Forum rebroadcast will air Friday, June 8 at 7:30; Saturday, June 10 at 2:30 pm, I believe these were the times announced for the 50+ airing of this debate if you want to see it.
I will slide in with my thoughts as soon as I finish a few other duties, but I would love to have a number of your reactions here first.
4 comments:
Great forum last night and excellent job by you. Here was my take. I hadn't seen these candidates together yet and was somewhat surprised by their performance.
Clement: For a guy who's been in politics the last 30 years, he seemed really off his game. On the question about siding with development or open space folks, Clement totally ignored it and instead gave us a 2 minute ramble about his years in Congress. It was awful.
Not sure if he was avoiding the premise because he's so pro-development or what?
Dozier: I remember the Buck that ran for at-large in 2003. This Buck seems very different. Back then he always seemed to play the values issue and really seemed to ride an anti-gay sentiment and Marsha Blackburn type conservatism to the fullest. Not so much anymore. Now he's dropping Phil Bredesen's name in every answer. Smart, yes. But I'm still not sure who this guy really is.
There's like two Buck Doziers. the Mayoral candidate and the Council At-Large Buck
Gentry: I like his fire. He needs to tighten his closing. His I can talk about "How smart I am" approach in the end made little sense and the guy appreared to be mad about something??
Dean: Dean just seemed consistent. He had an excellent close that touched on how he's not promisng the world in this campaign, not promisng to create new offices or departments etc. Which is good.
He dealt with the reality of the fact that Metro may have a real budget crunch in the coming years. It was good to see honesty about that. Doesn't appear like a polish politician who is trying to tell you everything you want to hear
Sounds like he has a nice background to deal with crime and safety issues. He handles questions about not being a native Nashvillean and his public defender background well.
Not sure I knew he was a public defender. That scored points with me. Thats a very honorable career decision and one that takes a lot of guts, especially when big Law Firms are likely offering you more lucrative and less stressful gigs.
Briley: This guy is the rebel of the group. I'd love him in Congress with someone like Steve Cohen...giving the TN delegation some real fire and hardcore liberalism.
He doesnt backdown from a challenge and is geniuely concerned about the environment. He makes a good point in that we gotta save this open and green space now or the opportunity may be lost forever.
My biggest worry is his mangement skills. Briley has not seemed to work very well with others on the council, so I fear gridlock if elected Mayor. But sometimes thats whats needed? clinton and Republican congress did some good things in the late 90s sans that impeachment debacle.
So as for me, I'd say dean and Briley shoot to the top of the list. I'm still going to give Clement a chance.
He can't be that bad can he? The guy has run for nearly every office in this state and has a wealth of experience.
Never have been much of a Dozier guy. Didn't like his "wedge" approach in 03. Gentry seems like a good guy, but I just dont see how he can win.
Sorry, I keep on making mistakes, I'm typing too fast..lol..
The forum was great! My response is long overdue but I have some free time on my hands.
The winner of this debate in my opinion was Karl Dean because of his consistency. However, David Briley did a wonderful job answering the questions in a clear and concise way.
Before I begin to give my take on the candidates, I'm very hesistant abut supporting conservative candidates. Socially, I'm liberal yet I tend to be a moderate on fiscal policies. Overall, I'm more in sync with a liberal and/or progressive candidate.
Reflections on the individual candidates:
Clement: He seems to be running on his name. Lil 'Bob can't articulate his positions on issues without disgressing on other "non-topical" matters. Seriously, who cares about what "he" did in Washington? There are 435 members of Congress; I'm pretty sure he made a big impact,psyche...btw..he seems to be too cozy with developers.
Gentry: I like the guy. Yet, his vote against the sexual orientation bill in 2003 still bugs me to this day. I don't want Nashville's next mayor to be exclusionary towards his constituents due to their lifestyle choices. Sexual orientation should be a protected class in the Metro Government.
His "Believe" theme is great but it seems a bit too superficial.
Has anyone watched Channel 3 lately? This guy can't even run the Metro Council...scary
Yet, overall he's still likeable.
Karl Dean: This guy has a vision for Nashville. Too bad he has to compete with Lil 'Bob for name recognition. He knows about the complexities of the city's legal affairs, which is a plus. Similarly, he was a public defender. That gives him leeway in addressing societal problems such as unemployment and poverty. To me, he comes off as a modest liberal. Karl is not so much an intellectual firebrand like David Briley. His modesty is alright, yet I want him to have a bolder vision for the city.
David Briley: Liberal, capital "L" to the fullest. He told the neighborhood association that he's more inclined to be pro-neighborhoods. That sucks for the developers. However, I think it's important for Nashville to increase population density in the urban core. He supports sustainable development. I like that. David also answers questions too.
Dozier: He is too conservative for me. The guy is so out of it when it comes to the concerns of Nashvillians living in poverty and despair. He didn't believe that gentrification was causing poor inner-city residents to leave their homes. That's a fact in North and East Nashville, near the central business district. Furthermore, he's too cozy with the Police Department, not good.
Nashville needs progressive leadership, not some evangelical-agenda running the show.
btw...Kenneth Eaton should've been included in this debate. We should be inclusive to all, regardless of their fundraising capabilities.
Rasha' Harvey
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