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 Marcia Masulla, co-founder of Nashville Fashion Week, owner of a communications and strategy firm and former outreach and scheduling official in the office of Mayor John Cooper.
Previously, we spoke with candidates Burkley Allen, Russ Pulley and Quin Evans Segall. This interview has been edited for length.
How do you think your background would be a benefit on council?
I've been, and still am, a small business owner. I share in that hustle and entrepreneurial spirit. As a former public servant, working in the mayor's office, I know how Metro government works. I've been able to be in those rooms. As a nonprofit organizer, I very obviously believe deeply in cause-based work, the importance of giving back. I've been in Nashville since 2008. I've been doing the work for 15 years. At the height of the pandemic, I served as fundraising chair and was part of the founding group that brought grants and resources and support to hospitality workers. I currently serve on community benefits agreement board between Nashville Soccer and Stand Up Nashville. Trust me when I say I've learned a lot about bridge building and also oversight, making sure we're going to do the things that we say we're going to do. Some of these niche things that not a lot of people have spent a lot of time or attention with, including the creative class and our creator economy, which is really the heart and soul of the culture of Nashville. Through my work with Nashville Fashion Week, founding the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, I helped find over $2 million of investment for our creative community. I've dedicated my life to animal welfare, LGBTQI+ efforts, small business mentorship. My commitment is unwavering. It's the next progression, and it's coming at a time that's very important in our city.
What specifically was your role with the mayor?
You're a Jane-of-all-trades. I worked in the Cooper administration first as a contractor that was focused on outreach, both incoming and outgoing. A lot of that work was focused on areas including people of color, LGBTQI+ community, small businesses, nonprofits, the arts and culture scene. It was a lot of the things I've been doing for years, and making sure we were bringing those people to the table. When I transitioned from a contractor to officially working for the office, I had the title of director of outreach and scheduling. That included anything from the traditional outreach role, to making sure we were meeting with the right folks, connecting things, working with pretty much everyone in the office in our different departments. My last day in the office was April 28, which was the day after State of Metro. Those last few weeks were pulverizing. We had a lot of things happening and not happening legislatively. We had, obviously, the school tragedy, budget — it was jam-packed. I was in those rooms helping with the lift, learning, and I'm going to be bringing that experience with me, even though I am technically an outsider. That's going to be a very fresh perspective.
Are you running on Cooper's legacy?
I'm here focused on change. There was a lot of foundational work that was done. We can talk specifically about some major headway that was done with affordable housing, for instance, or investment in safety. It's also making sure there's oversight being done within that work and also making sure there's efficiency and that work continues. There's nothing worse than everybody going to bat or a vote happening or legislation being passed or us finding funding and then the work just doesn't continue. There's a lot of change. There's a lot of stuff on the horizon. There's a lot of opinions. There's a lot of vision. With any leader, being a visionary and having perspective is important. There's a lot of Monday-morning quarterbacking. What we need right now more than anything — which is one of the primary reasons why I'm running — is a track record of getting things done. I keep reiterating, the last 15 years, I rolled up my sleeves and got things done. If I can earn one of those five at-large seats, if I could dedicate my attention full-time to getting things done for our city, that's going to be pretty unstoppable. Just having a seat at the table and to be empowered to work on this all the time could really lead to some change.
Do you support a referendum for transit? What should Metro be doing on transit?
We need to be doing something. Yes, I support anything that's going to move transit forward. We are, and have been, at a standstill. When we talk about affordable housing, when we talk about equity, when we talk about investment in neighborhoods and safety, transit is a part of that in all places. I'm really excited about a lot of things happening on the East Bank. There are plans pending for our first bus rapid transit system. That's great, but that's not enough. At the end of the day, we're not going to become the world-class city that is in the headlines and really earn that title and be a place that Nashvillians can afford to live and to enjoy to live until we get that in place.
How could the city improve upon its support for affordable housing?
We're inching up on 5,000 units a year for affordable housing. It's not enough to meet the demand. It's progress, yes, but it's just not enough. There's been some definite progress in the last few council terms. I am a laser-focused, because this issue is growing; it's not going away. I know I can bring some tenacity and fresh ideas to the table. This is going to require regular and ample investments long-term from public-private partnerships, not just injections. I also think we need to better utilize what resources we already have. We need to prioritize resources and permitting for affordable housing developers. Between Metro Planning, Public Works, Codes, Building Safety, Metro Water, Nashville Fire, those processes need to be updated and they also need to be equipped to work in symphony together. There are a lot of gaps. There's not enough efficiencies in place. We also need to continue to max out the property tax freeze [and] low-income housing tax credit to benefit as many as possible. It absolutely cannot stop there. We need to add some new tools. The state has us handcuffed with affordable housing limitations, we can't change that, and that includes a ban on inclusionary zoning. I believe we can find additional ways to work around that. A solid example of that is the mixed-income pilot, which is an optional program with tax abatements for developers. That's a great way to go.
How would you have voted on the Titans stadium deal?
That's a big elephant in the room. I'm not sidestepping your question by saying this, but I think there's too many people focused on "what I could have done, what I should have done." The reality is, I wasn't on council at that time. I will be a forceful advocate to ensure that the promises and plans that were part of that deal, we will fulfill. What is exciting is that we're unlocking 66 acres of stadium parking lots for a vision that we need to fulfill that includes diverse and affordable housing, multimodal transportation, economic development. It also includes great things that should be geared to residents, that includes outdoor spaces, small business hubs, creative spaces that people who actually live here can enjoy. My experience through Nashville Soccer Club and Stand Up Nashville's community benefits agreement — we can get real things done. It's hard. It's not easy. But it can be mutually beneficial for us all. We have to continue doing the work to support and provide resources for our already-established neighborhoods and not-so-established neighborhoods that haven't gotten the resources that they should have. That funnels into small businesses, funding schools, sidewalks, trash. It's not one or the other. We have to do it all.
How should Metro improve the process by which it clears homeless encampments? Is the city doing enough to house people?
It's very clear that this issue has been permeating for a very long time. It's also very clear that many of us care deeply about getting our unhoused neighbors the help they can get. I'm really excited that April Calvin is going to become the first director of homeless services on July 1. To my knowledge, we've never had a standalone department like this. With this leadership and this department, we can continue to better utilize our fantastic city partners and nonprofits like Shower the People, Safe Haven, Neighborhood Health, even Nashville Humane Association. The Housing First plan will be able to help meet the magnitude of the issues, because there are so many more chronically unhoused neighbors, and it's persisting. It has been for generations. Ramping up on interim housing, we definitely need to get that in place. Building permanent supportive housing. The game-changer is going to be the wraparound and social services. The biggest flub we can do is to move our neighbors off the street and then not be able to keep a roof above their heads because we don't have those social services in place. Everyone who's experiencing homelessness has a story, and they have experiences that have led them to where they are. It is our responsibility to listen and to help, and we have a moral imperative to do better. I'm 100 percent committed to being a part of that heavy lift.
Are you supporting anyone for mayor? What do you want to see from the winner?
A lot of us, we know these folks personally. We've worked with them in different capacities. I'm listening, I'm watching, I'm attending the forums. I am confident that I can work with whoever that we as a community choose. Some of the things I'm looking for is transit, affordable housing, schools, safety. Then you throw in some of our niche passions, anything from trash to the creative economy. Some skill sets that seem really basic but that are meaningful are: Talk with people not at them. That means to the constituents but also with the state. I also think efficiencies: There's a lot of this rhetoric about "this person is in politics but we need to get them out because we need a fresh perspective" or "I'm a businessman ..." I don't think any of that matters unless you're someone who is deeply committed to being transparent and building trust. There's a lack of empowering the people who are around you. What I mean by that is there are a lot of smart people, there are a lot of people who do good work, but we need a real connector and not just someone who says "bridge builder" in their stump speech.
On your website, you mention the "preservation of culture and authenticity." What do you mean by that? What are you looking to preserve?
Culture is a really broad word. When I think of that, I think of some our longest-living residents, people that have been here before the accolades came in. Are we meeting their needs? Are we exceeding their needs? I don't think we are at this moment. Part of our culture is our entrepreneurs, our small businesses specifically. It's our food service workers; it's what draws the tourism in. Are we preserving them? Do they have somewhere safe they can afford to live? Are we making their lives easier? The people in our creative economy, we are a hub for that nationally and arguably internationally. Even in one of the mayoral debates, yes, affordable housing and transit, and all of these key issues are part of that culture, but we're not spending enough time and we're not focusing enough to make sure these folks that make our city so vibrant and economically flourishing actually can live here. What if a musician doesn't have the receipts or the bank trail or all of this documentation needed to buy a house, even if it is affordable? We need to look at our specific economy and make sure that we focus on those folks in a way that I feel like no one has ever done. I've worked with so many of these folks. We would be remiss to lose that. If someone wants to come to Nashville and they're a privately owned business, I think there's things we can learn from the Titans deal. Let's have a fund. Let's have people invest regularly into the fund. Nashville is the city it is because of the people I just outlined. We're not doing enough to support them.
You mean like the Nashville Needs Fund?
Or even like the Barnes Fund. There are ways we can be investing. There are creative ways we can do that to ensure we support this large swath of people. When people think artist, they think music. Yes, music is a major component. But it's including so many other industries like film, photography, fashion. It's such a large industry that we don't acknowledge it enough, by far.
In the wake of state legislation aimed at the community oversight board, how do you think police oversight can or should continue?
I believe that we need to respect the voters, period. The voters have spoken, and a community oversight board is what we want. We need to make sure this board is functioning. We also need to make sure it is fair and offers different perspectives. We absolutely should have one because it will build trust between the community and police. It will also highlight if there are issues [so we can] address it before it gets to a worse place. What happened recently with the Covenant tragedy, we're very proud of our police force. We need our police force to keep us safe. But, if we can do this, it's another way we can connect and make sure we're all on the same page.
How would you have voted on license plate readers? What will you be looking for in terms of oversight of that program if you are elected?
This has been a long discussion, the balance between safety and privacy. We haven't seen the full data yet for the six-month pilot, but I'm following it very, very closely. Should we move forward after the pilot period, we obviously need to strike a balance between the safeguards to protect our residents and their privacy, specifically with equity being front of mind. We also need to acknowledge that auto theft, burglary and other crimes are up. While we protect our citizens’ privacy, my understanding and the way it has been packaged is, this pilot, these tools are in place, so what we need to determine is are they actually doing what they're supposed to do, which is to assist police in protecting Nashvillians. I'm very interested in seeing the data, how it's being utilized after the pilot period. My initial concerns were like a lot of Nashvillians', but I also see tremendous value in making sure communities stay safe. Where we ended up with the pilot is right where we need to be, but we also need to be clear in examining that it's working as intended.
Should Metro support child care availability? How?
Absolutely. When we talk about the East Bank, everything we build, child care needs to be part of that equation. Through my work through the community benefits agreement with Nashville Soccer and Stand Up Nashville, that is a part of that development. Making sure that in addition to affordable housing units, there is child care. I have so many friends and neighbors that are struggling with this at every single layer of their life. I think it needs to be built into all the development we're doing. I think it needs to be built into resources we're providing neighborhoods. There needs to be a fund or a dedicated department on this specifically. It ties into our schools. It ties into our workforce. It ties into literally everything. Without that we are impairing Nashvillians each and every day.
