Twenty-one candidates qualified to run for at-large seats on the Metro Council.
The campaign for at-large is unique. Because the top five vote-getters win, candidates typically remain positive, and surprising candidates can sneak into the winners’ circle.
Early voting for Metro Council and mayoral elections starts July 14, with Election Day following Aug. 3. A runoff, if needed, would come in September.
Our latest Q&A with an at-large candidate features Chris Cheng, co-owner of Hot Sauce Nashville.
Previously, we spoke with candidates Burkley Allen, Russ Pulley, Quin Evans Segall, Marcia Masulla, Jeff Syracuse, Zulfat Suara, Delishia Porterfield, Jonathan Williamson, Indrani Ray, Howard Jones, Arnold Hayes and Chris Crofton. This interview has been edited for length.
You said, "If the overwhelming renovation projections for the current stadium were indeed true and accurate, then yes it would make sense to support the [Titans] deal." How would you have ensured the projections were true and accurate? Would you have pushed back on the mayor's office's analysis that was not what some councilmembers asked for?
For any of these public investments, I would definitely want to make sure that the taxpayers get the best deal. Once I learned about the renovation costs and the obligations we had for those renovation costs, as an outside observer I didn't realize it was in such a state. Personally, I really enjoy the open-air atmosphere of the current stadium. I grew up going to a lot of the events there. I have such a love for that place and even just being under the stars on a nice concert night, it's something I really value. I feel like this stadium was built not too long ago. Then I learned about the current maintenance obligations and the financial arrangements we have. If I was on the council at the time, and even moving forward on future project negotiations, I would want to talk most importantly to the community members and really learn about what their experiences are with the stadium and how this development would impact them.
On the financial stuff, I would love to hit that from a lot of different angles. Of course, I'd go to the mayor's office. They have the full staff to look at these things and have thorough analysis. But I want to look at other comps, stuff they did to the Cincinnati stadium, other renovations, what's comparable to see what is the truth here and what do we need to do. I think it ranged anywhere from $300 million to $1.8 billion. Getting the Davidson County tax dollars off the hook for that was something I found persuasive for me to where I'd be interested in supporting the deal. Especially with cost of living going so high, if we can get more money back into the general obligation funds, that's where I want to focus on the most. The maintenance costs, if on average they were accurate, that's something I would be passionate about trying to get money back in the hands of our taxpayers.
You talk about small businesses benefiting from big events the new stadium will bring. Anecdotally over the years, when there are big events like the NFL Draft, there are all these stories about small businesses being disrupted by road closures or river closures or whatever. How would you prevent that?
My vision is that we prioritize long-lasting sustainable infrastructure that supports our nearby communities. Prioritizing spaces not just for the big events but throughout the year for community recreation and gatherings along the East Bank. For example, I'd love to make sure we maintain good green spaces so we can have pop-ups for festivals, for craft markets, for farmers markets if that's something they want in that neighborhood. That's something I've really appreciated about the Major League Soccer stadium. At Geodis we were able to negotiate deals to help support small businesses. Those are the type of arrangements when we develop the East Bank or the stadium. Seeking out opportunities and having someone on the council who's advocating for these opportunities and knowing what it's like as a small business owner. To know the challenges, to know the success stories, to know what could go wrong, what could go right. For the larger events, spreading out some of these activities is good for some of the other small businesses. I'm looking out for them. The traffic is a really legitimate concern that we'd want to work on on the council, whether it be using different forms of transportation to get people in and out of the area to reduce the congestion. On the whole, I'm talking more about the long-term everyday life of the East Bank.
You want to represent small business owners on the council. I've been struck in the last couple of years by a series of high-profile labor disputes with small businesses in town. What about the people who work for small businesses? Would you prioritize them, too?
My wife and I work out of a community commercial kitchen in East Nashville called Citizen Kitchens. We work alongside these small businesses. We're very much in the heat of the kitchen. There's caterers, there's bakers, there's food truck operators, all kinds of different makers. Working with these people, they're so inspiring. It's really, really, really hard work, and it can be extremely hot. The employees are a critical member. They are the heart and life of small businesses. If I was on the council, I would make sure to help them, when I'm traveling around to different districts checking in on small businesses and seeing what they need, talking to every part of the process and every part of the community. That's something that inspired me to attempt this campaign, was the people we work with, including the owners but also the employees, the customers, the suppliers, the partners. It's all an ecosystem. If we're not taking care of each part of that ecosystem then it doesn't work right, and that's something that's super important to me. Small businesses, I love them. It is my community. That's who I'm hoping to be a big part of what I represent. I find that they're not just good economic drivers for our city, not just good employment drivers for our city, but so often they're the unique culture, taste and identity of Nashville that I personally really enjoy both professionally but also in my own social and personal life. The creativity in Nashville is inspiring, and that inspiration has to come from supporting all parts of the business ecosystem.
Were you pleased to receive the Fraternal Order of Police endorsement?
I haven't had much experience with the police. I was an Army Ranger officer in my 20s. I walked in and communicated to them that I know what it's like to serve in uniform. I know what it's like to be held accountable, and I know what it's like to hold other people accountable. I also know the pressures and demands of serving in a capacity in a similar type of role. I'm excited, if I can get elected, to have that relationship with our first responders, to be able to walk in the door and say, "I know where you're coming from, here's what I'm hearing from the community." Especially as a small business owner, especially as an Asian American, especially as a veteran. I hope to be a bridge and to provide opportunities to communicate community issues and help us all work together. Public safety is, without a doubt, a team effort. There's policing, prosecution and investing in trying to tackle root causes in ensuring that public safety is a priority for everyone.
I'd love to play a role with the police and be involved. I want to know what their training is like. I want to know what their recruitment is like. I'm not in as good shape as I was when I was in the Army, but I'd like to go through those obstacle courses again. Know and understand their pressures, their demands, the stresses that they're under and be able to communicate those to the community as well. When I saw the endorsement, I thought this could be a really cool opportunity for someone that is involved at different levels of the community, especially at the farmers markets, libraries and parks and different community assets here. Having someone with a background that can appreciate their position but also is heavily invested in our communities can be an asset.
How should the city conduct oversight of the police in light of changes made by the state?
If I was a first responder I'd want input from the community. They are also community members. Having an active and engaged board — whatever it's going to be called — is something that helps their operations too. They want to build trust. They got into this line of work to serve the community. They want to have the community's trust. They can't see everything. They can't be everywhere. Having a good swath of the community to give them input, to give them oversight, to be able to provide their expertise on different problems that happen, it's going to be a much more organic way, a lot more proactive than reactionary. I think that's something that could be good for both parties.
The FOP stood strongly against the COB. They demonized one of the victims of police violence, Daniel Hambrick. If you're able to distinguish between the FOP and the police department itself, did you have any reservations about that endorsement?
One of the big things of my campaign is finding ways to bring people together. I grew up in a mixed household. My father is an immigrant from Hong Kong. My mother grew up here in the Woodbine area. My father recently retired as a federal mediator. So much of his life was spent in negotiations, conflict resolution and mediation. The big key theme of his life and career that he instilled in me and my siblings was finding space to have common ground. If there's something we can do to come together and make progress on, that's something I'm really passionate about. That's something I've heard on the campaign trail, the need for our elected officials, our community leaders, our representatives, the associations, the nonprofits to come together and make constructive progress for the city. Where can we make progress in the community to make it safer, whether it be focusing on certain areas or increasing the lighting or increasing the sidewalks or increasing community outreach.
Even as a young officer in the military, you're in your young 20s and you're dropped in this role of responsibility with people that are much smarter than you, much more experienced, much more knowledgeable. The best way to succeed in that environment is to be humble and ask questions. Everyone wants a safe city. That's the goal. For me, public safety is critical. Bringing different groups to the table, trying to find common goals that we can gain progress on, that's what I'm excited to work on. Reaching out to different groups and hearing people has broadened my perspective during this process. I've learned a ton. But also finding where there is alignment of issues and where we can work together to serve the city.
I'm not suggesting you can't be invested in public schools without having kids in them or having attended them, but how do you think you could help improve Metro schools based on your experience?
My mother grew up here, and her grandmother grew up here. My mother and father-in-law went to Antioch, Overton and Glencliff at different times. My mother went to Whitsett Elementary. Education was super encouraged in my family, and learning at large. At libraries and different social groups and schools. I was thankful to be able to have the education I did. I went from there [Ezell-Harding Christian School] to college in Los Angeles, a whole other cultural education there. After the Army I was able to go back to school. I studied public policy and business at Harvard University. I've learned a lot about education. I've learned about the benefits of education. I've learned about the limits of education. I'd be so excited to share my experiences.
One of the things I'd be most passionate about is working with the mayor's office as they set the budget. Really getting to know our school board, working with them and understanding what their needs are on the ground, what they're hearing from their teachers. There are many ways to be successful. I want Nashville to be a place where makers can still thrive. Another big asset for me was our public libraries. I absolutely love our libraries. I would want to invest in our libraries to supplement the amazing work our schools are doing. Building an ecosystem of education with our schools, supporting our teachers and the staff to make it a conducive learning environment, but also investing in these community assets. No matter where you go to school or where you live or what you age you are, you can continue learning as an individual throughout life. I find these resources to be great equalizers in our society.
You've expressed some openness, with reservations, about license plate readers. Some data from the pilot was recently released. Did that change your opinion at all about implementation after the trial?
I'm still following the trial. With any of these new technologies, I think we should rigorously test and evaluate them. I appreciate that we started with a pilot program. I hope we genuinely learn from them and refine the parameters to assist our police officers' investigations. [Make sure] discrimination and privacy concerns are addressed and really engage with our communities on hitting at the root issue of what can we do, we want to make sure we're using these for the right purposes. We want to be able to help our police force to be able to aid their efforts because they're stretched thin on attacking crime in our neighborhoods and making it safer. I don't think we need to be in a rush, but I think we should rigorously test any of these technologies. More things will come up in the next four, eight years like this. The biggest thing I would make sure we do is engage with our community members throughout not just the pilot phase but even afterwards.
On housing, you've said you want more density on the main corridors and different types of housing throughout the city. How do you achieve that on council?
As a community, we want a city where we can all afford to safely live, work, learn and create and play. What I've learned is increasing the housing supply is critical, especially along our main traffic corridors. Where are we building this housing so it can also be conducive to our transportation opportunities, both the ones we have now but also ones we hope to build along some of these crucial corridors, especially along Murfreesboro Pike. It allows folks to get from the Antioch area to and from hopefully the airport, which is quickly becoming one of the largest employers in the region. Working with our developers, working with the developments, building the infrastructure to encourage not just single-family housing but mixed-use developments, more quads, more doubles, multi-family units.
For aiding homelessness, transitional housing is a tool we are exploring and continue to explore. I met with nonprofit leaders in the local veteran community and they found success with transitional housing programs for assisting our veteran homeless population. If we're going to tackle this challenge it's going to come from many angles and be a team effort. Increasing the supply across the board is the ambition to relieve the pressure on housing.
Are there any areas of the budget where we're spending too much?
The role of the government is to be the steward of the tax dollars. We all pay our dues through sales tax and property tax and we entrust it with the mayor's office and Metro government to spend it accordingly. Our budget is able to grow because of the growth of the city. As we get more technologies to make energy efficiency better. As we get more technologies to get more energy sources. Metro is so big, there's so many buildings, and there's so many departments. Finding ways in which we can lead by example on our LEED statuses and making sure we're as energy efficient as we move forward. Nashville is bursting with talented entrepreneurs and creative thinkers. Thinking about different ways we can reduce literal waste and making sure our energy efforts ... that would be something I'd be passionate about. That helps with the budget but also helps with the environment. Then we'd have more money to spend on things like infrastructure, our schools, our parks.
Regarding state intervention and the state legislature, you said "my hope is that we elect thoughtful, empathetic leaders capable of communicating and negotiating constructively with others." From watching the legislature the last several years, do you truly think that's possible?
Doing this campaign has been an educational adventure, and I'm really grateful to have been able to be involved in the process and meet so many different folks. One of the things a lot of people keep bringing up is the division. We're so busy. Everyone has their own jobs, their families. They want to trust their government is working for them. I'm not a member of the government right now. My wife and I work farmers markets all over Nashville. One thing I keep hearing is people want to go about their lives and trust the people they're delegating to work for them will work for them. My personality is naturally a negotiator, a bridge-builder. An opportunity to find common ground. Will we always find it? Absolutely not. Being able to get to a place where you can build relationships and have spirited discussions, a place where you can disagree, finding opportunities where we can work together. Part of progress is getting started and finding opportunities where we can meet in the middle and find ways in which we can at least build relationships.
So much of progress is managed negotiations so both sides can get something out of the deal. With the state, I want to meet people, want to introduce myself, want to tell them what the community is telling me. We have to find ways where we can mend relationships when possible, find ways where we can open new relationships, and find ways as voters to reward that behavior. You might talk to me in four years and ask if I had any success in that endeavor, and I'll report back and say they shut the door in my face or we did have some success.
You talk a lot about farmers markets. That's where your profession is and where your community seems to be. If you're elected, how would you communicate with constituents who don't go to farmers markets?
We do farmers markets all across the city. We've gotten to know so many different parts of the neighborhood. That's something I really value. That's a good starting place. There's plenty of other constituents and residents who don't go, aren't able to go. I've been enjoying during this campaign process going to so many of the community meetings, neighborhood association meetings. So many of these people don't go to the farmers markets. Being able to talk to them and learn about the different neighborhoods. One of the things about at-large is being comfortable and familiar with all parts of the county, which at least I've got a jumping off point with the different markets we do and the different businesses we work with across the county.
For me being heavily involved personally in the neighborhood association meetings and making sure I'm making a concerted effort to get around the county as we have with the campaign. Also working with your colleagues. It's a team effort. Communicating with different councilmembers and candidates I've gotten to know. That's one of the things I've enjoyed during the process, is learning from their learnings on the ground. So much of small business is listening to your customers and colleagues. As an Army officer, if you depend only on your knowledge and your experience, you might be successful but you're going to leave a lot on the table. I've been trying to make it to as many community events as possible. I'm a physical person. I enjoy being places and hearing from them. That's something that's really important to me in my leadership process. I'm always trying to ask what am I missing.
Are you supporting anyone for mayor?
I want them all to know that my vote is up for grabs, so I hope they hawk me relentlessly. We spend so much of our time at the farmers markets that I have not run in these circles. I don't think I personally knew any of the people running for mayor before this. I've gotten to know almost all of them and get to learn from a fresh, objective slate. I'm super optimistic. For anyone who gets elected I feel confident that we're going to have someone who's energetic. Whoever gets elected I'm excited to work with them because I've gotten to know them on this campaign. I'm really hopeful for the direction of the city. I think they've all gotten to learn from each other. A key component of that role is setting the culture and the tone and the feel of the city. I hope whoever gets elected continues a lot of the energy they've had on this campaign trail. Thinking about Nashville in a positive light, focusing on our weak spots, but then being a champion for the people.
