WHY AM I RUNNING?

My life experiences are what led me to run for Council At Large for a BETTER Nashville!  Along with other important issues I want to:      

  • Fight for the underserved.

  • Push for caring prosperity.

  • Push for Affordable and Emergency Housing.

  • Help make Nashville a safer city for all.

My journey began in the small-town of Calhoun, Alabama, located in Lowndes County -- a place previously referred to as “Bloody Lowndes” because of the overt racism and violence against African Americans to maintain segregation. In spite of this, I was raised in a relatively safe environment on my grandparents’ farm, surrounded by community, until going outside of my bubble where I witnessed “Colored” water fountains. A defining moment in my life occurred after the Selma to Montgomery March, when SNCC workers stayed in the county to assist in defending, mobilizing and registering Black voters. During this period, I attended mass meetings, and witnessed the first county African American candidates, since reconstruction, risk their lives to run for office. Faith in God is also important to my journey. Whether advocating for equity of the marginalized in the corporate world or social justice and/or police accountability in Nashville through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), NOAH, the Community Oversight Now, or the NAACP. Fighting for those on the margins is in my DNA. This all compelled me to enter the 2023 race!

Also, what will become of everyday people if we maintain the status quo and continue to elect representatives that care more about self-promotion than improving the community?  As economic prosperity continues, so should the care for those on the margins. There is nothing wrong with prosperity, but it needs to be “caring prosperity.”  Far too many poor and working people lack the basic resources of shelter, food and a living wage to continue to live in Nashville.  Too many productive citizens are moving to surrounding counties just to make ends meet.

Even though I have contemplated running over the years, what I witnessed on Christmas Day 2022 convinced me that it was time to do something to make change.  Seeing hundreds of people, left with no other choice, come to the Nashville Rescue Mission on one of the coldest days of the year is one of the reasons that I am running for Council At Large.  People like them and others deserve better, in a city of enormous wealth.  If we are to improve the lives of Nashville’s underserved then we need to do a deep dive into the people that find relief at the Nashville Rescue Mission.

A ‘Safer City for All’ cannot be achieved in a vacuum.  We need to work toward creating a public safety environment that is conducive to protecting both citizens and sworn officers.  Nashville is becoming more dangerous for all of us with assault weapons on the street, relaxed open carry laws, and a lack of background checks.  We need gun reform!  We need to do something -- whether background checks, or banning assault weapons.  We applaud police officers for running into danger, as in the case of the Covenant mass murders.  But why not work on eliminating the danger in the first place.

Let’s acknowledge that policing is a challenging job, but police accountability is also important for a safer Nashville. 

We are entering year five of the operation of the Community Oversight Board and it is widely acknowledged that there have been some improvements in oversight of the police.  We have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the Community Oversight Board (COB). There have been significant policy improvements, like the soft empty hand control reporting. 

If we are to have a safer city for all, it is critical that the incoming mayor and Council lead the way in insisting that we support the Community Oversight Board.  It has been proven over time that police accountability enhances community trust and makes cities safer.     

Nashville is yet to effectively address the issue of mental health and policing. The co-response model with the combination of police and mental health professionals, was chosen instead of a community-driven model backed by seasoned advocates that centered the expertise of mental health professionals.  There needs to be more mental health funding that allows both police and social workers to do the jobs that they are trained for.  Nashville can TRUST me to help make a Better Nashville. 

 
PROPOSED PLATFORM SUMMARY

  • Focusing on Caring Prosperity

  • Improving Public Safety & Police Accountability

  • Affordable and Emergency Housing

  • Pushing for “Real” Systemic Change

  • Respecting the Voices Young People, and the General Public

  • Improving the Budget Process

  • Supporting Education and Public Schools

  • Protecting Citizens Rights

  • Support for Small and Minority Owned Businesses

  • Pushing for Environmental Justice

PROPOSED PLATFORM SUMMARY

Focusing on Caring Prosperity

There is nothing wrong with prosperity, but it needs to be caring.  Ensuring that the least of these aren’t further harmed by developers because they are only an afterthought in the negotiations. Far too many poor and working people lack the basic resources of shelter, food, and a living wage to continue to live in Nashville.  Too many productive citizens are moving to surrounding counties just to make ends meet.  This has to change!  

What I witnessed this past Christmas Day, made me more determined to do something to make change.  Seeing hundreds of people who came to the Nashville Rescue Mission on one of the coldest days of the year, because they were left with no other choice, is one of the reasons that I am running for Council At Large.  People like them and others deserve better, especially in a city of enormous wealth.  Against all odds, the Rescue Mission did a great job managing this situation.  However, I was so disappointed with the small portions of food that was served to the needy. This was probably the only meal of the day for most of them.  I said to myself, “Who is trying to help these people?” Even though I had been contemplating a run, that day solidified my decision. The city’s dealmaking on projects like the East Bank and Titan Stadium should better ensure that those on the margins are part of the upfront negotiations and not an afterthought.  I will push for a BETTER more caring Nashville!  

A Safe City for All of Nashville

A Safe City for All cannot be achieved in a vacuum.  City and State leadership need to strive to create an environment conducive to protecting its citizens, including our children.  A holistic approach will provide a fighting chance at improving public safety and at the same time could enhance the recruitment of police officers.  Protecting all means all, both citizens and sworn officers.  

Let’s acknowledge that policing is a challenging job.  The reality is that we have assault weapons on the street, relaxed open carry laws, and presently a lack of background checks.  I submit that a toxic environment makes it much more difficult to recruit police officers.  We applaud police officers for running into danger as in the case of the Covenant mass murders, but why not work on eliminating the danger in the first place.  As a council At Large Member, I will work tirelessly to educate the public of the need for systemic change in reference to sensible guns laws. 

Then there is the issue of police accountability.  We are entering year five of the operation of the Community Oversight Board, and it is widely acknowledged that there have been some improvements in oversight of the police.  We have a MOU between MNPD and the COB.  There have been significant policy improvements, like the soft empty hand control reporting. 

If we are to have a safer city for all, it is critical that the incoming mayor and Council lead the way in insisting that we support the Community Oversight Board.  The problem of community trust in the police, and police accountability, want just go away.    

Nashville is yet to effectively address the issue of mental health and policing. The co-response model with the combination of police and mental health professionals was chosen instead of a community-driven model backed by seasoned advocates that centered the expertise of mental health professionals.  Let’s create a Nashville where police are less likely to address increasing mental health issues.  The reality is that police officers don’t want to perform the functions of social workers.  So, addressing mental health helps police officers too.  I will continue to push for a Safer Better Nashville, including police accountability!

Affordable and Emergency Housing

We need to continue to support the Barnes Fund as one of the ways to address long-term affordable housing.  However, short-term emergency housing during the summer is often an afterthought, and needs to be reevaluated.  For example, what are the minimum and maximum temperatures that have to occur before Metro emergency shelters are opened?  We also, need to focus more on effective ways to measure the magnitude of the housing crisis in Nashville.  Is the current data used to guesstimate the number of people without affordable or emergency housing accurate?  I will push for Affordable and Emergency Housing in Nashville!  

Pushing for “Real” Systemic Change.  

I will push for System Change in the Nashville government!  The community needs more of a voice in the direction and operation of our city, including more involvement in the budget process, board appointments, and public safety to name a few.  Nashville is better when people from all walks of life are heard.  Stakeholders are almost always at the table, but there needs to be more of an effort to include those that are negatively affected by the decisions being made.  We need more bottom-up ideas rather than top-down directives.  As I mentioned in the June 2020 edition of The Tennessean concerning my response to the Policing Project: “Usually with a top-down management approach, a perceived problem is solved by appointing a task force stacked with a majority of members that agree with one’s position to ensure an acceptable management answer.”  Most Nashville boards and commissions significantly impact the residents of Nashville, but the people that are most often harmed by their actions are often left out of the process.  One of the best ways for civic engagement is having the opportunity to serve on boards and commissions.  As directed by our charter, currently almost all board and commission members are appointed by the mayor.  For this reason, I will sponsor legislation that would allow community organizations and/or private partitions to recommend members of boards and commission, where feasible.  I will push for a BETTER more COMMUNITY oriented Nashville!  

Respecting the Voices of Young People and the General Public 

We need a Better Nashville where public servants respect the public, including young people and senior citizens.  Ignoring the voices of young people hurts Nashville as a whole.  I will encourage and pave the way to provide more opportunities for them to serve on boards and commissions.  A little respect could go a long way.  Unfortunately, I have witnessed those without economic and/or political power being disrespected and ignored in Council Meetings.  This needs to stop!  At the 06/07/2022 Council meeting, a woman simply wanted to be heard and respected by the very City Council Members that are supposed to represent her.  On that day, she noted that many of the Council members weren’t even paying attention, as if she wasn’t even there.  She was made to feel like she was a pest.  We need people that respect and listen to all citizens of Nashville no matter where they come from.  When I am elected, the Council will have one more Member that will respect everyone and will listen attentively to all that come for public comment.  I will push for a BETTER more respectful Council in Nashville!

Improving the Budget Process

Nashville’s budget cannot continue to essentially serve as a mayor only budget.  Currently the budget process is managed by the mayor and finance director.  The budget process needs to be improved to allow for meaningful input from the general public at the beginning stages of the process rather than the end.  Yes, we now have a participatory budgeting process, but the funding amount is insignificant when compared to the overall budget.  I applaud the Council for allowing early public comments during the 2024 physical year budget cycle, but there needs to be a more constructive plan for public engagement.

The mayor has overwhelming influence in the budget process. Council can propose an alternative budget, but it must meet a higher bar or threshold to be approved. This process needs to be changed. The Council needs a greater role in this process and Nashville taxpayers need a more meaningful role in this process.  We need to do better!  I will push for a BETTER people-oriented budget process in Nashville!

Supporting Education and Public Schools

We need to adequately fund and support Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS.)  As a former seventh grade math teacher in a MNPS school, we need to get teachers more help in the classroom, and reduce class sizes.  For example, we could consider bringing back teaching assistants in the classroom, especially in inter-city schools.  When I taught, my biggest challenge was class size, along with the expectation to teach an extreme range of diverse learners.  I was expected to teach twenty-five students with various skill levels.  A few performed far below their grade level, while some were ready for advanced placement courses.   Support staff are also important to the education ecosystem working, so both teachers and the support staff need better funding. 

Support for Small and Minority Owned Businesses

We need to create a business climate were small and minority owned businesses have a high probability of succeeding.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics approximately 20 percent of small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of the second year, 30 percent of businesses will have failed.  Among other things, many of these businesses lack the necessary capital, have to deal with the enormous competition from big businesses, the lack of long-term loyalty by customers, and the overall uncertainty of the political and economic systems in our country.  Couple these factors with the typical challenges of small and minority owned business, like hiring and retaining talented people, finding customers, increasing their brand, and financial planning.   I will push for a BETTER Nashville that uplifts small and minority businesses!  

Protecting Citizens Rights

With the systematic attacks by our supermajority GOP Tennessee General Assembly on the lives of Nashville and other Democratically controlled cities, it is more important that we have someone in Nashville’s local and state legislative bodies that will stand up and push back on the infringement of our rights.  We need to do everything possible to protect the rights of voters, Black and brown people, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ + community, and workers.

Pushing for Environmental Justice

I will advocate for environmental justice impact reviews for large-scale development projects.  I will push for equity in waste disposal.  For example, I will continue to defend any expansion of the Bordeaux Landfill.  Waste disposal shouldn’t have to be shouldered on the backs of Black, brown, and the most vulnerable in our city.  Over the years Nashville waste disposal has tended to be dumped on African communities, in particular Bordeaux.