In my best Barney Fife voice, "Sylvan Park: gateway to danger"

What the devil is going on in Sylvan Park?!

[12/15/2011: Part of City Paper story quote removed upon reader request]

At [4709 Nebraska Ave] ...detectives allegedly found a loaded 9 mm handgun, a rifle and a shotgun, as well as 3 grams of psychedelic mushrooms, 88 steroid pills, 30 grams of marijuana, a 1998 Jeep Wrangler, a 2003 Buell motorcycle, three computers and a surveillance system with six night-vision cameras.

Mayor Dean crashes and cashes lowly district races to make Metro Council comply

Re-elect Karl Dean is working hard to shield the Mayor's Office from the embarrassing opposition he faced from council members late last term. They brought the Mayor right down the low road of at least 3 district campaign fights where CMs didn't comply with King Karl 100% of the time. Dean usually projects the high road, but this time he is wading right into the fray. Consequently, he looks a little desperate and like he is pining for votes that he cannot muster himself regardless of who sits on the council.

Fliers that Hizzoner has mailed so far:

Sarah Lodge Tally, paid for by Re-elect Karl Dean

Dean would have his way with West Nashville via a fellow blue-blood brahmin.

Page Turner, paid for by Re-elect Karl Dean

Omitted: "the Mayor ignored the Antioch community task force"

Tanaka Vercher, paid for by Re-elect Karl Dean

He tried to help Antioch by forcing a flea market they didn't want.

Any other Dean mailers out there for district candidates?

Jason Holleman not hated by some regardless of Jeff Yarbro's fail (with Karl Dean's endorsement) against Doug Henry

Over at Just Nashville, some commenters are sharing their admiration of CM Jason Holleman:

[Sarah Bellos:] I am a very active member of the community food security and urban food movement. CM Holleman has been a tremendous supporter of our cause and in actually asking what we need, not just assuming that as a politician he has the answers to what is happening and needed in our communities and to more effectively do our work. I believe we need more Council members like him and thank him for his service during the flood all across Nashville.

[Yvonne Eaves:] I have called West Nashville home all my life. During the last council election I did not support Jason. Four years later, I can honestly say Jason has proven to be a community leader. Jason makes an appearance at many community functions. He listens with his heart, he wants to serve is community. It it apparent that he is willing to do his very best for his district. I am proud to say Jason Holleman is my council member. I am even happier to say Jason and his family are good neighbors.

Aristocratic Sarah Lodge Tally sets 100% fidelity to Karl Dean as Jason Holleman's litmus test for re-election

Sarah Lodge Tally, who hails from old Nashville money and from the top of the local pecking order of political patronage, insists to the Nashville Scene that Sylvan Park CM Jason Holleman be focused on absolute dependence on Karl Dean for determining every single one of his votes:

In terms of larger citywide issues, this district is overwhelmingly — like the city in general — supportive of the mayor and his plan for Nashville and what he's done for Nashville in the last four years .... Councilman Holleman has not been supportive of that agenda, particularly with respect to the fairgrounds and the convention center. And folks in this district are generally supportive of the mayor and his plans, so they've been unhappy to know about the lack of support from Councilman Holleman.

That's quite a command for a TNDEM débutante to put on a serious CM who, though independent on a fraction of votes, generally votes with Karl Dean. Scene editor Stephen George reports that CM Holleman voted with Dean a whopping 85% of the time. Hence, to even call him "independent" is charitable and distinguishes just how meaningless the term "independent" has become in the Dean era. In fact, most of the council is abjectly Deanpendent most of the time.

The standard response of the Dean camp is a variation of the same theme they've used for years: the reluctant candidate. The heavy-handed Democratic Party toughs (like Will Pinkston and Dave Goetz) are working to torpedo Holleman while the Mayor can take the high road, posing like he has little knowledge of what's going on in Sylvan Park, like he's not tuned in to Sarah Lodge Tally's scrapes. As if the patricians don't associate. As if the Mayor's Office isn't drooling to control every single council vote for the next 4 years.

Is that really what you want, Sylvan Park? To turn your community into Karl's cotillion? If so, vote for Sarah Lodge Tally and hang some lace curtains. Or just sit back and watch, because this election looks bought-and-paid-for. Either way, I got your Sarah Lodge Tally campaign bumper sticker right here:

UPDATE: The Dean shill blogger and apparatchik Democrat prone to judge most local issues on whether they are good first for his buddies in the Tennessee Democratic Party cannot find fault with Jason Holleman. Further evidence that Holleman is too close to the Dean camp for Sarah Lodge Tally to snipe at his rare disloyalties. Isn't it odd that loyalty has become a cardinal virtue in the power structure of Davidson County Democrats along the same lines of the George W. Bush wing of the GOP? They'll kill off their own, if even slightly uppity, before they go after Republicans.