Matt Wiltshire, who finished third place in the first round of voting for mayor, is the latest former candidate to back Metro Councilmember Freddie O'Connell in the runoff.
Wiltshire joins fourth- and fifth-place finishers Jeff Yarbro and Heidi Campbell in supporting O'Connell over Alice Rolli. Former school board member Fran Bush, who finished near the bottom of the pack with a few hundred votes, has endorsed Rolli.
"Over the past year I really had a chance to think about what makes a good mayor, and I believe Freddie has those qualities," Wiltshire said in a video.
O'Connell, who led in the first round of voting, has also picked up endorsements from both labor and business groups in recent days.
The Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the local chapter of the Service Employees International Union and the Nashville Business Coalition all announced support for O'Connell this week.
The pro-business NBC's board includes James Weaver, a leading lobbyist for the Tennessee Titans, whose deal with Metro to build a multibillion-dollar stadium O'Connell has opposed. The SEIU represents Metro employees, including support staff at Metro Nashville Public Schools and other frontline employees. The CLC is a coalition of several local labor groups.
“During his time on Nashville’s Metro Council, Freddie has consistently voted to put the interests of Nashville’s workers over those of tourists, developers and greedy corporations,” said Vonda McDaniel, CLC president. “We have no doubt that as Nashville’s next mayor, Freddie will keep workers at the forefront of our growing city.”
