State House Candidate Eva Romero Makes Property Tax Relief Central to Campaign

Kaitlin Housler
Eva Romero

Eva Romero, the Republican nominee for Tennessee House District 60, told The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy in an exclusive interview Tuesday that rising property taxes are threatening residents’ ability to remain in their homes, making property tax relief a central focus of her campaign.

During an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Romero said she entered the race with a commitment to spend her campaign talking directly with residents and advocating for their concerns.

“When I started this journey back in March, I obviously prayed about it, I asked my team, and I said, ‘I’m all in,’” Romero said. “‘I’m not doing this part-time.’ I’m going to talk to as many people, and I’m gonna be advocating for the people of District 60,’ which is Old Hickory, Hermitage, and Donelson.”

Romero, who has worked in real estate for nearly 20 years and also owns a medical business, said property taxes have become one of the most common concerns she hears from both homeowners and small-business owners.

“Taxes. It’s impacting all of us, not only property owners,” Romero said. “So that’s been the biggest thing for me and the biggest—when talking to people from the district and seeing what really truly matters to them, I’ve gotten a lot of support from small businesses.”

She said large increases in property tax bills are creating uncertainty for families and businesses trying to plan financially.

“It creates a lot of unknowns, and nobody likes to live there,” Romero said. “I tell people, a property is a home. It’s a place for stability—and you know what’s coming.”

Romero pointed to the example of a 93-year-old Donelson resident whose property tax bill increased significantly.

“She can’t physically go get another job to pay her tax bill,” Romero said. “These are real stories that I’m hearing in the district—hearing in Davidson County.”

Romero said her central campaign goal is preventing longtime residents from being forced out of their homes because they cannot keep up with rising taxes.

“My biggest platform is allowing people to stay in their homes, not being taxed out of the city,” she said.

Romero is advocating for a 2 percent cap on property tax increases, along with expanded relief for seniors and others living on fixed incomes.

“This is where I stand. I want a cap at no more than 2 percent,” Romero said. “We should be able—every year.”

She also said voters want greater accountability over how tax dollars are spent.

“The biggest thing that I find people say is like, ‘All this increase, where’s the money going?’” Romero said. “Where is it going, and is it going back to my kids’ school? Is it really going to our police department, to our fire department? Where is it going exactly?”

Romero said she has heard similar concerns about representation from homeowners and business owners.

“That’s what I’m hearing when I talk to business owners,” she said. “That’s what I’m hearing with homeowners. Where are we in the picture? Because we feel like we’re not being heard.”

She said residents are also questioning infrastructure and public safety.

“We need better traffic flow and control in our areas,” Romero said, pointing to what she described as unused bike lanes throughout the district. “And we have all these bike lanes that are unused.”

Romero also said schools remain a major concern.

“Our schools should be better. I know they’re improving, but they’re not where they need to be,” she said.

Ultimately, Romero said her campaign is focused on listening to residents before government makes decisions that affect their communities.

“I think it would be wise to listen, to really listen and ask people what they want and they need before you start making these decisions that are impacting our communities,” Romero said. “And we need to do a better job of that, because I know people in my district are not feeling like they’re being heard.”

Romero faces incumbent Democratic State Representative Shaundelle Brooks (D-Hermitage) in the November 3 general election for Tennessee House District 60.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.

 

 

 

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