A little more than a year ago, Brett Withers, the Metro Council candidate posing a strong challenge to incumbent Councilman Peter Westerholm in East Nashville's District 6, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
Withers announced his candidacy in January 2015 and his arrest, some seven months earlier in June 2014, has not been reported. According to an affidavit, Withers was stopped in East Nashville because he was driving without his lights on. Showing the typical signs of intoxication, the affidavit says he admitted that he had been drinking. He agreed to take a Breathalyzer test and blew a .143.
In a statement to Pith, Withers recounted the arrest, noting that he had admitted his mistake at the time and expressed his "sincere regrets" for having made it. He was ultimately convicted of misdemeanor reckless driving.
"I accepted responsibility for my actions during this one isolated incident and complied with all requirements set forth by the court to resolve the issue," Withers wrote in an email to Pith. "I do not have a problem with alcohol. This was an isolated incident and I will not repeat it. I am 40 years old and have no other charges of any kind on my driving record before or since this isolated incident."
Withers was the president of the Eastwood Neighbors and is largely running on his record of involvement with neighborhood zoning issues.
"I would encourage voters to review my lengthy track record of community service supporting our Nashville neighborhoods in seeking appropriate zoning decisions," he wrote. "That experience is relevant to the role of a Metro Council candidate. I encourage voters to review my record of service to our community when making a decision about whom to support in the Metro Council District 6 race."
Withers, of course, isn't the first political office seeker to have a such an arrest on his record and he won't be the last. In fact, his isn't even the only DUI news item of the week. A judge threw out the drunk driving case against Democratic state Rep. Bill Beck on Tuesday. Beck was arrested in April in East Nashville. And now there's video.
