Mayor John Cooper began courting support from the Fraternal Order of the Police and IAFF Local 140, Nashville's firefighters’ union, in the fall, filling out surveys and appearing in front of rank-and-file to pitch his record ahead of reelection this summer. The two groups opened up endorsements to all candidates and made their decision six months earlier than in the 2019 race. Both groups got behind the incumbent, who has filed campaign paperwork and begun fundraising for a second term without officially announcing his candidacy.
Leaders of both organizations emphasize Cooper’s track record as the main draw for members.
“We recognize he has done a whole lot for us,” IAFF Local 140 President Danny Yates tells the Scene. “Our philosophy is, help the people that help you. Firefighting, EMS, equipment, restoring raises we’ve missed — we put all the social issues to the side and we looked at what’s best for our membership. We have to go with him because of what he’s done for us.”
Even though Cooper hasn’t declared candidacy, he participated in both groups’ endorsement processes and sought support from members. The IAFF sent each candidate, as well as the incumbent, a questionnaire, which Cooper returned. He also addressed firefighters in person, an opportunity extended to every individual seeking the body’s endorsement.
Cooper interviewed with the FOP and returned a similar survey to the body. Officers voted for Cooper overwhelmingly.
“I think everybody knows the mayor’s gonna be running,” says James Smallwood, president of Nashville’s Fraternal Order of the Police lodge. “We’ve gone through a period where previous administrations reduced our fleet year after year and never replenished it. Mayor Cooper has shown that he is trying to do what he can to increase those numbers to make sure we have the equipment and technology we need to do our jobs.”
Cooper’s office has lobbied for new surveillance technology like automatic license plate readers and is exploring ShotSpotter, a controversial gunshot detection system that relies on passive audio collection. This year’s capital spending plan includes $25 million in allocations to MNPD, including a new gun range and new barn for mounted patrol horses.
The FOP and IAFF represent hundreds of Metro employees and touted Cooper's efforts to stem police and fire staffing shortages and fund new equipment. Candidates are still vying for endorsements from SEIU Local 205, an international union that represents Metro employees, and the Metro Nashville Education Association, a member-based organization that represents public schools employees and staff.
As the 2023 mayoral election looms closer, candidates like Sharon Hurt, Matt Wiltshire and Freddie O’Connell are vying for the opposition vote. Cooper continues to blur line between chief executive and candidate, hardly concealing his ambitions for a second term. His campaign is documented — Cooper named political veteran Robert Thomas his treasurer in July — and actively raising money. With higher-profile endorsements comes a growing expectation for his own formal announcement.
“If he decides not to run, I’ll go have a word with him,” says Yates. “I don’t know the behind-the-scenes politics but I would expect it sometime fairly soon. We wanted to get out and front of it and get our name out there and stick with the person who got us here.”
