and not everyone attended all days.  The four day CMA fest draws 250, 000 people but not all attend all four days and the event is spread to various locations. Between 175,000 to 200,000 people attended the Jan. 1, 2019 “Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville."  The last Fourth of July Let Freedom Ring event drew 250,000 people. Whether the largest event ever in Nashville or not, the NFL draft drew a lot of people.

District Attorney Glen Funk's office  issued a stern warning to NFL Draft visitors about domestic violence.  He warned that if they're arrested for domestic violence there is a mandatory 12 hour hold in jail, more court dates after they make bond, extra expenses for an attorney not being allowed to be around the victim until the charge is resolved.

Domestic violence has been a major focus of his administration. Still, I question why he issued a stern warning prior to the NFL draft event. I do not know of him doing so prior to the New Year's Eve event, the CMA Fest, the 4th of July event or the Lawn and Garden show. Why the NFL draft event?  Since a lot of professional football players are thugs and are high profile people and seem to be credibly accused of domestic violence at a greater rate than the other groups, maybe it was appropriate to highlight the issue of domestic violence when some of the players who are accused abusers will be being cheered and in the public spotlight.

Maybe, Funk is going to increase public awareness of the issue and this just happened to be his first of more to come public warnings. Maybe. Still it seems somewhat insulting to think NLF fans need a special warning about domestic violence when other visitors to our city do not.

A few years ago there were somber public service announcements played during the Super Bowl about domestic violence.  Feminist surmised that the Super Bowl builds up a lot of testosterone and adrenaline in men and mixed with heavy drinking, Super Bowl Sunday was a day in which women were at increased risk of domestic violence. Maybe Funk remembers those PSAs and thought the same factors would be at play during the NLF draft event as at a Super Bowl Sunday. It turns out this claim that Super Bowl Sunday results in greater domestic violence is a myth. The myth has been thoroughly debunked. There is no evidence that NFL fans are more likely to commit acts of domestic violence than any other group of people.  Maybe Funk didn't get the memo.  Funk needs to explain why he felt the need to issue a stern domestic violence warning to NLF fans visiting our city.

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