Nashville, TN – Nashville community and non-profit leader, Gicola Lane, has officially announced her candidacy for Nashville Metro Council At-Large. With open seats on the council, Lane said it is the perfect opportunity for a hardworking, community-centered, and never-say-quit attitude leader, like herself, to lead Nashville into a new era.
“Nashville needs fresh leadership that has a strong grasp of the issues facing Nashville’s residents. With my experience solving complex, large-scale problems with compassion and empathy, I’m the next generation of leadership we need on the Metro Council. It’s time to build a Nashville that’s for the many, not the few,” Lane said.
An East Nashville native, Gicola’s activism began at age 14, working to raise awareness about predatory lending practices as a youth mobilizer at Community Impact. When her uncle was killed by a police officer 20 years ago, she was moved to advocate for other families with similar experiences. A graduate of Stratford High School and Clark Atlanta University, Lane worked in the banking industry in Nashville for 7 years. She realized she wanted to do more for her community and with that in mind returned to East Nashville, working as the Family Resource Center Director at the Martha O’Bryan Center where she attended growing up. Her tenure there led her to an even deeper commitment to serve. Gicola now helps run Free Hearts, a local organization providing support, education, and advocacy to primary caregivers and families impacted by incarceration.
Gicola also led the recent successful Amendment 1 campaign in Nashville which established the city’s first Community Oversight Board. She is an alumna of Emerge Tennessee, New Leaders Council, and Nashville Emerging Leaders. Most recently Gicola was awarded the Ella Baker “Eyes on the Prize” award from the Nashville NAACP during their 100 year anniversary celebration.
Her priorities are trust and transparency, redefining justice and public safety, and creating equity in housing, education, and employment. She plans to do this by requiring city contracts and development projects be held to a high standard of transparency and oversight. She will push for funding of community-led organizations that work on anti-violence and assist at-risk youth and their families with interventions. She will fight for more equitable investments in housing projects, propose an anti-displacement plan, full funding of our schools, higher teacher pay to keep our best educators here, and pursue policies that expand job opportunities for all and protect workers from unfair public sector practices .
Lane has appointed longtime Nashville Attorney Joy Kimbrough to serve as her campaign treasurer. For more information and details visit GicolaLane.com
