The Hollin Effect (or "The difference 2 votes can make")

According to a report received from the Cleveland Park neighborhood e-list, Public Works has been in District 5 every day this week "cleaning up alleys and hauling off the junk". Reportedly, people have not witnessed Public Works tending Cleveland Park in these ways in the past. One resident checked with CM Jamie Hollin and found out that he had prompted Public Works' response after approaching the Mayor's Office.

On the one hand, District 5 neighborhoods are thankfully enjoying the benefits of replacing neglectful CM Pam Murray. On the other hand, why should it take a special appeal from a CM to the Mayor's Office to get help from Public Works in cleaning up illegal dumping in public alleys? Was Public Works ignoring direct neighborhood appeals when Ms. Murray was in office?

Dead CM walking

District 5 is in a kind of limbo this week with a newly certified new council member and with former council member Pam Murray considering a legal challenge. But Ms. Murray is back to her half-baked hyperbole in response to Monday's certification at the Election Commission:

to agree with this act of injustice is like sending an innocent person to the death chamber; and (it is with) this reason I cannot consent to this election

Did she get her choice of a last meal?

3 votes ahead and tweeting like its 300

Council District 5 challenger Jamie Hollin finished last night unofficially 3 votes ahead of Pam Murray (542-539), but he responded to the news that there are still 4 provisional votes remaining to be counted today with some misplaced swagger:



As unethical and presumptuous as incumbent Pam Murray has been over her tenure, I took note of her measured and circumspect response to the Tennessean overnight, which stands in marked contrast to Hollin's overconfidence:

It's close, and I'm thankful to all my neighbors, and I'm just waiting for the outcome.

Even if Murray's attitude is staged, she still presents herself with more grace in possibly losing her long time seat than Jamie Hollin does in possibly taking it from her.

Whose votes are they again, Mr. Hollin? Yours? We'll see when votes are certified and we get past any possibility of legal challenge. And even then, doesn't your service on the council actually belong to all of your constituents in District 5?

NewsChannel5 rushes to judgment on District 5 race?

NewsChannel5 seems guilty of declaring the District 5 race when only 3 votes separate Jamie Hollin and Pam Murray with possible provisional ballots left to count. Just throwing "unofficial" in the headline doesn't change the misleading message that CM Murray has "lost her seat," when she's 4 provisional votes, a recount, or a court challenge away from keeping it:


The news channel refers to provisional ballots in the text of the story, but the headline is over-the-top and irresponsible.


UPDATE: NewsChannel5 should take some journalistic accuracy pointers from WSMV, which declared the District 5 race most accurately as "too close to call," and wrote a headline consistent with those results:

CP tweaks rush-to-judgment headline with 3 votes determining District 5 unofficial results

SouthComm reporter Joey Garrison appeared to be the first reporter to call the District 5 results even though only 3 votes separate challenger Jamie Hollin from recalled incumbent CM Pam Murray. I called the Metro Election Commission around 8:40 p.m. and asked them if the unofficial results (542-539, Hollin) broadcast on Metro Channel 3 represented all the votes cast. The official who answered the phone told me that the results were unofficial because there still might be uncounted provisional ballots yet to be received. So, it appears that the City Paper's initial headline was more of a rush to break the news first without consideration of possible provisional ballots:



After the question of the rush-to-judgment was raised on Twitter, the CP lords quickly tweaked the headline to be less a projection that Hollin had won:



This looks like the election is going be a long drawn out process to me, and we may not know who wins for some time with a 3-vote-margin preliminary result and possible ballots still uncounted.

Why blog about council members anonymously?

The polls closed in the Nashville's first recall election several minutes ago, and we're waiting to see the results of the challenge to Pam Murray's tenure on Metro Council. In the meantime, consider the Districtfive blog, which is dedicated to addressing Murray's foibles and vices. The latest post answers questions on why its authors prefer to remain anonymous:

if you have been paying attention, you will note that there have been allegations of harassment against Ms. Murray, even prior to the beginning of this recall election. CM Karen Bennett had concerns for her safety after she stepped up to assist District 5 residents that were not getting adequate representation from Ms. Murray and filed a police report. Additionally, as tempers flared during the rezoning debate about Cleveland Street, a rash of cars parked in and around the condominiums where her opponent lives came up with broken windows. Meeting participants that challenge Ms. Murray have found R-rated comments written in the dust on their vehicles when they exited to the parking lot. As juvenile as this seems, it does send a profound message about the personal level to which Ms. Murray takes disagreements and raises concerns about how rational future responses may or may not be.

Ms. Murray has, of course, filed counter claims. One of her claims is that a constituent called her employer in Detroit about her. Nevermind that a constituent has little other option than to call Detroit if they want to try to reach Ms. Murray.

Interestingly, Ms. Murray has actually engaged in the very behavior she accused others of. One constituent reports that both the boss and the Board of Directors at that individual’s employer have been contacted by Ms. Murray to discourage the constituent from speaking out against the Council Member.

These intimidation tactics can be effective. It is our hope that anonymous blogging can be, too.

BONUS: An Enclave retrospective of coverage of Pam Murray's tenure on Metro Council.

Hyper-local blogger reports that Pam Murray's campaign accepts money from absentee landlords with checkered police histories

The anonymous Districtfive blog digs into CM Pam Murray's latest campaign donor report--which was allegedly filed late at the Election Commission--and reports some troubling information about the company Ms. Murray keeps at election time:

It turns out, many of her supporters are owners of businesses that have a less than stellar record when it comes to maintaining a safe neighborhood. For each property, we took a look at the calls for service to the East Precinct police for the period of her tenure, 2003 to now.

Here is a sample:

Donor Address: 701 Dickerson Rd.
Amount Given: $500 (She also got an additional $500 from the FORMER owner of 701 Dickerson Rd).
Calls for Service: 1,477

Donor Address: 803 Dickerson Rd.
Amount Given: $250
Calls for Service: 1,984

Donor Address: 2202 Dickerson Rd.
Amount Given: $250
Calls for Service: 578

Meanwhile, how’s she doing on grassroots support? Out of the $3075 she reported in campaign contributions this period, only one donor gave less than or equal to $100. The rest of her contributors are all from gas station and hotel owners that don’t live in the district (except the $475 Ms. Murray gave herself). Her competitor reports $2720 in contributions that were $100 or less.

Which candidate do you think is more focused on supporting the actual constituents in District 5, the constituents that are improving this community?

Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund Goes Negative in the 18th

From Michael Cass:

[NNDF mailer] tries to paint LaLonde as a tool of a university that occasionally has done battle with some of its neighbors, most recently in its successful bid to get the city to turn over part of Edgehill’s Rose Park for Belmont athletic fields. (The school plans to spend $6 million on the necessary upgrades to the park, which will remain Metro property.) It also points out that LaLonde’s husband, physician Claudio Mosse, works at Vanderbilt University, another prominent 18th District denizen.

“Both universities regularly lobby members of the Metro Council on a wide variety of issues - zoning, right-of-ways, easements, parking, fees and many others. … On many issues of consequence to property owners and residents in the 18th District, Kristine LaLonde will not be able to represent them.”

Lane Easterly, treasurer of the Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund, said the organization likes LaLonde and thinks she’s capable but is concerned she could have two big conflicts of interest.

“We’re not trying to be negative about her,” Easterly said, adding that his organization had not coordinated the ad with Dodson’s campaign, which came in second in the general election and hasn’t raised as much money as LaLonde’s campaign.

LaLonde has said the citizens of the district would be her first priority and that Belmont doesn’t expect any special treatment on issues before the council. She also has noted that professors by nature don’t always tow a university administration’s party line, and she’s said she’ll recuse herself from some, but not all, Belmont votes.

“I can’t advocate directly for Belmont’s interests,” she said in a phone interview this afternoon.

Local Union Endorses LaLonde

From the Kristine LaLonde campaign:

----- SEIU Endorses Kristine LaLonde for Metro Council -----

City Employees Union Supports Neighborhood Activist for April 30 Runoff

 

 

(Nashville)  The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 205 today announced its endorsement of Kristine LaLonde for the District 18 Metro Council seat that is up for election on April 30.

 

“With Nashville facing another budget crunch, a massive funding cut at General Hospital, and a struggling school system, our members and their families are paying close attention to what happens at Metro Council these days,” says Billy Deaderick, a member of the union’s political committee and a worker at Nashville Electric Service.  “We believe that Kristine’s commitment to volunteerism, her neighborhood activism, and her longtime support for progressive causes will make her a strong advocate for our city’s working families in these tough economic times.”

 

LaLonde received the most votes in the March 26 special election to replace former councilman Keith Durbin and is one of two candidates competing in a runoff election.  Early voting for the runoff lasts from April 10-25, and Election Day is Thursday, April 30.  A full list of dates and voting locations is available through the Davidson County Election Commission.

----------------------------------------------

Council Candidate LaLonde Thanks Her Supporters

From the Kristine LaLonde campaign for District 18:

Yesterday was a big day for our campaign to bring dedicated, responsive, and inclusive leadership to Nashville’s Metro Council. Thanks to the efforts and support of hundreds of District 18 residents, we earned the most votes in a four-way race. Our campaign’s vision for District 18 and the larger community has resonated with many of you and I am both excited and humbled by your support. Thank you for making this initial victory possible ....

After a night of celebration and reflection, it is now time to continue with our campaign for our shared future. If I had the honor of your vote, I hope I will continue to earn your trust and support and that you will once again make it to the polls for the April 30th run-off election. Early voting will begin April 10th and end April 25th.

There will be further opportunities in the coming month to meet to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our community and I hope you will be able to join me at one of our events. There will also be the chance to join our campaign team as we reach out to others through phone calls, meet and greets, and door-to-door conversations. If you would like to join the team, please email us at volunteer@kristineforcouncil.com.