By Rosetta Miller Perry
While the Tribune always acknowledge and embraces the right of any and all concerned individuals who consider themselves qualified to run for office, we also want to see a degree of stability and order in the process. The people who oppose Black progress are certainly unified. They are organized, and they co-ordinate their campaigns with this racist republican widespread gerrymandering. It is being spearheaded by white racist led legislators whose only glory on Sunday morning is to pray to the white master that they can keep turning the hate clock back.
This makes it even more important that those seats, where the Black community is assured of representation, are not affected by confusion and disorder. Unfortunately, that’s what seems to be happening in the upcoming primary for the seat that is being vacated by the Honorable State Senator Brenda Gilmore. She’s responsible for some of this by her actions in initially trying to annoint her successor rather than simply retiring.
The Tribune is not here to tell people who to support. We simply want to see a candidate elected that puts the interests of the community ahead of their personal ambition.
Those running for office now include Democratic candidates , Charlane Oliver, co-founder of Equity Alliance, Atty. Jerry Maynard, former council member, founder, The Maynard Group, former Council At-Large member, former General Counsel, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, and former Deputy Chairman, Tennessee Democratic Party. Ludye N. Wallace, Wallace and Associates, former council member, Former President of the NAACP, Nashville and one of Nashville’s longest serving Civil Rights Activist as well as Rossi Turner, artistic director/choreographer at Rossi Turner Productions, Republican candidate Pime Hernandze and Barry Barlow.
We need one good public debate with all the candidates assembled. We also urge each candidate to submit to the Tennessee Tribune his or her platform.
The district is located entirely within Tennessee’s 5th congressional district, and overlaps with the 50th, 51st, 52nd, 54th, 55th, 58th, and 59th districts of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
The voters need honest, transparent candidates, sharing with us their political insight and knowledge about the area they wish to represent and citizens they seek to represent. Nashvillians will not condone politicians who plan to just conduct business as usual, they demand a real change. Nashvillians demand that housing in our neighborhoods need more improvement with some of that money floating out there for those majority folks who build their $400,000 tall skinnies on either side of a 2 bedroom house that has been in the neighborhood for more than 50 years with a paid mortgage.
So to those running, this is no time for anyone more interested in ego fulfillment and profiteering than helping the community. There are too many folks like that already in government at all levels. There is such widespread cynicism throughout our neighborhoods because in too many instances (though certainly not all) voters don’t see any tangible returns for their support. Most candidates when in office refuse to even answer a telephone call.
We urge everyone to get out and vote in the August 4 primary for the candidate of your choice, and the Tribune also encourages all candidates to use this time to let the community know exactly who you are, what you believe, what you would do in office if elected. Most importantly why should you be our choice in this most critical period. A critical question is how do you plan to help senior citizens remain in their homes in North Nashville surrounded by 1/2 million dollar homes?