Nashvillians have an important job in the coming runoff election. We must elect the right person to lead our city. That person is Metro Councilmember Freddie O’Connell.
O’Connell’s experience on the Metro Council is one of his strongest accomplishments. He clearly knows how to best help Nashville thrive. His campaign message — “Nashville for Nashvillians” — strikes a chord, and his campaign notes that his main priorities will be “trash, transit and trust.” Not many notice when a municipal function works well, but everyone notices when it struggles: If your trash isn’t picked up, you notice pretty quickly! O’Connell also knows critical infrastructure will ease everyday traffic congestion and allow everyone access to transportation. Mass transit remains an urgent necessity — implementation costs and limited choices can’t be our excuses any longer. Nashville has desperately needed strong mass transit for decades, and O’Connell aims to finally provide Nashville with an affordable, actual mass transit system. Trash and transit are definitely needed, but the most important is O’Connell’s final plank: trust. Trust in our elected officials is key — trust that they can be counted on to do the right thing, be honest with us and represent Nashville honorably.
Recent political analysis has generated some well-reasoned points that Nashvillians should hear. The first comes from the Nashville Scene and our partnership with the Nashville Banner. Steve Cavendish’s exceptionally good piece analyzing the election shows a depth of knowledge that comes only with experience. He writes: “O’Connell had tapped into a sentiment lingering in the city for a couple of years now, that a place that once puffed out its chest as ‘It City’ had gone too far in becoming a playground for outsiders instead of focusing on the livability of its residents.” The article also thoroughly explores the backstory of the election drama and its plethora of candidates. Mayor John Cooper’s last-minute decision to refrain from running for reelection and the ensuing shenanigans of this election cycle have been covered by many political pundits, yet this piece did so with a voice full of experience that is lacking from much of Nashville’s political analysis.
The election was fraught with an especially large pool whose size cannibalized candidates, splitting key voter blocs and forcing a shotgun approach with key endorsements. Stephen Elliott’s recent piece for the Nashville Post on political endorsements reminded me that the shotgun approach fails every time. Nearly every notable leader and key endorsement group chose a different candidate. When the field of candidates is so large, the power of endorsements is worrisomely weakened. Now that so many leaders and groups backed a losing candidate, they must choose a second candidate to endorse in the runoff. Second endorsements never ring as loudly.
The differences between O’Connell’s campaign and Alice Rolli’s campaign are more stark than nearly any in Nashville’s recent history. As The Tennessean’s Cassandra Stephenson notes, O’Connell says he wants to ensure that Nashville is even more welcoming to residents than it is to visitors and big business. O’Connell wrote to supporters on election night with an early call for help: “A Nashville for Nashvillians — and the future of our city — will depend on what we do in the next six weeks. If you can make calls, and knock doors, we need you. The road ahead will be tough, but we can win.”
O’Connell has received solid endorsements, but to me the most striking comes from Rosetta Miller Perry, publisher of The Tennessee Tribune and a well-respected leader of Nashville’s Black community and Black press. Her endorsement of O’Connell notes his leadership skills and sincere support of the city’s minority communities. However, her most frank assessment is of Rolli. Here are her powerful words on O’Connell’s competitor: “This is the first time in our 33 years on Jefferson Street that a candidate for mayor has not asked to talk about issues affecting the Black community with the Black press.” Her subsequent endorsement of O’Connell speaks volumes.
I wholeheartedly support O’Connell in his bid for the office of mayor of Metro Nashville. He is dedicated to all of Nashville. He knows how the Metro government operates, and he knows how to fix what’s broken. More importantly, he knows how to not fix what isn’t broken. Community support, public education and fighting to preserve Nashville for Nashvillians — those things need expansion and support. O’Connell has promised to do just that: fight to keep Nashville for Nashvillians.
If you agree with me, cast your vote for Freddie O’Connell on Sept. 14.
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post, and The News.
