Affordable/Income Aligned Housing

As a residential realtor focused on helping first-time homebuyers navigate the downpayment and affordability assistance programs, I have seen firsthand the challenges Nashvillians are facing. Home prices have skyrocketed, rent rates increased, and the option of a safe, affordable place to live has quickly disappeared. I am committed to prioritizing public-private partnerships to enhance existing income-aligned solutions and develop new ones so that people who work in this city can live in this city.

Affordable housing refers to one section of the population, but I believe that everyone who lives and works in this city should be able to afford to rent or purchase housing at 30% or less of their income. Too many people are leaving this city due to the lack of affordability, and I am prioritizing solving this issue. Together with groups like Urban Housing Solutions, The Housing Fund, Metro’s Office of Housing, THDA, and more, we are working to execute a top-down strategy to generate and maintain affordable options. We are building on the 2021 Affordable Housing Task Force report and creating comprehensive strategies to tackle this issue.

To date, I have been holding meetings between Developers and the Mayor’s Office of Housing as well as gathering input to launch an affordability master plan. First, we are working on defining the issue by updating the 2021 Task Force Report. How many units do we need? What income brackets? Where will they go? Are they rentals or for purchase units?

Second, we are streamlining the codes and permitting process to reduce wasted money on backlogged processes. This will allow projects to move faster and bring units online more quickly.

We will then embark on a master planning process to solicit feedback from non-profits, municipal departments, residents, developers, and consumers to create a master guide and plan to address this issue.

Constituent Services

Nashville has a number of existing city enhancement features including traffic calming, tree planting, brick sidewalk repair, and participatory budgeting. In my experience as my neighborhood association president and as District 19’s representative to the Participatory Budget, I’ve seen the benefits the city can provide when utilized effectively. As your council member, I’m eager to listen to your needs to connect you with these services and amplify your voices to ensure your desires are reflected in the city’s decision-making. My job as your representative is to be accessible and responsive, working to make sure your needs and wants are heard and met.

To do this, I will remain an engaged participant and listener, actively soliciting feedback. I believe that connected neighborhoods and strong neighborhood associations are the keys to a successful city. For example, I recently secured a $15,000 commitment from a developer to support our neighborhood fund. This meeting would not have been possible without a supportive council member, ensuring developers communicate with the neighborhood about their projects.

Additionally, I will utilize a ticketing system similar to Hub Nashville (but with faster response time), to engage constituents and track and respond to all complaints. You will be able to reach me and know that you can get a response and frequent updates, and have your issues addressed.

My job is to be YOUR representative and find out what is most important to you, and go to work to solve those issues. I’ll be here at the ready to help!

Smart Growth with Supportive Transit & Infrastructure

District 19 has grown exponentially over the last decade. While growth has brought many benefits to our city, it also comes at a cost. We’ve left people behind in the process, many of whom created the fabric of our city for generations. If we’re not careful, we risk losing the charm that made us the “it” city. 

Over the next four years, District 19 will see the development of the East Bank, the new Titan’s Stadium, Neuhoff Development, Nashville Yards, and more. As these plans continue to progress, I am committed to working towards securing logistical support around them and ensuring as much transparency and partnership as possible between developers and neighbors. As our city grows, we must ensure the infrastructure grows with it, and we take care to protect the people who live here while retaining the character of our neighborhoods.

With Demonbreun/Midtown, Broadway, The Gulch, North Neighborhoods, and the East Bank all in one district, we can create and execute a comprehensive transit plan for D19. I believe that in by the end of my first term, we will be able to transit the entire district without a car. We can also explore and implement sound reduction for the interstate loop, creating quieter, more enjoyable neighborhoods.

I have already begun work on this issue by holding meetings with NDOT and WeGo and designing a pilot program that I will propose involving adjusted bus routes. For example, UPS has a policy that their trucks do not make left turns to reduce wait time and accident risk. We should look at this as a mechanism for efficiency. Additionally, I will propose that the 22 Bus route coming south takes a right at Rosa Parks, and goes all the way to the 8th Ave roundabout. This will add stops at Rosa and Church, Rosa and Commerce, Rosa and Broadway, Rosa and Demonbreun, and then out the roundabout down to Cannery Row and beyond. We will then embark on a marketing campaign, partnering with downtown businesses and organizations to incentivize ridership while running a marketing campaign involving grassroots, personal encouragement to ride. I believe this will show how a bus line with convenience to more destinations could be used.

My Plans for District 19

Relationship between the City & State

It is imperative that the city of Nashville maintain the independence of its governance, and District 19 is at the center of Nashville’s relationship with the State. By utilizing my decades of experience building bridges and coalitions, I will forge relationships with state lawmakers and work collaboratively to represent the city’s best interests.

Neighborhood Consortium

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” As the Proverb says, we are stronger as a united front, and as Neighborhood President in Buena Vista, I have begun building a neighborhood consortium, uniting the four North neighborhood presidents (Buena Vista, Hope Gardens, Salemtown, and Germantown) with the Nashville Downtown Partnership to create synergistic and strategy-based relationships. Each neighborhood faces similar issues and works on similar solutions. Building a consortium will allow our residents to save time, money, and energy by working on challenges together. As a neighborhood resident, working to meet neighborhood needs is a top priority of mine.

We will meet quarterly, working to solve our problems and share our great ideas as a group, and together be a louder and more unified voice to the city. This will allow for more benefits to be brought to the district and for the development of execution of greater ideas.

Town Halls

As your councilperson, I will engage in quarterly town halls bringing city department leaders and other resources and personnel to your neighborhoods to hear your concerns. We shouldn’t just rely on public hearings and email surveys to understand what is important to you, and I will be regularly communicating and available to solicit feedback and thoughts. At these meetings, we will review current Hub requests on NashView, discuss development plans for the area, and review past and upcoming council decisions. I want you to be part of the decision-making process in this city.

Downtown Living

I have spoken to many residents and businesses about downtown livability issues. You have shared stories of being harassed on the streets, kept up at night by overly loud noise, and a general feeling of being forgotten by the city. Downtown living will be a top priority as I collaborate with the night mayor, central precinct, local businesses, and resident groups to ensure Downtown Nashville is a safe and livable place for all.

We now have 14,000+ residents in the downtown core and the numbers are growing. By listening to residents and working with businesses, I plan to ensure that downtown Nashville is a livable, safe environment so that downtown residents have all that they need.

For The Children

While speaking to residents in Cheatham Place and John Henry Hale, I am asked over and over what can we do for the children. Can we provide after-school programming? Can we provide a summer camp? At the same time, I have also engaged in great programs like the Mt. Carmel Church summer camp, and Windows of Love. The good news is the answer is yes, we can provide youth development programming in the district! I met with multiple non-profit stakeholders at the local Buena Vista Elementary School, which was decommissioned in 2020, and learned that the space, while hosting a number of non-profits, has a gym and cafeteria that are totally empty as well as a playground not being used. I will work with MNPS and the city to utilize this space as a community center, providing a safe, cool place to engage in summer programming and a heated space in the winter. A place for the neighborhood to have community meetings. And a space for those in need to come to find food and clothing. My mission is about bringing resources and needs together, and this is an example of doing so.