On the campaign trail: Attack ads and candidates' takes on stadium, racetrack

As early voting enters its second week, Freddie O'Connell and Alice Rolli are ramping up their final pushes to become Nashville's next mayor.

Last week brought a flood of attack ads against O'Connell, paid for by a political action committee that also released ads in support of Rolli during the general election in August.

Here's what to know.

PAC ads on the attack

The Save Nashville PAC has launched a new ad campaign supporting Rolli, but this time, they're on the attack.

The PAC last week bought $88,000 of television time for an ad labeling O'Connell as "another lying politician," challenging O'Connell's statement that he will "invest in our police, fire, teachers and public health professionals." The ad says crime is surging and O'Connell "pushed to defund Nashville's police by $7 million" and voted against license plate readers.

O'Connell proposed a substitute budget in 2020 that aimed to reduce a looming property tax increase by making non-personnel cuts to several city departments, including the Metro Nashville Police Department. Metro Council did not approve O'Connell's substitute, instead passing a budget that increased property taxes by 34% — a tax increase that Rolli has criticized throughout her campaign. Funding for Nashville's police department has increased nearly every year for the past eight years.

Crime rate data from 1963 through mid-2023 indicates crime is trending downward overall, though recent data shows an uptick in vehicle thefts.

O'Connell did vote against the approval of a countywide expansion of Nashville's license plate reader program following the conclusion of the city's 6-month pilot of the technology, citing a lack of conversation about "major concerns" from multiple organizations representing minority communities in Nashville, particularly about the placement of cameras during the pilot.

“LPRs in particular … (are) something that I think can be responsibly implemented in the city with additional guardrails," he said during a debate hosted by The Tennessean and several partner organizations at Belmont University on Thursday.

The ad spot urges voters to cast their ballots for Rolli for "lower crime, lower taxes."

Rolli has pledged not to raise taxes should she win the election but confirmed Monday she did not say she would lower taxes.

"It's not my claim, it's not my ad," she said, adding that it is "not my job to police them or fix this."

Digital ads posted on social media claim O'Connell is "killing Nashville tourism one party at a time" and criticize his work in launching regulations for party vehicles.

A mailer paid for by the PAC similarly claims Nashville crime is rising and attacks O'Connell's approach.

The flyer features a red-tinted image of a crying woman. It features a quote asserting "the rapid growth of crime in Nashville is startling," sourced from an opinion article written by former mayoral candidate Stephanie Johnson, published in The Tennessean in March. Johnson joined Rolli's campaign team following the Aug. 3 general election.

O'Connell's campaign released its newest television ad last week. Rolli recently released a 90-second digital ad on her campaign website but has not yet purchased any television ad spots during the runoff campaign.

Quick quotes: Sports venue deals

Titans stadium deal

O'Connell and Rolli sparred over the deal to build a new Tennessee Titans stadium during the Nashville Mayoral Debate on Thursday. O'Connell has emphasized his opposition to the deal throughout his campaign (out of the initial field of 12 mayoral candidates, only he and former mayoral candidate Jim Gingrich vocally opposed the deal).

O'Connell: "Alice uncritically supported the stadium deal from its outset. I fought with Council members to makesure that at least we got a modest return on public investment.… It was the largest public subsidy for astadium in the history of sports in America, and I think that's not exactly a great example of fiscalresponsibility. Now the deal is done. We did get a return, thanks to the work directly done by MetroCouncil, and one of the pieces of the deal that was actually very successful is the East Bank Vision Plan.... I think ourmeasure of success for how the entire East Bank comes together around the new stadium.... is how have we done on the affordability measures there?"

Rolli: "I just need to correct one thing... Alice is not a part of the Metro City Council, and yourMetro City Council, two thirds of them voted in favor of the Titans. I see the role of the tenth mayor astaking the baton for our city and looking forward. The front windshield is twice as large as the back. Sothat decision has been made. My job is to be the Chief Revenue Officer to get those cash registers goingto get the money here for our schools and not to spend a lot of time litigating who voted for what."

More: Nashville mayoral candidates Freddie O'Connell, Alice Rolli weigh in on East Bank redevelopment

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway

A pending deal with Bristol Motor Speedway to overhaul Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway is on hold until the next mayor and council take office. The deal would lease the track to Bristol for 30 years, and the company would oversee a renovation and the construction of a new 30,000-seat grandstand with a sound wall. Public dollars from the state, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. and Metro Sports Authority revenue bonds would cover the cost of the estimated $100 million project.

Rolli: "I am supportive of the Metro Charter... which says that we will have racing at the speedway," Rolli said. She spoke in support of the deal at a public meeting in July. Regarding the concerns of residents in surrounding neighborhoods, Rolli said, "I am sympathetic, I live close by, I can hear the racing and the noise. But I would also say that if you locate your house next to a train track, you cannot complain when the train comes. There is always going to be racing at the fairgrounds. We can make it safer, we can make it less noisy and we can also bring to bear a creative approach to make sure that we can do it in a financially responsible way."

O'Connell: O'Connell said he has not yet reviewed the proposal with a high level of scrutiny because there was not enough time remaining in the council term for thorough consideration. "As someone who grew up hearing the sounds of the speedway from my parents' house in West Nashville, I think the speedway is actually a great characteristic of our more than a century old fairgrounds. I think the question going forward is going to be how to honor the speedway, make responsible investments and make sure we are addressing as thoroughly as possible community concerns."

Major League Baseball

After reports that the Chicago White Sox are potentially considering a move after their current stadium lease expires in six years, rumors hinted Nashville could be a new home to the Major League Baseball team. Nashville officials said the city has not had any discussions with the team.

O'Connell and Rolli responded to a question about the potential of Major League Baseball in Nashville at a Rotary Club meeting Monday morning.

O'Connell: "I would be delighted to entertain a conversation with anybody who wants to fully privately fund our next public entertainment facility."

Rolli: "I think we've got to get busy opening up our next stadium, getting the cash registers going. And I join the councilman in his position: If you want to come with the plan and need help finding a place to put it, and pay for it, go right ahead. We're not going to stop another sports team, but I don't see a public appetite at this moment for that."

Early voting kicks off

A total of 10,662 voters have cast their ballots since early voting started on Aug. 25. Early voting runs through Sept. 9, and election day is Sept. 14.

The Green Hills Library early voting location has seen the most votes cast at 1,666. Belle Meade City Hall, Bellevue Library and the Edmondson Pike Library have each tallied around 1,300 ballots.

More endorsements roll out

A group of Nashville musicians led by artist Ruby Amanfu have joined the Nashville Justice League in endorsing O'Connell for mayor.

The group includes Alex Wong, Allison Russell, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Brittney Spencer, Brothers Osborne, Butch Walker, Butterfly Boucher, Cassadee Pope, Devon Gilfillian, Emmylou Harris, Fancy Hagood, Jason Eskridge, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Katie Herzig, Ketch Secor, Lucie Silvas, Maren Morris, Molly Tuttle, Morgxn, Amanfu, Sistastrings, Tommy Prine, Fiona Prine and Will Hoge.

The Tennessee Democratic Party announced its endorsement of O'Connell on Sunday. Rolli received an endorsement from the Davidson County Republican Party early in her campaign.

The Metro Nashville Public Schools board also endorsed O'Connell last week. Rolli has been endorsed by former school board member and former mayoral candidate Fran Bush.

The Buffalo PAC, a nonpartisan group of African American business and civic leaders, endorsed O'Connell Monday, citing his "dedication to early education, Nashville's HBCU Institutions, affordable housing and commitment to supporting Black small business."

Nashville mayoral election: See who has endorsed Freddie O'Connell and Alice Rolli

Dates to know for the Sept. 14 election

• Absentee ballot request deadline: Sept. 7

• Early voting: Aug. 25 through Sept. 9

• Election Day: Sept. 14

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville mayoral election: Ads attack O'Connell, candidates talk stadium