Metro Election Results – Winners & Run-Offs
Low turn-out marked this year’s Metro elections. Slightly over 103,000 votes were cast in the Mayoral race, less than 24 percent of the 433,311 registered voters in Davidson County. Because of Metro Nashville’s voting laws, several races are headed for runoff elections.
In the mayoral race, Councilperson John Cooper received 35.01 percent of the vote while incumbent Mayor David Briley received 25.3 percent. Since neither candidate received over 50 percent, both will move on to a runoff election.
For the office of Vice Mayor, incumbent Jim Shulman handily defeated opponent Robert Sawyers, Sr., 80.45 percent to 18.09 percent.
In the East Side Districts of 5-8 there was mix of clear victories and one race that will be determined by runoffs. In District 5, Sean Parker won a clear victory with 50.91 percent of the vote. In District 6, incumbent Brett Withers ran unopposed and received 93.76 percent of the vote with the remainder going to write-in candidates.
District 7 was a hotly contested race with eight candidates vying for the seat. As expected, the race is headed for a runoff with top two vote getters, Emily Benedict (40.28 percent) and Clint Camp (11.99 percent), in competition for the win. In District 8, incumbent Nancy VanReece won an easy victory with 73.01 percent of the vote.
For the five open council-at-large seats, candidates had to win at least 10 percent of the vote and finish in the top five to enjoy a victory. Only incumbent Bob Mendes crossed the bar with 10.92 percent of the votes cast. Candidates making it to the runoff for the remaining four seats include Zulfat Suara, Sharon W. Hurt, Sheri Weiner, Burkley Allen, Fabian Bedne, Howard Jones, Steve Glover, and Gary W. Moore.
Complete election results are available at the Davidson County Election Commission’s website. Early voting for runoff elections will begin on Aug. 23, with Election Day on Sept. 12.
East Nashville Beer Works Rings in the Dog Days of Summer with Augustfest 3
Speaking of elections, District 7 councilperson Anthony Davis may soon be stepping down from his elected office, but he’s certainly not through with making contributions to the local community.
“I’ll still be serving through Sept. 15,” Davis says. “I’m trying to finish strong. I’m working on a big bill to improve Metro procurement, and I’m trying to finish out any district-related stuff. It has been an honor to serve for eight years, and I’m looking forward to what’s next. I will try to be back in some form or fashion in the future. I’ve got two young kids, so it’s best for me right now to take a couple of years off.”
Although Davis may be retiring from public service for while, his “day job” will be keeping him busy. As president of East Nashville Beer Works, he’ll be overseeing Augustfest 3 this weekend — a celebration of the hot sweltering days of late summer and the craft brewery’s third birthday.
Augustfest 3 will feature the release of ENBW’s Blackberry Wheat as well as several other special beers, food from ENBW’s kitchen and Steaming Goat food truck, groovy tunes from on-site DJs, a pop-up poster store from Boss Construction, a pop-up record shop from Heart of Vinyl, and more. The event is free and open to all. ENBW is also offering a $55 VIP Pass which includes unlimited beer refills for the day, a crowler to-go of Augustfest Blackberry Wheat, and commemorative Augustfest glassware, t-shirts, and sunglasses. For more information visit East Nashville Beer Works Augustfest 3 Facebook event page.
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Local Taco Takes Off, Long Live the Prince, and Coneheads to Deliver Two Scoops of Chicken
The East Nashville location of The Local Taco closed last week, slightly over a year since the closure of the locally-based chain’s Sylvan Park eatery. In a post to their Facebook page, the owners said, “After five wonderful years at this location, we regretfully announce that The Local Taco — East Nashville is closed for business. We’re grateful to our employees and guests, and we’ll miss being part of the neighborhood.” The closure leaves Local Tacos in Brentwood and Huntsville, Alabama as the only remaining locations.
True hot chicken aficionados were saddened by the news this week that Prince’s Hot Chicken’s flagship location at 123 Ewing Drive will not be re-opening. The Nashville culinary icon has been closed since Dec. 28, 2018 after a car hit the front of the restaurant and the resulting fire damaged the structural safety of the building. Although Prince’s owner, Andre Prince, announced plans to reopen as soon as possible, the needed repairs have not been made.
According to a story published in the Nashville Scene, Prince says the restaurant is now looking for a new location on the North side of Nashville. Prince’s South Nashville location at 5814 Nolensville Pike and the Prince’s Hot Chicken food truck stationed at Yee-Haw Brewing company brewery and distillery at 423 Sixth Ave. S. in SoBro continue to operate. In addition to their forthcoming new North-side home, Prince’s will also operate a new location inside the soon to be opened National Museum of African American Music in downtown Nashville. For updates, follow Prince’s Hot Chick on Facebook.
From the department of Food You Didn’t Know You Were Craving comes the soon-to-be-opened Coneheads. Imagine an ice cream parlor setting but with hot waffle cones full of fried chicken and savory sauces and you’re on the road to what will be served up soon at 1315 Dickerson Pike near Cleveland Park. Owned by Nashville-native and former Vanderbilt and Chicago Bears linebacker Marcus Buggs, the unique eatery is set to open this fall. For more information follow Coneheads on Facebook or Instagram.
Dive Motel Poised to Make a Splash
Although the new Dive Motel and Swim Club (1414 Dickerson Pike ) hasn’t announced their official opening date yet (other than “August”), the newly renovated Dickerson Pike landmark is making quite a splash online with recent stories in the Tennessean, Forbes, and on WWD.com.
The brainchild of designers Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks, the revamped 1956 motor inn will feature 23 custom-designed rooms, a bar and restaurant, and a large swimming pool that will be open to locals through membership in the swim club. For more information and updates, follow The Dive Motel and Swim Club on Instagram.
Nashville State on Its Way to Madison
Nashville State Community College (NSCC) recently announced they will begin offering evening classes at Hunters Lane High School in Madison starting this fall. The classes are the first step toward the new Madison campus of Nashville State, set to open in 2021.
According to a press release from NSCC, seven evening classes, including courses in English, Business, and English for speakers of other languages, will be offered at Hunters Lane High School starting in August with plans to add more based on demand. Classes will be held Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights.
The Madison campus will be located on property that was the former home of Rivergate Toyota, 1520 Gallatin Pike. Scheduled to open in 2021, the 36,750 square foot facility will be the seventh satellite location for Nashville State.
Hunters Lane High School is located at 1150 Hunters Lane. For more information about the NSCC Madison campus or classes at Hunters Lane, call 615.780.2760, email madisoncampus@nscc.edu, or visit the NSCC website.
I-24 Though East Nashville Closed This Weekend
A reminder the Tennessee Department of Transportation will temporarily close a portion of Interstate 24 through East Nashville for bridge repair this weekend, Friday, Aug. 2 at 9 p.m. through Monday, Aug. 5 at 5 a.m. I-24 will be closed from I-40 at the Silliman Evans Bridge to the junction with I-65. Traffic will be detoured to I-40 and I-65. East Nashville traffic will be able to access local routes to cross the Cumberland River, including Shelby Avenue and Main, Woodland, and Spring Streets.
Access to current construction activity reports and live streaming feeds form SmartWay traffic cameras are available at TNSmartWay.com/Traffic or on Twitter @TN511. Information is also available by dialing 511 from any land-line or cellular phone.
Quick Bits
- The property currently occupied by A-1 Used Cars at 1308 Dickerson Pike recently sold to St. Joseph Properties LLC for $1.2 million according to a story in the Nashville Post. While no plans for the property have been announced yet, the Memphis-based St. Joseph Properties has previously partnered with Richland Building Partners to construct townhomes on Charlotte Avenue in West Nashville and on Eight Avenue South near Melrose.
- Local funksters LUTHI will be appearing at the Fire on the Water festival in Gallatin, Tennessee this Saturday, Aug. 3. Check out the lowdown on the local band’s cosmic blend of groovy, danceable rock, and electronica in this exclusive online feature.
- Tired of the constant parade of the atrocities in the national news? Look no further than your own front yard for a tonic. Check out this recent East Side story of how simply stopping to converse with a neighbor can transform lives in a Purposeful Community.
