Franklin elections: Ken Moore defeats Gabrielle Hanson in mayoral race; incumbent aldermen see success

Craig Shoup, Gabrielle Chenault and Nicole Young, Nashville Tennessean
Updated ·3 min read
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I Voted stickers await those who cast their votes at Volunteer State Community College.

Incumbent Franklin Mayor Ken Moore has defeated controversial challenger Gabrielle Hanson after Tuesday's city election, according to final results from the Williamson County Election Commission.

Residents also voted to keep two incumbent aldermen seated on Franklin's board. Another incumbent alderman was running unopposed, and a new alderman was selected to fill Hanson's seat, which she gave up to run for mayor.

Moore took home 12,822 votes to Hanson's 3,322 to retain his position.

Incumbent Alderman Brandy Blanton defeated challenger Gary Moore by a vote of 10,946 to 4,666 for seat B. Greg Caesar will take over Hanson's former post in seat C, securing 10,336 votes to Patrick George's 4,249 and BK Muvvala's 825. And incumbent Alderman Ann Petersen defeated challenger Jeff Feldman by a vote of 10,961 to 4,243 for seat D.

An early lead for mayor

The evening started strong for Moore, who jumped out to a commanding lead with the release of the early vote totals about a half hour after polls closed in Franklin. He secured 8,364 early votes to Hanson's 1,799, the election commission reported.

It was the conclusion of a race that captured national attention.

Hanson stirred up controversy throughout her campaign by making unfounded claims regarding the motive in the Nashville Covenant School shooting, sending an email to Nashville International Airport criticizing donations they made in support of a Juneteenth celebration and declining to denounce Nazis during an October board meeting.

She also admitted on social media to being arrested on a charge of promoting prostitution in Dallas in the mid-1990s.

She hoped to unseat Moore by running on a platform of transparency and family values. She noted in an Oct. 2 candidate forum that the mayor should set the tone of the city.

Moore said in that same forum that he's been setting the tone for the last 12 years. He explained that, sometimes, his job is to be more of a public relations person than a mayor.

During his campaign, Moore touted his work in office, saying he has a goal of making Franklin a hub for regional transportation.

Both candidates agreed that the mayor needs to unite Franklin's diverse population, but they differed on how the city could go about attracting new businesses, among other topics.

What about the aldermen?

Franklin's election cycle may have been dominated by the contentious mayoral race between Moore and Hanson, but four candidates found success in the city's at-large alderman races.

In addition to Blanton, Caesar and Petersen, Clyde Barnhill was elected to the city's board Tuesday. An incumbent, Barnhill ran unopposed for seat A.

All of the candidates, win or lose, agreed during their campaigns that Franklin could use a new City Hall, preferably by the police station, to open up additional revenue streams by using the current City Hall in downtown Franklin as a venue.

While Caesar was in favor of the infrequent use of tax incentives to attract companies like In-N-Out Burger, candidates Muvvala, Gary Moore and Feldman opposed them completely.

Incumbents Petersen and Blanton approved of using tax incentives to attract businesses and voted in favor of the In-N-Out Burger deal.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Franklin elections results: Ken Moore defeats Gabrielle Hanson for mayor