After Delishia Porterfield announced she would be leaving her District 29 Metro Council seat after one term to run for an at-large seat, four candidates rushed to fill her spot. Tasha Ellis, John Reed, Jama Mohamed and Michele Vetter are all vying for the open seat in a district in the southeastern part of the county. Running from Murfreesboro Pike to Percy Priest Lake, District 29 includes the Nashboro Village Golf Course and the Anderson Road Public Use area.
Porterfield tells the Scene she is “excited about future collaborations” with the next candidate, though she hasn’t endorsed anyone. She says so far, three of the four candidates — Ellis, Mohamed and Reed — have reached out to her.
Two of the candidates, Reed and Ellis, already work in politics. Ellis worked for the Tennessee Democratic Party as well as for former U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin’s law firm, among other roles, before starting her own consulting firm. Reed also runs his own firm and says he’s worked on campaigns for Councilmembers Zach Young, Gloria Hausser and Thom Druffel, as well as Howard Gentry’s 2015 mayoral run. Both mention street racing as an issue the district faces, and both have been officially recognized as supporters of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood.
Ellis says she supports firefighters and a stronger police presence in the area to combat street racing, robbery and other crime. She also intends to focus on infrastructural issues like fixing potholes, traffic lights and sewage lines, and encouraging better maintenance of the local community center.
Reed is a member of the LGBTQ community and wants the council to “reprioritize” city attention from downtown to outlying areas. He is concerned with traffic issues in the district, and notes the broader need for transit and walkable neighborhoods throughout Nashville and surrounding counties. His website also notes his interest in defending LGBTQ and reproductive rights as well as protecting green spaces and supporting affordable housing initiatives.
Mohamed is also focused on transit. A Somali American artist and application engineer at HCA, Mohamed participated in the 2020 People’s Plaza protests in support of police reform (during which he was arrested). He says he’d like to see regional transit, the return of specific bus stops that were taken down during COVID-19, and more friendly conditions for pedestrians. He’s worked closely with the Tennessee Disability Coalition, both as an employee of Family Voices of Tennessee and through a partnership for a Metro Arts grant. He wants to see “more accessible playgrounds and amenities for people with disabilities,” along with more public art. He also mentions the need for affordable housing and suggests the city examine streamlining its technical infrastructure — a task he says he could help with.
Michele Vetter says she works as a third-party business investigator* and co-owns a subcontracting company that involves “working with codes and codes enforcement,” though she declines to disclose the name of the company. Though Vetter says Porterfield “did a really good job,” she also says she would address a “lack of strong representational leadership” if elected. This includes supporting the Metro Nashville Police Department and addressing issues that arise when folks visit the lake, such as parking problems, trespassing and littering. She suggests forming a coalition with other districts that surround Percy Priest Lake.
For whoever ends up winning the seat, Porterfield has some advice: “It’s just really important that you’re someone that is willing to work with everyone, willing to work with the community, as well as our various Metro departments.”
*In a follow-up with the Scene, Vetter clarifies that her work involves business verification, audits and property scopes. She also notes that she did not want to share the name of her company because she does not want any presumption that she's using her campaign to promote her business.
A previous version of this article noted that George Barrett was a former U.S. Attorney. This is incorrect. Jerry Martin — Barrett's partner at Johnston Martin & Garrison — was a former U.S. Attorney.
