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Nashville Mayor John Cooper declines second run for top city office

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Nashville Mayor John Cooper declines second run for top city office

Jan 31, 2023 | 1:40 pm ET
By Holly McCall
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper declines second run for top city office
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced on Jan. 30 he will not seek a second term in office. (Photo: Lookout Staff)

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Tuesday morning he will not run for reelection, surprising political insiders and likely opening the floodgates for candidates. 

Cooper termed his announcement a “very happy” one, and reviewed the promises he made when he ran in 2019 and how his administration has addressed challenges. 

He touted his accomplishments, including paid family leave for Metro Schools employees and raises for teachers, a raise to $18 minimum wage for all Metro government employees, creation of departments for transportation and housing, investments in public safety — including body cameras for Metro Police — and development of the city’s East Bank of the Cumberland River. 

He also reflected on the challenges he faced in office.

“The actual week I was elected, we faced a state takeover for financial mismanagement. Our water department was officially a ‘financially-distress’ (sic) utility. Our city departments and our communities suffered from chronic underinvestment,” said Cooper. “We were selling historic sites to pretend to balance the budget. We were giving away the city’s most valuable assets.”

Bad deals for taxpayers were costing our city resources we needed to fund our core priorities.”

His first full year in office — 2020 — felt like a whole term, he said. 

A tornado devastated portions of North and East Nashville on March 3, 2020, just as COVID-19 emerged in Davidson County. Two weeks later, Cooper ordered closures of non-essential businesses, including restaurants and bars considered crucial to the area’s tourist economy. The decision earned him enmity from several prominent downtown business owners, including Steve Smith, owner of properties including Tootsie’s and Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk. Smith recently took out a TV ad titled, “Anybody but Cooper.”

Then, on Christmas Day 2020, a bomb devastated a block of Nashville’s historic Second Avenue. 

The city’s relationship with the supermajority Republican Tennessee General Assembly has been, at best, a tenuous one. 

Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, this year introduced a bill to cut the size of Nashville’s 40-member Metro Council in half, a move seen as retribution for Council’s voting down approval for the city to host the 2024 Republican National Committee. 

Lt. Gov. Randy filed a bill to strip state support of Nashville’s convention center. 

Matt Wiltshire in a photo taken at Nashville's Cayce Homes. (Photo: Matt Wiltshire for Mayor)
Candidate for mayor, Matt Wiltshire in a photo taken at Nashville’s Cayce Homes. (Photo: Matt Wiltshire for Mayor)

Cooper has garnered criticism in his tenure for what has been perceived by progressive members of the Nashville community as an over-emphasis on the East Bank development and not enough focus on social issues, including a permanent plan for housing members of the city’s unhoused population. 

Announced candidates are Metro Councilmember-at-Large Sharon Hurt, Metro Councilmemember Freddie O’Connell, and Matt Wiltshire, former director of Nashville’s Office of Economic and Community Development.

Cooper was widely considered a safe bet to win reelection, and political insiders have described the current field as weak. 

“This changes the nature of the race significantly,” said Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville. 

“The Mayor’s race is no longer going to be about what John Cooper got wrong, but how we ensure we get Nashville’s future right,” Yarbro said. “And that’s an entirely different debate that all of Nashville should be excited to have.”

“I’m not sure just yet what role I’ll play in that debate. But as someone who loves this city, I’m eager to see us start planning for the city’s future,” he said. 

Davidson County Property Assessor Vivian Wilhoite, a former Metro Councilmember, tweeted Tuesday morning that she is “strongly considering” running and will launch an exploratory committee.

Among other potential candidates are former Mayor Megan Barry and  Metro Councilmember-at-Large Bob Mendes.

In a statement, Barry said, “I appreciate Mayor Cooper’s willingness to serve during some tumultuous times for our city. I love Nashville and I believe that unless we have the right leadership and direction, we are at risk of losing the soul of our city. I’m grateful for all of those reaching out with encouragement and look forward to the conversations to come about how we move forward while preserving the heart of the city we love.”

Mendes said that while he was surprised by Cooper’s decision, he had always planned to reassess his prospects should Cooper make a decision to not run again.

“Nashville has been struggling with leadership. All of us have a strong interest in moving the city forward, especially now that we are under attack from the state,” said Mendes.

Dr. Alex Jahangir, whose name has surfaced as a potential candidate to replace Cooper, said Tuesday he’s given no thought to a campaign. 

Jahangir, who led Nashville’s COVID response, said, “I saw firsthand (Cooper’s) ability to lead people through crises, both with COVID and the bombing. He personally mentored me in city-type operations.”

“Whoever the next mayor is has a strong foundation to build on,” he said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.