County Primary Update
Good afternoon, everyone. A look at Nashville's decisive May 5 primary races... East Bank Authority to pour surplus tourism tax money into infrastructure... Anti-racing group quickly files amended referendum... And much more!
Early Voting You can vote early for Davidson County’s May 5 Primary Elections until April 30. Find the early voting schedule and sample ballot here.
The Undoing of the West Join us May 21st for a discussion with Vauban Books and writer Nathan Pinkoski for a discussion about French writer Jean Raspail's novel The Camp of Saints. (Buy Ticket)
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Winner takes all: a look at May 5th's primary ballot.
From Megan Podsiedlik
There are only two more days left to vote early in Davidson County’s May 5 primary elections. Many of the races are uncontested and there are no Republicans on the ballot. As with previous local elections in Nashville, the results will largely reflect the preferences of voters who pull a Democratic primary ballot.
So far, a little over 13,000 people have participated in early voting. That’s 3.27 percent of active voters in Nashville. There are six competitive races on the ticket: two Division III Circuit Court judgeships, a Division VI General Sessions judgeship, Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, and the school board races in Districts 4 and 6.
Given the current state and history of Metro Nashville Public Schools, the school board races have the potential to shake things up. Newly elected members will be stepping into a challenging environment marked by scrutiny over a ballooning budget, state concerns over low performance, questions surrounding a no-bid contract MNPS gave to a politically connected consulting firm, and ongoing turmoil over school safety sparked by last year’s tragic shooting at Antioch High School.
District 4 Berthena Nabaa-McKinney, who currently serves as the board’s vice chair, is seeking re-election in District 4. Jennifer Bell, a former teacher, is challenging the incumbent.
While Nabaa-McKinney has leaned on her experience as a board member, Bell is hoping voters will giver her a chance to advocate for more transparency between the board and the public. It’s worth noting that TN state Representative Aftyn Behn endorsed Nabaa-McKinney.
District 6 Cheryl Mayes is seeking re-election in District 6 against former opponent (and former board member) Fran Bush and former MNPS bus driver Mary Polk. Bush, who is once again running as a Democrat after running as an independent in 2022's District 6 race, has a history of questioning the status quo.
As a board member in 2020, Bush pushed back against extended lockdowns, which earned her condemnation from one of the largest teachers unions in the state. Last year, Bush added to her reputation as a public advocate when she called out MNPS’ resistance to metal detectors in the wake of Antioch's school shooting.
“The schools are an open door to gun violence, people getting hurt, and this is not going to be the last time, unfortunately,” Bush told WSMV after explaining that, as a board member, she repeatedly advocated for the installation of metal detectors to no avail. “It breaks my heart to say it, but it’s not going to be until Dr. Battle and the board start to do something about it, then we’re going to funeralize more kids.”
Watch NOAH’s School Board Candidate Forum here, and take a look at the rest of the ballot here.
Early voting for Davidson County’s May 5 primary elections will end on April 30. Find the early voting schedule and sample ballot here.
What Horrors We Wrought In 1973, French writer Jean Raspail published one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. His novel, The Camp of Saints, has been consistently censored throughout its history.
Vauban Books recently published a new translation of the French story, accompanied by a lucid introduction by writer Nathan Pinkoski. Join us as we discuss the legacy of this controversial novel and what it says about the West.
This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.
HEADLINES
- 💰 How the East Bank authority plans to spend $300 million of tourism dollars. The surplus tourism tax money originally tied to the Music City Center is being redirected to fund East Bank infrastructure, with about $200 million going to major public improvements like roads and utilities. (NBJ)
- 🏎 Anti-racing group moves quickly to file amended Nashville racetrack referendum petition. Less than a full business day after a judge rejected the Charter Revision Commission’s approval of the petition, supporters of the measure refiled the proposal after correcting technical issues identified by the court. (Banner)
- 🏟 State of Metro set for Wednesday. Mayor Freddie O’Connell will deliver the 63rd annual State of Metro Address in Nissan Stadium at 10 a.m. (Metro)
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)
DEVELOPMENT
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Chameleons @ The Basement East, 8p, $45.07, Info
🪩 Vinyl Cocktail Vibe @ The Eighth Room, 5p, Info
🎸 Twang Tuesday @ Acme Feed and Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $10, Info
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.