Public Education: Investing in Our Future Tennessee ranks 44th in the country in school funding. We spend about $4,000 dollars less per student than the national average. Our children deserve better. We can serve them best by fully funding our schools–investing in our kids is an investment in our future. Every child in Davidson County deserves access to a high-quality public education, regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, or how much money their parents earn. (....more)
Public Safety On March 27th of this year, America’s gun violence crisis infiltrated an elementary school in our city. Just five years ago, the same type of senseless gun violence occurred at a Waffle House in Antioch. In the last three years, there have been 1,158 shootings reported in Nashville. At this moment in our history, gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death of American kids, more than car wrecks and drug overdoses. (....more)
Affordability & Accessibility
Nashville is a rapidly growing city in the heart of one of the fastest growing regions in America. Over time as we have seen both an increase in population and industry, the accessibility and affordability of our city has dramatically declined. The pandemic, paired with record low interest rates, created a wave of relocations, and drove prices even further out of reach for renters and property owners alike. Housing advocates estimate some 20,000 people in our city are currently without permanent shelter. (....more)
Fiscal Responsibility: Smart Growth
Twenty years ago, my hometown was a much different place. City leaders at the time developed a plan to attract out-of-state developers by offering financial incentive packages. By employing tools such as deferred property tax payments and long-term city maintenance agreements they succeeded in bringing a lot of new business into the region. Tennessee’s business friendly economic policies were also a catalyst, because of the reduced cost of labor, relatively low cost of living, and absence of state income tax. (....more)
Transportation Infrastructure: Keeping Nashville Moving
Nashville’s economy will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. We must prioritize managing this growth to benefit all Nashvillians. While big ticket items often get the most attention, our aging and overburdened roads, sewers, waste-management, and stormwater systems are at capacity; these are some of the biggest threats to our overall quality of life, and economic prosperity. (....more)
Equity & Inclusion As many Nashvillians are aware, the Tennessee General Assembly has become a hostile place for our LGBTQ+ community, especially kids. Unfortunately, I’ve been on the losing side of these debates far too often. As a senator, I have been a strong voice and ally for LGBTQ+ folks to live free of government-sanctioned discrimination. Whether it’s been legislation targeting same-sex marriage, trans people, or even access to books that feature an LGBTQ+ person, I have pushed back. (....more)
Waste & Sustainability As one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, our region is piling up waste and construction debris at astronomical rates. In fact, most of our regional landfills will reach capacity in the next several years. Solving Nashville’s waste problem requires a coordinated effort at the local, regional, and state levels to identify long term solutions. (....more)
