As a countywide race, an at-large Metro Council seat is considered a springboard for political hopefuls who aspire to higher office and need to build a base beyond their neighborhoods. But that doesn't deter people of limited experience but unlimited enthusiasm from taking up the challenge of municipal governance. This year's remarkably diverse crop of candidates ranges from conservative council incumbents to progressive activists, from a medieval historian and a former private detective to an open-records gadfly and an early resident of the Middle Tennessee commune The Farm. Only five can be elected from this list:
Buddy Baker: A retired fire captain who served 42 years with the Metro Fire Department and who has represented The Nations and parts of West Nashville in District 20 for two terms. Baker held on to his seat narrowly four years ago, besting Mary Carolyn Roberts (who is running again for the seat) by just 46 votes.
Jody Ball: A newcomer to politics after noticing Metro schools weren't teaching his son cursive. His focus is getting the council, mayor and school board to work together. The 55-year-old from Donelson describes himself as a "defender of the Constitution and a conservative" who worked in law enforcement in Texas, including a stint as a private investigator and author of more than a dozen books on issues of the investigative trade.
Karen Bennett: Has spent two terms representing parts of Inglewood and Madison in District 8. Bennett is one of a small group of conservatives on the council. She's made headlines this year by sponsoring one bill aimed at blocking a swingers club from moving to Madison and another banning the chaining of dogs. Despite running for a countywide seat, Bennett's campaign includes focus on continued revitalization and development in the Madison area.
Al Carota: A retired military veteran from Antioch looking for his next tour of public service. A fan of term limits and a critic of the culture of career politicians, he believes in the romantic notion of citizen representatives. Says he's running because he loves Nashville and wants to focus on public safety and public responsibility. He ran for the same seat unsuccessfully in 2003 and adds he plays well with others.
Erin Coleman: Has a long résumé that includes Army veteran, civil engineer, and attorney. Coleman is currently the CEO of a project management firm and previously worked as a lawyer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, she serves on the board at the Gordon Jewish Community Center, among other organizations.
John Cooper: The younger brother of Congressman Jim Cooper, with a background in real estate investment and development. Cooper says one of his main priorities would be protecting the process by which citizens can be involved in government decision-making. He cites his private-sector business experience amid a field thick with former council members.
Elizabeth Dachowski: A medieval historian and Green Party activist making her first foray into city politics. This 53-year-old Sylvan Park mom wants more — and more thoughtful — walkability and public transportation. A history, politics, geography and Africana studies professor at Tennessee State University, she's also an author, a two-time member of the TSU Faculty Senate, and former president of the American Association of University Professors. Spent the campaign riding and blogging about MTA buses.
Adam Dread: Making a comeback after serving two at-large terms in the early 2000s. Dread, of Bellevue, is a catchall lawyer and former comedian who says he's wiser now than he was back then. He ran a failed bid for General Sessions judge as a Republican in 2014 and is now running a "quasi-passive," self-funded race based on name recognition and past record. Wants to focus on water lines and mass transit.
Robert Duvall: Another of the council's conservatives, and the former chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party, who has represented the southeast corner of Davidson County in District 33 for two terms. A vocal supporter of the fairgrounds during the debate over the property four years ago, and one of the few members left who opposed the Music City Center, Duvall is also a military veteran.
Leroy Johnny Ellis: An attorney who lives in Old Hickory. Calls for comment were not returned.
Erica Gilmore: In two terms representing large parts of downtown and North Nashville in District 19, Gilmore has been at the forefront of issues like the new Nashville Sounds stadium and the Gulch pedestrian bridge — both of which she supported — and a proposed police headquarters on Jefferson Street, which she ultimately opposed citing various community concerns. She is the daughter of state Rep. Brenda Gilmore.
Ronnie E. Greer Sr.: Has served two terms on the Metro Council representing South Nashville, but this time he wants the normally ceremonial at-large officials to have more teeth and practical purpose. The 64-year-old events manager at W. O. Smith Music School says he wants to stop incentives to lure businesses here and instead funnel money to infrastructure. Rapid transit and affordable housing in the city's core are also key issues.
Frank Harrison: Has 16 years of council experience. He represented East Nashville's District 5 from 1991 to 1999 and has represented District 2 — which includes parts of Bordeaux and Whites Creek — since 2007. An Army veteran, he is current chairman of the council's Minority Caucus.
Jason Holleman: Term-limited after representing Sylvan Park in District 24, Holleman, an attorney, developed a reputation for neighborhood advocacy but also for his political ambition and several public run-ins with the Dean administration over his opposition to the Music City Center and redevelopment of the fairgrounds. He worked with the administration to bring BRT Lite to the Charlotte corridor. Briefly ran for state Senate before dropping out.
Martin Holsinger: This northwest Nashvillian was in a class of college students who left San Francisco in the '70s to live on The Farm, a commune outside Summertown, Tenn. Since then, he's worked in mental health and the health food industry. He overcame health issues without insurance before his "uninsurable" house burnt town and has been camping out on his land ever since while trying to rebuild his home.
Phillip Hostettler: Back for more after first running for at-large in 2007. Hostettler's motivation comes from having fought and then worked with the city over Joelton zoning issues since then. Now his goal is to see the council work more like a representative of the people and less like a corporate board of directors. He holds a degree in aerospace technology and now buys and sells fuel internationally.
Walter Hunt: Two terms representing large parts of Whites Creek in District 3. Hunt is a military veteran, a former congressional assistant to U.S. Rep. Bill Boner, and a member (and former chairman) of the council's Minority Caucus. Sponsored the bill creating the Contextual Overlay District, a zoning tool that allows residents to place restrictions on development in their neighborhood, on a block-by-block basis.
Sharon W. Hurt: Well known for her work in the North Nashville community. Hurt is the 17-years-and-running president and CEO of JUMP, the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership nonprofit community organization, which balances the area's culture and revitalization. She wants to focus on poverty and sees the solution as not only teaching a man how to fish, but also giving him a fishing pole.
Ken Jakes: Perhaps best known for multiple campaigns (for district and at-large seats) and many campaign signs, Jakes is a conservative familiar to Metro departments for his voluminous open records requests. An active opponent of The Amp and the effort to redevelop the fairgrounds.
James Keeton: With a focus on government transparency, this 2011 mayoral candidate is making a run for at-large. The 58-year-old Antioch resident says the Metro Council should be an equal branch of government instead of a rubber stamp for the mayor's office and wants at-large council members to focus on countywide issues and trends. Most recently worked in telecommunications after bouts in banking and home schooling.
John Lasiter: Nashville's first openly gay Metro Council at-large candidate launched his campaign more than two years ago. The 34-year-old lives in the Whitland neighborhood and founded Nashville 2 Earth, a nonprofit raising money for people wanting to help an orphanage in Kenya. He says Metro is "almost criminally underfunded" in social services and needs dedicated funding.
Don Majors: Served as a district member in the late '90s, representing the Maplewood area. He spent the past 12 years as an aide to Congressman Jim Cooper, working in constituent services. He says concern about the city's financial trajectory is one of the reasons he decided to try for a return to the council.
Lonnell Matthews Jr.: Two terms representing parts of Bordeaux and Joelton in District 1. Matthews became the youngest African-American ever elected to the council in 2007. Since then, he has chaired both the education and the budget committees. Matthews led the push for the workforce development and diversity program that passed the council in 2013 and was a vocal supporter of domestic partner benefits.
Bob Mendes: A lawyer who helped negotiate the deal to save the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and now wants to bring his law and business experience to the council. Past stints in leadership include four years on the Electric Power Board (one of those years as chair) and president of the Nashville Bar Association in 2011. His goal is to balance planning for growth while respecting the wishes of neighborhood residents.
Sandra Moore: Two-term representative of District 17, which includes parts of 12South and the fairgrounds area. Moore was right in the middle of the fairgrounds fight of 2010 and 2011, and sponsored a failed amendment that would have ended racing at the Metro-owned property. Moore works as an in-home health care specialist.
Jim Shulman: Two-term district councilman until 2007. Served tours in state government as an assistant commissioner in Tennessee Department of Health and as former chief of staff for then-Democratic power baron House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh.
2015 Voter Guide:
• Your 2015 voter guide from the mayor’s race to council, from term limits to local hires
• Ten exciting Metro Council contests to watch closely on election night by Steven Hale
• A diverse group of council insiders, first-timers, Army vets and at least one medieval historian vies for Davidson County's at-large seats by Steven Hale and Andrea Zelinski
• Don't skip these additional matters — Council size and term limits, local hiring, vice mayor — once you've voted in the top races by Steven Hale and Abby White
