Nashville saw lots of close races on Aug. 3. In Madison’s Metro Council District 9, for instance, newcomer Stephanie Montenegro came within 40 votes of incumbent Tonya Hancock. Ultimately, 32 of the council’s 35 seats saw a victor on election night. But three districts with crowded fields didn’t see any candidates break the 50 percent threshold, meaning the contests for Districts 4, 11 and 29 will be decided in the Sept. 14 runoff.
Below is some context on each of the three races.
District 4
Just 53 votes separated first-place finisher Davette Blalock and runner-up Mike Cortese in the general election race for District 4, which covers the Nippers Corner neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the county. Blalock, a real estate agent, previously served as a District 27 councilmember from 2011 to 2019, and ran an unsuccessful campaign for state House District 53 as a Republican in 2016. Cortese, meanwhile, is an adjunct professor at Belmont University, and previously lost to outgoing District 4 Councilmember Robert Swope in 2019.
Swope, who wanted to bring the Republican National Convention to Nashville during his term, endorsed Blalock in the general election, and has said the council should build a bridge with the state legislature’s Republican supermajority. Blalock seems to agree, telling the Scene’s Hannah Herner in June: “There just needs to be more conversations between the state and the council. I think [state lawmakers] have no idea what the majority of the council feels and desires.”
Cortese has said he’d like to hold monthly town halls with his constituents, and touts his ability to build a bipartisan coalition. “I have people who voted for Donald Trump twice with my signs in their yard, and I have people who voted for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden with my signs in their yard,” Cortese told the Scene early this summer.
District 11
Lots of eyes are on the District 11 race, where two diametrically opposed candidates have made it to the runoff. Out of a four-man field, Jeff Eslick finished with 1,142 votes on Election Day, while Eric Patton trailed right behind at 1,086. Seen by many as a last bastion of Old Nashville, District 11 borders Old Hickory Lake at the eastern edge of the county.
Eslick owns Slick Media Productions and has worked closely with divisive conservative Lower Broadway bar owner Steve Smith, who also owns land in District 11. Ahead of the general election, Eslick’s company produced an attack ad directed at mayoral candidate Freddie O’Connell, which Smith paid for. “Metro Council doesn’t need another political activist,” says Eslick on his website, “but someone who will focus on the basics that go into making safe, flourishing neighborhoods.” He says he wants to limit homeless encampments in the area and manage growth.
Patton, on the other hand, received endorsements from progressive groups including Planned Parenthood and TIRRC Votes ahead of the general election. Director of client relations at Artemis CPA, Patton has not previously run for office, but is active in the LGBTQ community and has worked with the Human Rights Campaign. He wants to focus on schools, city services and small business, telling the Scene in June: “It feels like we’re getting left behind by people who want to keep us small. We’re growing, but we’re not growing like the rest of town.”
District 29
District 29 incumbent Delishia Porterfield opted to run for an at-large seat this cycle rather than pursuing a second term in her district, opening up a four-person race. On Election Day, Tasha Ellis earned 911 votes to represent the Percy Priest Lake-adjacent district — about 112 votes shy of the 50 percent she would have needed to win outright. John Reed trailed behind with 484 votes.
Ellis has worked for the Tennessee Democratic Party and started a consulting firm. She has said her priorities as a councilmember will include infrastructure upgrades and combating street racing and other prevalent crimes in the southeastern portion of the county. Reed also runs a business and has worked on campaigns for Councilmembers Gloria Hausser, Zach Young and Thom Druffel. A member of the LGBTQ community, Reed is focused on traffic issues in the district, as well as a need for transit and walkable neighborhoods throughout all of Davidson County.
Hannah Herner, Braden Simmons and Kelsey Beyeler contributed reporting for this story.
