Bob Clement’s fundraising universe is probably larger in terms of mailing addresses than the number of households his campaign believes the Clement message must touch in Davidson County to win. This can be seen in Clement’s campaign finance disclosures as he has solicited and received contributions from across Middle Tennessee - including Nashville’s donut county neighbors. Being in Congress will mean a lot of people want to be your friend, or, more importantly, want access to you.If Mr. Brewer is correct that many of Bob Clement's friends and patrons live in Williamson, Robertson, and Wilson Counties, then chances are he may be more beholden to them and less beholden to Nashville-Davidson. It means that he may govern more as a Congressman on behalf of the region and less like the Mayor on behalf of Metro.
There is a world of difference politically between Davidson and Williamson Counties, and we need a Nashville Mayor who will put us first. We already have state and federal representatives to take care of the region. Electing Mr. Clement would seem to be a duplication of services.
Complicating matters is the fact that Metro Nashville has a strong executive and a weak Metro Council. As Mayor and old school patron to the exurbs, Mr. Clement could totally override any popular initiative designed to keep Metro resources from aiding the "donut counties" as much as or more than they are helping Metro Nashville.
I am not impressed at all by Mr. Clement's regional reach. I am disturbed by it.
UPDATE: NashPo reports that Mr. Clement has raised over $1,250,000 in campaign contributions. The donut counties have made him a mayoral-campaign millionaire. It would be an accomplishment if that were all home-grown money.
Of course, Nashville controls the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and therefor those outlying counties have an interest in this economy...it's no mystery that they want a Metropolitan government that will make jobs easier to create in Nashville, build the economic base and tax structure and promote the city's overall infrastructure...who loses on that deal?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this line of thinking. Clement has made it abundantly clear that he is committed to serving the people of Davidson County and the city of Nashville. Yes, he probably has gotten a lot of financial support from individuals with out-of-county addresses, but my guess is that most of them work in the Metro area and have a vested interest in who becomes mayor. This doesn't disturb me at all.
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