Ludye Wallace, the president of the local NAACP chapter and a former Metro Council member, has filed suit over the Davidson County Election Commission's decision to schedule a special mayoral election on Aug. 2.
The filing also indicates that Wallace will run for the office, seeking to serve out the remainder of former Mayor Megan Barry's term. Mayor David Briley, who took over as mayor following Barry's resignation last week, is also running.
Stephen Elliott reports for our sister publication, the Nashville Post:
Ludye Wallace filed the lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court Monday, indicating that he plans to run for the office himself. Represented by another former Metro Council member, Jamie Hollin, Wallace argues in the lawsuit that the Metro Charter requires that the special election held on May 1 or sometime between May 21 and May 26, rather than on Aug. 2 as scheduled by the election commission.“Campaigns for any office cost time and money,” Wallace’s lawsuit contends. “Campaigns for the office of Mayor are particularly costly. … [Wallace] lacks the money to run a campaign for the multiple additional months that he will be required to campaign as a consequence of [the election commission’s] illegal action.”
Former Vice Mayor David Briley, who became mayor last week after Barry’s resignation, has already announced he will seek the seat in August. The winner of the special mayoral election — whether held in May or August — will hold the seat until the August 2019 Metro general election, when a mayor will be elected to a full four-year term.
Elliott reports that Metro legal is working on a response.
At-Large Metro Councilmember Erica Gilmore has also filed paperwork appointing a campaign treasurer.
