Councilman Robert Swope was the victim of a malicious act of vandalism to his Dad's beloved car.

by Rod Williams - Councilman Robert Swope running for reelection in District 4, was the victim of 
a malicious act of vandalism Saturday during the last day of early voting. As an attention-getter, he had an antique car parked at the Edmondson Library early voting locations where he was campaigning.  Some one keyed the car. The car had great sentimental value to Robert.  Below is what he wrote to Facebook explaining what happened. You can feel his disgust about this and feel the love for that car.

I am utterly disgusted with the vitriolic hatred that some people live their lives within. I am running for re-election in a NON PARTISAN race. My personal beliefs have NO BEARING on the service I give to the City of Nashville. BUT... Today, the last day of early voting at Edmondson Library, after 8 days of meeting and greeting constituents from 8am though 7pm, ONE SICK SOB decided that only their viewpoint can be correct. At approximately 1:20 this afternoon, someone decided to KEY THE DOOR of the 1950 Chevy Fleetline Delux that i personally built/restored for my father and gave to him on his 60th birthday. It is the replica of his first car, and has been a pride within the family for over 18 years now. I can never match the paint again, and now have to repaint the entire car. Thank You. You just cost me months worth of grief, sweat and labor... not to mention money.
To whoever did this.... YOU ARE ONE SICK INDIVIDUAL. Please pray that I never find you. I just may do something I know I will regret. The Library is currently pulling up video footage for MNPD.... there WILL be more to this story.....

On June 16th Robert wrote about the car in a Father's Day tribute in an article published in The Tennessean in which several prominent Nashvilliams paid tribute to their fathers:

My father believed that there are only three things a man needs to do in life to succeed: Don’t lie, don’t cheat and don’t steal. He instilled in me if I did my homework, worked harder than those around me, and believed in myself, anything in the world was possible. He also taught me how to build a car.

When my dad turned 60, my family decided that he deserved a present he would never forget. My mother’s eyes teared up talking about his first car, the 1950 Chevy Fleetline that he cherished. He bought it worn out, rebuilt it, painted it his high school colors, courted and married my mother in it.

I found an unrestored, low-mileage, rust-free ‘50 Chevy in New Mexico and drove it back to Nashville. After hundreds of long hours on my part, the car was now completely restored, identical to my father’s original love. When I pulled into my parents’ driveway that August afternoon, surrounded by 200 people there to celebrate my father, he stopped in his tracks and almost fell over.

When I handed him the keys, he cried, I cried, my mother cried, everybody cried! It was one of those moments in life when I could say a real, tangible thanks to the man who raised me to believe that anything in the world was possible.

Twenty years later, my mother and father still regularly drive the Chevy. I love them both. Happy Father’s Day, Pop!

Regina and Robert Swope

Damage to this beloved car is a despicable act.  I hope whoever committed this criminal act is brought to justice.

Robert is facing a serious challenge in his race in District 4. While political parties usually stay out of the non-partisan council races, the Davidson County Democratic Party has targeted Robert for defeat and contributed money to his opponent and local Democrats are working for Robert's opponent.  Robert also, for some unknown reason, has incurred the wraft of a wealthy individual who has poured thousands of dollars into the campaign of Roberts opponent. That man is Emmit Jackson Martin. He contributed in his own name $1600, the maximum an individual can contribute, to Roberts opponent. He owns two pedal tavern companies and a company that provides river rides to tourist. In the name of these three companies he also made maximum contributions to Robert's opponents. Almost half of the money Robert's opponent has raised came from these two sources, The Democratic Party and Emmit Martin. Robert has not been on a campaign to ban pedal taverns and told me he does not know Mr. Martin nor his motivation for trying to defeat him.

Robert has also had a disadvantage this campaign season, in that he is on crutches and cannot campaign door to door.  A few months ago he was hit with a rare life-threatening infection that resulted in operations on his leg and weeks of rehabilitation.  For months he could not drive himself and his wife Regina had to chauffeur him everywhere he went. While he has recovered for the most part, he still has to use crutches.  As you can well imagine, this has hampered his ability to aggressively campaign.

With the election, this coming Thursday, time is short to impact the outcome.  However, last minute door-to-door, phone banking and election day poll workers can tip the balance in a tight race. To reach out to Robert and see it there is any help you could give him, contact him at Swope for Nashville.

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Vote for Courtney Johnston for Council in District 26

In my post yesterday of endorsement of candidates running for mayor and metro council in the August 1st election, I failed to post an endorsement of Courtney Johnson. This was unintended. I fully support her candidacy.  The elections commission did not have her financial report uploaded at the time I was analyzing council races. That contributed to my failure to list her as someone I an supporting. I have contributed to her campaign and wish her the best.

Vote for Courtney Johnston for Council in District 26

To visit her website, follow this link.

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Update regarding Sherry Jones - Lydia Hubbell race in District 30

by Rod Williams - In a recent post, (Who has the $ in Council races, districts 21-35. Lydia Hubbell has a good chance to win. Local Dems target Council member Angie Henderson for defeat.) I reported that Sherry Jones who is running for Council in district 30 had not filed a campaign finance report.  I was surprised. I speculated that she apparently was hoping to win a seat based solely on accumulated name recognition and was not putting effort into the race. Due to that assumption, I concluded Lydia Hubbell had a very good chance to win that seat.

I called Lydia Hubbell who is seeking election in District 30 to ask her if Sherry Jones was campaigning. She told me there were some Sherry Jones yard signs and that she knew Jones had done at least one post card mailing.  I then called the Election Commission to ask about Jone's status and spoke to an election commission official.  Jones had filed a report but it had not uploaded due to a computer error.

Here is a summary of Sherry  Jones second quarter campaign finance report.:
$4650 raised, $4,650 on hand. Contributors include:
Nashville Building and Construction Trades Council, $1600
Nashville Fire Fighters, $1,000
Friends of Police, $1,000

To recap the status of the other candidates campaign finances:

Reuben Ford: He failed to file his second quarter report on time but did file it.  $579 raised this period, $21 on hand.  

Lydia Hubbell: She is the only candidate in this race to file a second quarter report and file it on time. $1,204 raised this period, $193 on hand. Contributors include Ed Smith a conservative political activist, $388; Rod Williams (that's me) $102;

Sandra Sepulveda: She did not file a second quarter report. Why, I don't know.  She was required to file. This is the summary of her First Quarter report: $4,119 raised this period, The candidates treasurer apparently can't follow instructions and do basic math. The line for "balance on hand" is blank. Calculating if for myself it looks like the candidate had $1,768 on hand at the end of the first quarter. There is supposed to be a $25 fine for each day the candidate is late filing a report.

Unaware that Jones had in fact been raising and spending money, I wrote:

Comment: Sherry Jones, who is a former metro council member (1987 to 1995) and former member of the State Legislature who served 24 years in that post, will also have her name on the ballot. She has not appointed a treasurer and she has not filed a financial report. Maybe she thinks that by just putting her name on the ballot she can win on the strength of name recognition.  She ran and failed in a bid to become Juvenile Court Clerk in 2017. During that campaign it was revealed by The Tennessean that she violated State law by using State funds to promote her candidacy for Juvenile Court. She was notorious as a member of the Council and State legislator for several reasons, one of which was that she was the top spender of per diem. That is money to be paid to travel to Nashville to serve. This is what the Beacon Center wrote about her in their 2008 Pork Report: "Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville), lives only seven miles away, yet Jones had the audacity to claim $22,216 in per diem allowance last year." That was only for one year or her 24 years of service!

Comment: I am supporting Lydia Hubbell in the race.  She is a conservative, honest, and a caring  person. I think she would make a good council member.  While her money raised totals are modest, since this report she has received a couple good contributions.  She needs help. If you can contribute to her campaign please to do.  Given that the person who I thought would be the strongest candidate is not raising or spending money and that her other two opponents can't even file a campaign financial report on time, Lydia may be the strongest candidate; I know she is the best.  See, Lydia for Council District 30.

With this more accurate picture of this race, my evaluation has changed. A more realistic evaluation is that Sherry Jones is likely to win this race unless something happens. That would be a shame. It is not inevitable she win, however. There is still time to impact this race. If some activist with time and money would do a last minuet uncoordinated mailing exposing Sherry Jones' record, that could turn the tide.  If just a few individuals with money would each donate $1,600 and some politically savvy advisor would help Lydia wisely spend it, that could turn the tide. If you want to help, reach out to Lydia. Her contract information is on her website.

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1st Tuesday speaker is Sen. Marsha Blackburn, August 6th.

From Tim Skow:

1ST TUESDAY Members, Friends and Guests

Tons of TV ads are now touting candidates for Mayor of Nashville. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Even more faces are about to pop up on your TV who are running for Vice Mayor and Council-At-Large as early voting expands next week to multiple sites around Nashville

To borrow a phrase from the legendary UT Vols football announcer .... ''Its Politics Time in Tennessee'' 

As you'd expect 1ST TUESDAY is right in the middle of what is going on !!  

ON AUGUST 6th, our long time friend and new US Senator, Marsha Blackburn returns to 1ST TUESDAY !! 

----------------- NEWS to help our local candidates ----------

For the last several years that 1ST TUESDAY has made our Members a special offer to encourage them to support local candidates who are known to visit 1ST TUESDAY. Last week at July's version of 1ST TUESDAY we again offered to help.

We are going to expand our tradition of helping ''Friends of 1ST TUESDAY''  to those who are on the ballot in 2019 to our August 6 version of 1ST TUESDAY as well ! 

 Here are the RULES !! 

IF....

 you SEND to our mailbox a check for $50[or more] made to at least 1 [or more] of the candidates appearing on the list below, 

THEN .... 

you will be welcome to come in August ...or any of the following 1ST TUESDAY events advertised in 2019, 

[including the January, 2020 event] as our GUEST !!

[NO DOUBT, some will ask ... and the answer is.....

NO ....... PRIOR contributions to ANY candidates listed below do NOT qualify ... ] 

Mail your check(s) for the candidate(s) of your choice to my attention at :

Tim Skow

Box 1233

Brentwood, TN 

[feel free to call me if you have questions or care to cross paths...the SOONER the better for our candidates to get checks to them]

Then make your plans to:

1] VOTE early ... polls for early voting around Nashville open at 7am on July 19th.

2] Join us on August 6th when Marsha joins us for the 1st time as  ''SENATOR BLACKBURN''

3] And then ..... click on the link below for tickets, round up your family and friends and join 100s of friends for State Senator JACK JOHNSON and his Special Guests for his annual BOOTS & JEANS & BBQ event !

See you soon !!

Tim Skow

Host of 1ST TUESDAY

CANDIDATES on the August ballot for contributions include:

Jody Ball

Thom Druffel

State Executive Committee Member Michelle Foreman

Councilman Steve Glover

Councilman Johnathan Hall

Lydia Hubble

Courtney Johnston [ a 1ST TUESDAY Sponsor ]

Bob Nash 

Councilman Russ Pulley

Geric Smith

Carol Swain

Councilman Robert Swope [ a 1ST TUESDAY Sponsor ]

Councilwoman Sheri Weiner 

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Boots & Jeans and BBQ & Beans .....

 ..and good country music and fellowship with fellow conservatives and supporting one of the best members of the State legislature.




Have you gotten your ticket to the 13^th Annual Boots & Jeans, BBQ & Beans Event, yet?

We are going to have a great time on Friday, August 9th at 6:00pm. We'll be at The Factory At Franklin with live music 🎶, Martin's BBQ 🐷and very special guest, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio!

Tickets are going fast, so don't forget to click below and snag yours today!

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Who has the $ in Council races, districts 21-35. Lydia Hubbell has a good chance to win. Local Dems target Council member Angie Henderson for defeat.

by Rod Williams- This is part 3, the final installment of my report on how the candidates for Metro Council are stacking up in the fund raising effort for the August 1 election. 

For part 1, follow this link: Which candidates have the money in the council district races, District 1-10. 

For Part 2 see, Who is leading in the $ race in Council districts 11-20. Ultra liberal Ginny Welsch leads Tony Tenpenny with help of outside liberal PAC $. Unopposed Freddie O'Connell has $100K!

For a report on the fund raising effort of the candidates for at-large see,  Adam Dread, Burkley Allen, Sheri Weiner, Suara Sultat, and Bob Mendes lead in $ raised in Q2. They also have most "on-hand." 

For a report on the mayor's race see, John Cooper raised the most money in the Second Quarter. Briley has the most "on-hand" for the final stretch.

My summary of who is contributing to which candidate is based on a quick review of campaign finance reports. I might have missed something significant. Also, while I know who some of the movers and shakers and moneyed big shot interest are in Davidson County, I don't know them all. You may make connections that I missed. If you would like to view campaign finance reports for yourself follow this link. 

District 21: I don't know much about the candidates except the incumbent and don't have a preferred candidate in this race. I am skipping reviewing the campaign financial reports of candidates running in this district for now. These are the candidates:
Denise Bentley
Ted Chapin
Melissa Covington  
Brandon Taylor

District 22: I do not have a preferred candidate in this race and have not heard a lot about this contest so I am skipping it for now. I may revisit it and update if time allows. A quick look shows that Gloria Hausser is better funded than her opponents.
Art Alllen
Gloria Hausser
Todd Sneed  

District 23
Thom Druffel: $18,080 raised this quarter. $5,259 on hand. Contributors include:
Rod Williams, (that's me) $250.
A Better Nashville PAC, $4,000
George Armistead, $200
Waller Lansden PAC, $1,000
HG Hill Realty PAC, $500
Contribution from the candidate to his campaign $1,500

Mina Johnson: $21,700 raised this period. $17,699 on hand. $10,000 loan outstanding. Contributors include: Former mayor Bill Purcell, $150
Nashville fire fighters union, $1,000
HG Hill Realty PAC, $250
Friends of the Police, $1,000
Amazon, $1,000
Women for Tennessee's  Future, $250

Comment: I am supporting Thom Druffell. See, Thom Druffel for Metro Council. 

District 24: Kathleen Murphy is running for reelection unopposed. She has $26,486 on hand. Contributors include the police union, $500, SEIU, $500, fire fighters union $500.

District 25: Russ Puley is runnng for reelection unopposed. He has $37,897 on hand. Contributors include Waller Lansden PAC, $250; IBEW (electrical workers union $500; A Better Nashville, $2,000, Amazon $1,000.

District 26
Chip Cruze: $9,665 raised this quarter. $5,034 on hand. Loan outstanding $5,000. Contributors are all modest contributions from individuals. No PAC money.

Jeremy Elrod (the incumbent councilman): $11,675 raised this quarter, $21,636 on hand. Contributors include:
Ready for Freddie Committee, $250
Steve and Francis Underwood, management of the Titans, $250
Nashville Business Coalition.$500
Nashville Fire Fighters local 140, $1000
Friends of the Police, $1000
Amazon, $2,000
A Better Nashville PAC, $5,000 

Courtney Johnston: $7,732 raised this quarter, $5,148 on hand. Lee Beaman contributed $1,000, Dr. Ming Wang, $500. No PAC money or other prominent public figures. 


District 27: Robert Nash is the only candidate seeking this open seat. $3,520 raised this quarter. $6,576 on hand, No loans. Contributors include, A Better Nashville PAC, $2,500; Fire fighters union, $500; Jason Powell, $500.

District 28
Ratnakar Dwived: $2,038 raised this period, $1,514 on hand. Contributors include $1,150 the candidate contributed to her own campaign.

Tanaka Vercher (the incumbent council member) $1,250 raised this period. $8,632 on hand. Contributors include:
Stones River Group PAC, $250
Nashville Fire Fighters PAC, $1,000

District 29
Delishia Porterfield: She is the incumbent who has only been in office a few months and then had to turn around and run again. $4,200 raised this quarter, $1,490 on hand. Contributors:
SEIU $500 
Fire fighters union, $1000
MNEA (teachers union)$1000
FOP (police union) $1000
Reddie for Freddie Committee, $500

Constance Smith-Burwell: $0 raised this quarter, $1,975 on hand. 


Vicky Tatary: No money raised and no cash on hand and no money spent. I would say this makes this person not a serious candidate.

District 30
Reuben Ford: He failed to file his second quarter report on time but did file it.  $579 raised this period, $21 on hand.  

Lydia Hubbell: She is the only candidate in this race to file a second quarter report and file it on time. $1,204 raised this period, $193 on hand. Contributors include Ed Smith a conservative political activist, $388; Rod Williams (that's me) $102;

Sandra Sepulveda: She did not file a second quarter report. Why, I don't know.  She was required to file. This is the summary of her First Quarter report: $4119 raised this period, The candidates treasurer apparently can't follow instructions and do basic math. The line for "balance on hand" is blank. Calculating if for myself it looks like the candidate had $1,768 on hand at the end of the first quarter. There is supposed to be a $25 fine for each day the candidate is late filing a report.

Comment: Sherry Jones, who is a former metro council member (1987 to 1995) and former member of the State Legislature who served 24 years in that post, will also have her name on the ballot. She has not appointed a treasurer and she has not filed a financial report. Maybe she thinks that by just putting her name on the ballot she can win on the strength of name recognition.  She ran and failed in a bid to become Juvenile Court Clerk in 2017. During that campaign it was revealed by The Tennessean that she violated State law by using State funds to promote her candidacy for Juvenile Court. She was notorious as a member of the Council and State legislator for several reasons, one of which was that she was the top spender of per diem. That is money to be paid to travel to Nashville to serve. This is what the Beacon Center wrote about her in their 2008 Pork Report: "Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville), lives only seven miles away, yet Jones had the audacity to claim $22,216 in per diem allowance last year." That was only for one year or her 24 years of service!


Comment: I am supporting Lydia Hubbell in the race.  She is a conservative, honest and a caring  person. I think she would make a good council member.  While her money raised totals are modest, since this report she has received a couple good contributions.  She needs help. If you can contribute to her campaign please to do.  Given that the person who I thought would be the strongest candidate is not raising or spending money and that her other two opponents can't even file a campaign financial report on time, Lydia may be the strongest candidate; I know she is the best.  See, Lydia for Council District 30. 

District 31: John Rutherford is the only candidate running in this open seat. He raised $4,725 this reporting period and has $4,563 on hand. Contributors include $1,500 from the candidate to his campaign; $500 from SEIU, and $500 from the fire fighters.

Comment: It is very rare than an open seat is won by a candidate with no opposition. We have two such seats being won that way this time. It is a shame more people are not willing to serve.

District 32
Cheryl Mayes:$12,552 raised. $1,291 on hand. $4,800 outstanding loans. Contributors include Judge Lydia Jones, $100; A Better Nashville PAC, $7,500! SEIU, $500.

Joyce Neal: No second quarter report filed. Her previous report showed no money raised or spent.

District 33
Martez Coleman: $1,5879 raised. $1,059 on hand. Contributors include John Kincaid $500; Sam Coleman, $200; Roy Dale (former councilman, engineer), $1,000; Tom White, $500; candidate's contributions to his own campaign $4,750.

Antionette Lee: She is the incumbent. $5,333 raised this quarter. $10,228 on hand. Contributors include Amazon, $1,000
Sam Coleman $150;
Williams Hotstettler, $500
SEIU, $500

District 34
Terry Jo Bichell: $30,587 raised this quarter. $37,625 on hand. Loans outstanding, $10,000.Contributors include:
Waller Lansden PAC, $1,000
Rock Springs Strategies, $250
A Better Nashville PAC, $7,500
Nashville Business Coalition, $500
Davidson County Democratic Party, $500
Women for Tennessee's Future, $250

Angie Henderson: She is the incumbent. $32,099 raised this quarter. $27,020 on hand. Contributors include:
Nashville fire fighter, $1,000
Ira Work, $500
Ed Smith, $1,500

Comment: I follow the council closely and Angie Henderson is one of the better members of the Metro Council. She votes the right way. She opposed raising taxes and she has supported the fairground. She understands metro finances and ask smart probing questions in deliberation of legislation. She is however a Democrat, or at least I assume she is as I have never seen her identified as a Republican. She must have made someone really mad, however. It is rare that the local Democrat Party gets involved in the non-partisan council elections but it has contributed to her opponent. They also contributed to the opponent of Councilman Robert Swope but Swope is a Republican and headed Trump's statewide campaign, so it is easier to understand local Dems targeting Swope for defeat than it is Angie Henderson.

If you look at Bichell's campaign report she not only has the support of the Davidson County Democrat Party, but also the very liberal group Women For Tennessee's future. She is also being supported by A Better Nashville PAC. Two of the major funders of this PAC are the people behind the effort to away the fairgrounds for the benefit of a private developer and the Amazon company that got a bid subsidy from the city. The folks aligned against her are not good people. I am not sure at this point, how much more money would help her campaign. It appears both candidates have more than enough to compete in a district Council race. However, I have sent her a modest campaign contribution to show my support. To contribute to her campaign, follow this link: Angie Henderson, Metro Council District 34.

District 35
Michelle Foreman. $7,478 raised this quarter, $6,508 on hand. Contributors include:
Carol Swain, $250
Rod Williams (that's me) $125
Lee Beaman (Beaman automotive, supporter of conservative causes), $1,600
Steve Glover, $150

Dave Rosenberg, (the incumbent): $10,629 raised this quarter; $25,652 on hand. Contributors include:
Nashville Fire Fighters union, $1000
Ready for Freddie Committee, $500
Amazon, $1000
Friends of the Police, $1,000

Comment: I am supporting Michelle Foreman. With Rosenberg having a lot more on-hand, some last minute contributions could help Foreman have money to compete in the final stretch of the campaign. To contribute to her campaign see Foreman for Bellevue.

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A Better Nashville has spent more than $48,000 on the city's Aug. 1 election, donating to 11 Metro Council campaigns

Below are excerpts from The Nashville Business Journal's, Filings: Here's who joined John Ingram to back new political action committee.

A Better Nashville has spent more than $48,000 on the city's Aug. 1 election, donating to 11 Metro Council campaigns throughout Nashville. Those campaigns include:

• DeCosta Hastings (District 2): $5,000
• Jennifer Gamble (District 3): $7,500
• Nancy VanReece (District 8): $2,000
• Colby Sledge (District 17): $2,500
• John Green (District 18): $3,000
• Thom Druffel (District 23): $4,000
• Russ Pulley (District 25): $2,000
• Jeremy Elrod (District 26): $5,000
• Robert Nash (District 27): $2,500
• Cheryl Mayes (District 32): $7,500
• Terry Bo Bichell (District 34): $7,500

A Better Nashville also spent an additional $11,700 on digital advertisements for Green and Gamble, ....

If you look at the above list some of these people are running unopposed such as Colby Sledge and Robert Nash.. Besides Ingram others participating in the A Better Nashville PAC include Pinnacle Financial Partners and Amazon.com Inc. Ingram is lead owner of the new soccer team that got a sweetheart deal to take over part of the fairgrounds property for a soccer stadium and for private development.  Amazon in addition to being part of this PAC has donated quite a lot of money to candidates directly.

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Williamson GOP Annual Summer BBQ,Sat. Aug.3rd 5-8PM

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Who is leading in the $ race in Council districts 11-20. Ultra liberal Ginny Welsch leads Tony Tenpenny with help of outside liberal PAC $. Unopposed Freddie O'Connell has $100K!

This is part 2 of my report on how the candidates for Metro Council are stacking up in the fund raising effort for the August 1 election. For part 1, follow this link: Which candidates have the money in the council district races, District 1-10. 

For a report on the fund raising effort of the candidates for at-large see,  Adam Dread, Burkley Allen, Sheri Weiner, Suara Sultat, and Bob Mendes lead in $ raised in Q2. They also have most "on-hand." 

For a report on the mayor's race see, John Cooper raised the most money in the Second Quarter. Briley has the most "on-hand" for the final stretch.

If you would like to view campaign finance reports for yourself follow this link.

District 11: No reports filed. Larry Hager is the incumbent and has no challenger.

District 12
Erin Evan: $4493 raised this quarter. $11,354 on hand. Contributors include Phil Ponder, former Council member and artist, $250;
Code Blue PAC, (California based liberal organization) $1,000
Nashville Business Coalition, $500;

Geric Smith: $5,313 raised this quarter, $1,884 on hand. Contributors include Rod Williams (that's me) $125:
Robert Duval (former council member and chair of Davidson County Republican Party) $100;
Homebuilders PAC, $250
David Fox, former mayoral candidate, $250

He got no major contributions, mostly small amounts from individuals.

District 13, 
Russ Bradford $6799 raised this quarter; $6260 on hand. Contributors include the fire fighters union  $1000;
SEIU, $500;
Code Blue PAC $200;
Friends of Police, $1000:
Tennessee Labor PAC

Andrew Dixon
$5,000 raised, has $973 on hand. $4,000 was a contribution to his own campaign

Dan Meridith:
$1653 raised this quarter and  has 1630 on hand. Contributors include Ed Smith, conservative activist, $971. Dan Meridith is the candidate I am supporting in this race.

District 14: Keven Rhoten is running  for reelection unopposed.  He did not appoint a treasure. No report required.

District 15: Jeff Syracuse is running unopposed. Despite this, he received a campaign contribution of $500 for Code Blue Pac.

District 16
Paul King: $5,649 raised the quarter, $3,970 on hand. No contributors of significance. No big PAC money.

Tony Tenpenny: $9,450 raised this quarter, $6,886 on hand.
Contributors include Friends of the Police, $1.000;
Lisa Dale, self employed, the wife of Roy Dale, $1,000
Nashville firefighters, $1,000
Roy Dale (former councilman, engineer) $1,000

Ginny Welsch: $10,920 raised the quarter, $11,804 on hand.
Contributors include SEIU, $1000;
LiUNA (Laborers’ International Union of North America) $1,000
WTF (Women for Tennessee's Future) $250

Comment: I am supporting Tony Tenpenny in this race. Ginny Welsch is a far left activist of many years in Nashville.  If elected, she will be the most liberal person to ever serve in the Metro Council. To see who is supporting her, visit her webpage and look at the endorsements. If you can do anything to help Tony, please do.

District 17: Colby Sledge is running for reelection unopposed. He did file a campaign finance report. He has raised $11,163. He got $2,500 from A Better Nashville PAC'

District 18. I am skipping this one for now. To see the campaign finance reports click on the links. I don't have a favorite in this race.
Tom Cash
John Green 

District 19. Freddie O'Connell is running unopposed. He has raised a whopping $36,561 and has $99,097 on hand! That is a lot of money for a district council race for an unopposed candidate. To see his list of contributors follow this link.   With that kind of money O'Connell could donate to and influence other races or have a nice reserve for future higher office.

District 20. I am skipping this one for now. I don't have a favorite in this race. The incumbent is Mary Mary Carolyn Robert. To see the reports, follow the links.
Tori Goddard
Mary Carolyn Roberts

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Which candidates have the $ in the council district races, District 1-10. Robert Swope's opponent raises more $. Dems target Swope for defeat.

Money is important to run a campaign, even a campaign for a  district council race.  With 35 council districts, districts are too small to effectively spend money on newspaper adverting or radio or TV; still, it takes money. Mailings are expensive and yard signs cost money.  Also, there are lots of miscellaneous cost. If you have people gathering to get out a mailing, or do door-to-door canvasing, you need to buy them lunch.  Tee shirts for your campaign workers enhances visibility, but they cost. Little things add up.

One good thing about having such a large council in Nashville, is that it is still possible to win a district council race without spending a lot of money. The person who is willing to work day after day and knock doors in an efficient and organized fashion can beat the person who spends four or five times as much money as he does.  You have to have some money to mount a viable campaign, but hard work can trump money once you have just enough money.

Below I am posting a summary of the campaign financial disclosure reports for the district council races. I am going to skip those that have not sparked an interest in me but I may revisit them as time allows, so look for updates. My review of list of contributors is cursory review and I may have missed something that you would fine important. Also, I do not know all of the movers and shakers in Nashville, so you may see a contributor that means something to you but means nothing to me. To view the campaign financial reports for yourself, follow this link.

District 1
Jonathan Hall: $17,382 raised this period, No money on hand. He contributed $8646 to his own campaign. None of his opponents filed a second quarter report.

District 2
Decosta Hastings: $13,075 raised this quarter, $183 on hand. Contributors include Friends of the Police, $1,000; Amazon, $2,000; Firefighters union, $1,000; A Better Nashville PAC, $5,000; Good Government PAC (I do not know who that is.) $500;

Yolanda Hockett: raised $2921 this quarter, $1267 on hand.

Kyontze Toombs: raised $10,052 this quarter, $7,399 on hand. The Maynard Group contributed $300; Jack Cawthon of Jacks Barbecue, $250;

District 3
Jennifer Gamble: $13,582 raised this quarter, $8,081 on hand. Jack Cawthon contributed to this campaign also. Former Councilman and Judge Sam Coleman, $150;  A Better Nashville PAC contributed $7500; Friends of the Police, $1,000;

Elise Hudson; $11,620 raised this quarter, $12,494 on hand. Contributors: IAFF Local 140 (fire fighter union) $1000;

District 4
Mike Cortese: $18,090 raised this quarter, $12,841 on hand. SEIU,$500; Davidson County Democratic Party $500; Sprocket Tours LLC, $1,600; Nashville Pedal Tavern, $1,600, Nashville Toons, LLC, $1,600.

Robert Swope: $15,105 raised this quarter, $15,174 on hand. Contributors include $1,000 from the fire fighter union; Friends of the Police, $1,000; Roy Dale, $500.

Comment: Robert is one of the most conservative members of the council. Most of his contributions have been from small donors. The liberal establishment would like to see him defeated. It is rare that the Democratic Party donates money in a non-partisan council race but Robert has a target on his back. It would be a shame if he lost this election. There are only a few days left in the campaign but some last minute contributions could make the difference. I just made a donation to his campaign. To donate see Swope for Nashville.

District 5
Charles Flower: $7844 raised the quarter, $2139 on hand. Contributors include former Councilman Vernon Winfrey, $200, Jack Cawthon of Jack's Barbecue, $500; Nashville fire fighters union, $1,000,

Pam Murray: no money raised, $966 spend, no money on hand.

Comment: This is good news. Murray is a former council member who was controversial. I did not want to see her reelected. I don't know Flower  or Parker but would rather see someone else take this seat and Murray.

Sean Parker: $8404 raised this quarter, $11,377 on hand.  Sprocket Rocket contributed $1,600; Tennessee Labor PAC, $1,000.

District 6 has no candidate financial reports filed. The only candidate is incumbent Bret Withers.  

District 7
Emily Benedict: $18,327 raised, $4747 on hand. 

Client Camp: $4887 raised this quarter, $1082 on hand

Daniel Fitzpatrick: $11,674 raised, $12,865 on hand. He loaned his campaign $2000. Sproket Tours gave him $1600; Nashville Toons, $1600; Emit Jackson Martin employed by Sprocket Tours gave $1600; Rob Rafferty of the Charles Kock Institute gave $250; Nashville Pedal Taverns, LLC, gave $1600;

Stephanie Johnson: only $141 raised, no money on hand.

Randy Reed: only $40 raised, no money on hand.

Cole Rogers: $5415 raised, $5307 on hand,  A $1000 loan outstanding. Waller Lansden PAC gave $500.


Jacob Green and Stephen Downs failed to file reports.


Comment: For insight into this race see my post, Who are all of these people running for the Council in District 7.  Given that Stephanie Johnson is not a serious candidate as indicated by her financial report and  Client Camp seems underfunded to compete, and that someone with the Charles Kock foundation thought enough of Daniel Fitzpatrick to make a campaign contribution, and that I had already picked him as the candidate I was most likely to support in this race based on the opinion he expressed on his website, I am now supporting Daniel Fitzpatrick.  Visit his campaign website at Dan Fitzpatrick for Metro Council.

District 8 No reports filed. Nancy VanReese is the incumbent with one opponent. She nor her opponent Danny Williams filed campaign finance reports. Apparently Nancy VanReese did not file a form appointing a treasury so she is not required to file; Danny Williams should have filed and did not.

District 9: The candidates are Thomas George, Tonya Hancock and David McMurray I am skipping this district for now, but may revisit if time permits. To view the reports for yourself follow this link.

District 10
Tim Garrett: $11,670 raised this quarter, $34,983 on hand. He started the quarter with $30,091.  no outstanding loans. All of the contributors this quarter are small contributors and none from special interest.

Zach Young: $9087 raised this quarter, $18,492 on hand. SEIU contributed $500; Friends of Police $1000.

Comment: Tim Garrett is my preferred candidate in this race. I do not know his opponent but know Tim Garrett. I served with him in the Council in the 80's. After serving several terms in the Council, he went on to serve in the State legislature. He is fiscally conservative and I suspect fairly socially conservative. He is a Democrat but he may be the last sane Democrat left. He is competent, has a passion for service and is a person of integrity. He has deep roots in the Goodlettsville community and his family business is the Garrett funeral homes.

To be continued. Look for the next installment.

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