Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” It is beginning to look like Nashvillians will have no real choice when they cast their August 2 ballots for the city’s next mayor. The closing date for candidates to file their papers is noon April 5, and, so far, no strong candidates have risen to challenge interim Mayor David Briley. Consequently, there is no different vision for the city. Briley is about continuity and carrying forward the vision Megan Barry and the business leaders and developers cast for the city. No one seems to question if Megan Barry’s vision for the city was what native Nashvillians needed or wanted. This is unfortunate because it deprives voters of an opportunity to hear competing ideas about what kind of city Nashville should be, how fast it should grow, and what, if any, responsibilities we owe to native Nashvillians who find the city they love unaffordable. In 2017, a financial and planning website, GoBankingRates, applied a cost-of-living index comparing cities and found Nashville had the greatest increase in cost and that it would take an income of $70,150 to live comfortably in the city. Meanwhile, U.S. Census data from 2016 placed…
Read the full storyCarol Swain Commentary: Nashville Needs a Choice, Not an Echo, in Mayoral Election
