Learn about candidates running in the Sept. 14 Metro Council At-Large election | Editorial
During the Aug. 3 Nashville municipal election, 21 candidates ran for five Metro Council At-Large spots.
Only one received enough votes to win outright and avoid a runoff: incumbent Zulfat Suara.
Now, eight candidates will compete for the four other seats in the Sept. 14 runoff election.
Voters will also be choosing a new mayor, and residents of Districts 4, 11 and 29 will be picking a new district council member.
The Tennessean Editorial Board has been communicating with candidates for months in order to provide readers with comprehensive information about who they are, why they are running and why they deserve voters' support.
We invited candidates to fill out our questionnaire in which they shared biographical information and answered 12 questions including how they stand out, their views on key issues, and favorite spots to recommend to visitors in Music City. Below find the answers for At-Large Metro Council candidates.
Find more election and opinion articles and videos on tennessean.com/opinion.
Election Guide: Learn about candidates running in Sept. 14 Nashville mayoral runoff election
Election Guide: Learn about candidates running in the Nashville Metro Council runoff for Districts 4, 11 and 29
The history of Nashville-Davidson County's Metro Council
The Metro Council comprises 40 members -- 35 who represent individual districts and five At-Large who are elected countywide by all Nashville voters.
Nashville has the third largest city council in the country, after New York and Chicago, and that is because of a compromise to consolidate county and city governments in a 1962 referendum.
Metro Government officially formed in 1963, and 60 years later, this first experiment in consolidated government persists.
Although the Tennessee General Assembly voted to cut the council in half in 2023, a court ruled in favor of Nashville voters and, at for the next four years, there will be 40 members on the Council.
The Editorial Board comprises Editor-in-Chief Michael A. Anastasi, Opinion and Engagement Director David Plazas, Content Strategist Gary Estwick, Deputy Middle Tennessee Editor Kerri Bartlett and Columnist Cameron Smith. We are not endorsing in the municipal elections. Instead, we are using our platform to inform the public, amplify the conversation and encourage respectful discourse throughout the election.
Key dates:
Aug. 15: Voter registration deadline
Aug. 25-Sept. 9: Early voting
Sept. 7: Deadline to request absentee ballot
Sept. 14: Election Day
-- Source: Davidson County Election Commission
The At-Large Metro Council Candidates in the runoff
Here is who is running. Scroll to read about why they are running and link to their full questionnaire:
Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.
Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.
Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.
Opinion and Engagement Director David Plazas wrote this editorial on behalf of The Tennessean Editorial Board. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Sept. 14 election: Meet Metro Council At-Large candidates
