In a matter of weeks, Nashville will elect its fourth mayor in five years.
Following the 2018 resignation of Mayor Megan Barry in the wake of political scandal, the mayor’s office has been besieged with instability. After being elected to serve for the remainder of Barry’s term, David Briley was defeated by fellow former At-Large Councilmember John Cooper in 2019. And after a term plagued by everything from natural disasters and a Christmas Day bombing to a global pandemic, Cooper announced in January that he would not seek reelection.
Then came something of a land rush, with a dozen candidates ultimately qualifying to run for mayor by the May 18 deadline. Since then, the established candidates have participated in an inordinate number of forums, pleading their case to a city that — according to a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling less than one month ago — is roughly 45 percent undecided. In terms of what we’ll call plausible, or viable, candidates — that is, folks who have significant campaign funding — we’re looking at eight contenders.
State Sen. Heidi Campbell has the support of three fellow Nashville Democratic legislators — Reps. Bob Freeman, John Ray Clemmons and Bo Mitchell — and name ID thanks to her recent race against Andy Ogles for the state’s gerrymandered 5th Congressional District. With experience as mayor of Nashville satellite city Oak Hill, Campbell prioritizes investment in public education, transportation infrastructure and equity and inclusion.
Kansas City-area native Jim Gingrich is the former COO of Wall Street firm AllianceBernstein and, having moved to Nashville a half-decade ago, is pitching himself as an outsider. Gingrich loaned his campaign $2 million early on, and has gone on record as opposing the city’s deal to partially fund a new multibillion-dollar Titans stadium.
At-Large Metro Councilmember Sharon Hurt has served as the executive director of nonprofit Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership as well as HIV/AIDS outreach organization Street Works. Having been elected to countywide office twice, Hurt has name recognition and a track record of public service.
District 19 Metro Councilmember Freddie O’Connell entered the race early — in April 2022 — and has a record as one of the most progressive members of the council. O’Connell voted against the city’s Titans stadium deal, and though he’s not as well-funded as fellow candidates Gingrich and Matt Wiltshire, that early-June poll shows him doing as well as anyone. He also has the endorsements of five of his fellow councilmembers.
Of the eight candidates profiled here, Alice Rolli is the sole Republican. She has said she’d like to increase the number of Metro Nashville Police Department officers, and that she’d consider a takeover of the Metro Nashville Public Schools system if charters are not renewed. Her campaign treasurer is David Fox, who narrowly lost to Megan Barry in the 2015 mayoral runoff.
Vivian Wilhoite served two terms as a Metro councilmember before being elected as the Davidson County Property Assessor in 2016. She was the last to officially enter the race, but has the endorsement of District Attorney Glenn Funk and name recognition as a longtime holder of countywide office.
Longtime economic development and housing executive Matt Wiltshire touts his experience working under four Nashville mayors, and has the endorsements of Metro Councilmembers Robert Nash, John Rutherford and Nancy VanReece. He’s also got a lot of money to spend, having raised more than $1 million, in addition to the $350,000 he loaned his campaign early on. He recently secured the endorsement of Nashville's police union.
Another member of Nashville’s legislative delegation, Democratic state Sen. Jeff Yarbro says he has the skills and experience necessary to “reorient our relationship” with the state’s Republican supermajority. He was able to transfer $141,000 from his state Senate campaign account to his mayoral campaign and says he’d like to focus on building more affordable housing and strengthening infrastructure.
In the four stories that follow — part of a partnership between the Scene and our colleagues at the Nashville Banner, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization — we explore four key issues that will face the city’s next mayor: homelessness, education, transit and crime. The Banner also asked all eight of the above candidates for their on-the-record responses to multiple questions for each topic.
The voter registration deadline is July 5, with early voting taking place July 14-29 and Election Day on Aug. 3. With so many candidates in the race, a runoff is exceedingly likely — meaning Aug. 3’s two top vote-getters will face off again on Sept. 14. Get registered, get reading, and get to the polls. —D. PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Nashville’s transit system lags behind peer cities — the next mayor will have their work cut out for them if they’re going to catch up
It’s one of the easiest issues to invoke, but one of the hardest to address. Here’s what the next mayor faces.
John Cooper brought homelessness to the forefront with a $50 million ‘housing first’ plan, then dropped out of the race
If candidates want to be the ‘Education Mayor,’ they’ll have to pick their spots
