font-size: 0.9em; Read more. Getting a dividend from our growth means including affordable housing as part of every development Metro incentivizes. } Nashville Mayor John Cooper sent letters to both the Republican and Democratic parties expressing interest in the city playing host to the 2028 national political conventions. background-color: #6db24f; This is an administration that seeks to avoid transparency. My business experience and my time on the council have given me the skills and the knowledge to do better for our taxpayers. It means ensuring that locals benefit from jobs being brought here, not just new arrivals. The men and women who are already serving us deserve a pay raise too. float: right; [6], Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update. And our urban core is surrounded by the federally designated Promise Zone to the north, east, and south. Consolidating transportation functions that currently exist within Metro as well as bringing some contracted work back in-house would increase efficiency and cohesion of our transportation work. In response, Mayor Briley announced that he was hitting the pause button on his parking plan. I will conduct performance audits of metro departments and agencies to increase transparency of how our tax dollars are being spent and identify areas for improvement. } font-size: 12px; There were good elements in last years plan and we largely know what needs to be done. } color: #888; As Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper prepares to rule on Florida's mask mandate ban in public schools @GovRonDeSantis says he'll appeal an unfavorable decision: pic.twitter.com . The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. .race_header.green { The building sits adjacent to a parking lot that was central to city halls proposed Church Street Park land swap. At the same time Mayor Briley was patching a budget hole with ill-advised one-time property sales, his administration steered ten acres at the Fairgrounds into private hands. I am most passionate about responsible public finance. background-color: #f4f4f4; Policing is a difficult and noble profession. Pedestrian deaths are on the rise; 62 pedestrians have been killed in the last 3 years. .indicate_scroll { Changing to a grid system and increasing the frequency of buses on key routes enabled Brampton, Ontarios bus system to double ridership within 12 years. width: 150px; What would you like to see Metro do to improve your experience moving throughout the county? In 2017, Metro sold the historic Ben West Library building and only got $2 million. .votebox_bp_logo { The city of Nashville, Tennessee, held nonpartisan elections for mayor and metro council on August 6, 2015. .widget-row.Republican { The most important job for the Mayor of Nashville is managing the budget. [5], .survey-result {padding:10px;} With your help and support, we can create a city that works for everyone. Setting goals begins with listening. Our notion of public safety should include pedestrian and driver safety. Cooper's decision to replace a Republican judge with a Democrat could be interpreted as a politically charged move. Nashville should work with residents and businesses to invest in and expand our parks system. left: 0px; Preserving existing affordable housing is much more cost effective. Vice-Mayor David Briley stayed silent. Private developers, not the public, were the winners. } Enhance our neighborhoods through increased access to parks. .infobox p { As Metro Parks noted in their 2017 Plan to Play master plan, our parks system is unusually dependent on a single source of funding compared to park systems in our peer cities. Misplaced priorities and missed opportunities arent the only problems. I read that she's a registered Republican in Texas. I am a supporter of collective impact programs like Community Achieves, which has brought community partners into 22 MNPS schools to focus on improving family engagement, college and career readiness, health, and social services. As a council member, I created the Blue Ribbon Commission to identify $20 million in savings for Metro Government. U.S. President | Then, in his first State of Metro speech, Mayor Briley urged belt-tightening to explain taking away employee cost of living raises. So do our workforce and lower income residents. I will provide robust support for the Blue Ribbon Commission to identify savings and revenue opportunities. font-size: 1.2em; Gender Male. It is important to remember that we need both effective public housing as well as privately developed affordable housing for the community. color: white; margin-bottom: 1px; Weve created a lot of growth but the growth has increased rents and priced people out of their neighborhoods. Our sewer and stormwater systems, roads, sidewalks and intersections are key components of economic and community development. The 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report showed that the fund balance was, in fact, at 5.5% at the end of June 2018, well above the 5 percent threshold. font-size: 2em; Over half of MNPS students are economically disadvantaged, and many students have been affected by challenges such as trauma, violence, and food or housing insecurity. } His father, Prentice Cooper, served as the governor of Tennessee for three terms, and his brother, Jim Cooper is a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. Here is how Mayor Brileys $750 million headline number breaks out: In short, the mayors supposedly three-quarter billion dollar housing investment is made up of unsecured promises for private contributions and a reframing of pre-existing funding and development plans. With my deep background in development, I know that an experienced team can leverage tax credits for preservation. I have always prioritized green space in my real estate development work because I know how critical it is for a citys health and the health of future generations. Strengthen community policing. I will start by listening to the residents of this city. Our parks department provides much more than access to green space. Addressing the costs of growth by focusing on our economic and community development efforts on people and not just buildings. Giving the abatement on top of TIF created an unusual circumstance in which the Omni development doesnt pay back its own TIF loan. Affordable Housing: font-weight: bold; Ill put taxpayers first when it comes to negotiating development deals. text-align: left !important; Before we can talk about neighborhoods, we must deal with housing. Jan 20. The next iteration also had serious problems. CB Rank (Person) 235. We know where the problems in our neighborhoods are; Nashville needs a mayor who will address them. We can obtain additional revenue from tourism and development. Private developers, not the public, were the winners. He worked long hours weighing the evidence and. Scooters need to be effectively regulated, and that starts with enforcing existing regulations. color: #6db24f; My administration will listen to your ideas and concerns, and propose a plan to directly address those ideas and concerns. font-size: .9em; width: 250px; With access to a $25 million revolving housing fund, community development corporations and other builders will be able to access approximately $250 million in funding from banks and other lenders to build affordable housing. This mayors budget underfunds WeGo by $8.7 million. Id like to hear your thoughts and ideas. Without a course adjustment, we risk leaving our neighbors further behind. As mayor, I will lead the way in establishing a $25 million revolving loan fund for affordable housing that can be seeded with a $10 million investment from Metro. It is time to assess how all this growth has served us. I helped lead the successful effort to stop the city from selling a large portion of one of our most significant historic sites, Fort Negley, which was once the home of thousands of black refugees during the Civil War. As a former banker and a long-time businessman, Ill do the math to make sure developments benefit taxpayers. It is my goal to make Nashville a city that works for everyone. Cities | As of April 24, 2019, 31 sworn officers have resigned from the force this year. The Music City Center does not pay property taxes; perhaps it should before we raise residents property taxes. word-wrap: break-word; The Hon. How to vote | Our issued and obligated debt per capita has almost doubled since 2015, even accounting for our population growth. "I have a real love of Puritans and that . Cooper is the 29th Democratic House incumbent to announce retirement in the run-up to the midterms. That means targeted marketing and reaching out to HBCUs and minority police officer associations. margin-bottom: 0; Professor John Cooper KC has one of the most high-profile practices at the Bar. In short, this administration is faking it. } It also provides over 1200 programs a week across the city, including sports, special events, arts, fitness, nature, and history activities. Community-wide cooperation. Infrastructure: Better management of taxpayer money will free up resources for priorities like education and infrastructure. What improvements would you like to see in your neighborhood? Ill direct Parks to develop new ways to receive feedback, including working with neighborhood advisory groups to solicit input. }. [10] Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs. John Cooper defeated incumbent David Briley in the general runoff election for Mayor of Nashville on September 12, 2019. | City hall has sold land with its right hand and awarded it away with its left. NEIGHBORHOODS Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper, pictured in the bottom left panel, presides over a virtual hearing Thursday in a lawsuit over school masks. .widget-row.value-only.black { My business background makes me uniquely situated to take on this challenge. We need to fully staff the police department and our E-911 call center and embrace a shift to community policing. Metro Government has invested heavily in downtown development in recent years, yet has lost its focus on the citys essential responsibilities. It saw an immediate increase in bus ridership and decreases in trip times. Briley wants to give the impression that he is hard at work addressing the affordable housing crisis through his Under One Roof affordable housing proposal. .percentage_number { Metros TIF Study & Formulating Committee report from May 2019 stated, there is no written strategy or policy in Nashville about when or how to use TIF on affordable housing projects. As mayor, I will define a strategy. [2], Cooper was mayor of Nashville during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. . Let me give you an example of why leadership from the Mayors Office matters on these important safety issues. } Meanwhile, Metro built parking spaces for private developments downtown for well over $45,000 per space. I was surprised to see a recent report by the Trust for Public Land that ranked our park system 54th in the country, far behind cities such as Raleigh, Austin, and Atlanta. The Year of the Rabbit represents new beginnings and the renewal of good health, happiness, and fortune. Christian Cooper (no relation), a Black man and a bird-watcher, asked Amy to leash her dog. And I also opposed Mayor Brileys proposal to auction off Edgehill Community Memorial Park, which includes the land where the folk art sculptor William Edmonson lived. Judge John Cooper appears to be a democrat and a supporter of the Democratic Party. Metro has 1,900 miles of streets without sidewalks, and the WalkNBike plan identified 91 miles of high priority streets. } As mayor, I will prioritize investments in human capital through education in order to ensure that everyone benefits from Nashvilles growth by bringing educations share of the budget to the level of our peers. For many years, Nashville has used hot spot policing. As your mayor, my door will be open. John C. Cooper is a Circuit Judge for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida in Leon County. I will focus on expanding Nashvilles greenway system and the sidewalks and bikeways that connect our neighborhoods to the greenways in order to provide better and broader access to recreation and to encourage alternative transportation. font-size: 16px; background-color: #003388; .image-candidate-thumbnail-wrapper { overflow-x: auto; But how are Nashvilles residents doing? They encourage people to get out, exercise, and know their neighborhoods. My transportation plan will include funding for sidewalks because we cant have an effective transportation system without them. Voters overwhelmingly decided that last years transit plan wasnt the right plan for Nashville right now. } Despite the challenges, there is much to celebrate about our school system. Upgrade our bus system. Cutting routes and increasing fares harm those who rely on public transportation in this city. The developer paid MDHA $9.4 million, but the land was actually worth many millions more, perhaps double. Neighborhood residents should have a say in determining what activities their local parks will need. .widget-value { Mayor Brileys current budget proposal amazingly does not include any new funds for the Barnes Fund, certainly not $5 million a year. Not surprisingly, half of all renters and a quarter of all homeowners now spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Nashvilles future depends on the quality of education we provide to our students today. I realize that it is not enough to say that we believe in the power of education; we must make the investments in human capital to ensure that all students can make the lives they want and fully participate in our city.
} We will do the hard work because we care about our neighbors, our neighborhoods, and in creating conditions that allow us all to call Nashville home. This is a problem. He claims. He steered ten acres of public land at the Fairgrounds to private development. Our city ranks poorly on intergenerational mobility, which is a measure of the percentage of those born into the bottom 20 percent of incomes make it to the top 20 percent. The Barnes Fund has done great work, but the funding is too unpredictable from year to year. The two remained friends in spite of being from different political parties and were often spotted together in the Washington D.C. social scene. How can we make Nashville a better place for you and your family? It was later revealed that Mayor Briley had given merit pay raises to his personal staff. Nashville taxes then paid to build a $34 million parking garage on the site for the developer. Last year, we had nearly twice the number of 13-year-olds charged with violent crimes than in the year before. left: 0; Better management of taxpayer money will free up resources for priorities like education and infrastructure. The propertys true value was many times that. } We need to find better ways to communicate and work with homeowners and renters who are experiencing housing instability. 3. That is all money that could have gone to affordable housing. I am honored to be endorsed by the political committee affiliated with the Coalition of Nashville Neighborhoods: the Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund. State legislature | In consultation with our police department, I will also direct our department to identify proven, evidence-based programs to target our most serious challenges, such as gun violence. He was previously a senator from Kentucky as a Republican from 1952 to 1954; and a senator from Kentucky as a Republican from 1946 to 1948. Creating a Metro DOT was one of the recommendations within the Nashville Community Transportation Platform. The existing network needs to be maintained and expanded. Nashville has focused on one half of the growth equation: buildings and economic incentives. Yet in 2015, Metro sold the property to a developer for a mere $5 million due at closing plus $6.25 million over 25 years. The Mayors Office has seemingly politicized the operations of the Metro Finance Department. Elected officials need to understand public perception of safety and policing. In effect, Metro is paying to help build a development and secure the tenant of a lifetime for the developer. .inner_percentage, .inner_percentage.Nonpartisan, .inner_percentage.Independent, .inner_percentage.Constitution, .inner_percentage.unknown { This is short-term thinking at its worst. Relations: $1,000: 02/23/2004: P: REPUBLICAN PARTY OF . Last year, Mayor Briley supported a transit plan that cost too much and delivered too little. Ive consistently favored the good management approach over a sizable property tax increase. Also in 2017, the Metro Development and Housing Agency sold 2.76 acres south of Broadway at the Rolling Mill Hill development. font-size: 12px; I invite you to share what youd like to see moving forward so we can continue this discussion. Cooper's current term ends in 2023. Cooper ran for election for Mayor of Nashville in Tennessee. Many people and organizations are playing a role in connecting residents to opportunities. max-width: 75px; } vertical-align: top; A Democrat, he served as a councilman at-large on the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County from 2015 until 2019. width: 250px; } text-align: center; padding-top: 8px; [2], .votebox { Electoral history [ edit] 2012 Arkansas House of Representatives [ edit] After consulting with residents and with police leadership, I will ask the police chief to set specific goals for reducing crime, reducing unnecessary uses of force, and improving public levels of satisfaction with the police. His first job came on Wall. Lets actually listen to the requests of those who use public transportation by having buses run more frequently and extend the hours buses operate. That requires targeted investments in neighborhoods that havent seen meaningful investment in generations. Without programs that make it possible for small businesses to continue, we risk losing the foundation of what makes our city and neighborhoods unique. It is clear that Nashville would benefit from a move to more of a grid model as well, with more cross-town and connector routes. This requires investment in human capital. Furthermore, Mayor Brileys staff retaliated against a member of the press by removing him from their press communications list. overflow-y: hidden; padding:7px 8px 8px; Restoring Trust: For the Florida Legislature to function fairly, efficiently, and transparently, there are rules and procedures in place for lawmakers to follow when conducting the people's business. That is worrisome. We should celebrate that! City leaders have been exceptionally creative with financing deals to help private developers, but that creativity and dedication is missing in action when it comes time to fund our schools, take care of our employees and create affordable housing. We must rebuild and restore public trust to ensure we are able to carry out these plans that support our neighborhoods. Building out high quality infrastructure is one of the best ways to foster good growth. I commit to creating and publishing a public engagement plan for transportation planning, something the current Mayor has not done. John C. Cooper $19,100 Total Contributions. Neighborhoods need infrastructure too. .votebox-results-cell--number { The Mayor of Nashville needs to be a financial manager with experience in long-term capital planning, and that why I am the right Mayor for Nashville right now. margin-bottom:0px; max-height: 580px; We need transportation improvements that allow residents to get around the county better and experience all that Nashville has to offer. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. Parking meters arent the only issue over which his administration has thrown a veil of secrecy. Mayor Barry rightly made sidewalks a priority, but there is room for improvement in a system that still only has 16.2 miles of projects in progress.