Nashville has a new Mayor. Sort of. David Briley, who was serving as interim Mayor of Music City following former mayor Megan Barry’s resignation will now continue to serve in this capacity after having defeated a crowded field in the recent special election held May 24th.
According to unofficial election results, Briley received over 43,000 votes, or approximately 54% of the vote, with 95% of precincts reporting. He only needed more than 50% of the vote to avert a runoff election that was slated for June 28. Briley faced off against 12 other candidates and became mayor after serving with Barry as the city’s vice mayor.
The tasks immediately facing Mayor Briley include a difficult budget cycle as well as preparation for another mayoral election in August 2019, although it is not yet clear as of this writing as to whether Briley will seek re-election at that time. During his tenure, he will be called upon to work on Nashville’s transportation challenges as well as the affordable housing issues facing the city.
Briley, a Democrat and longtime Nashville politico, also previously served as an at-large member of the Metro Council from 1999 through 2007. He ran for mayor in 2007, finishing fifth, with Karl Dean becoming mayor in that go-round. It could be said that Mayor Briley was born to be where he is, since his grandfather, Beverly Briley, was the very first mayor of the combined Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County elected in 1962 and serving three consecutive terms.
The Nashville Business Coalition endorsed Mayor Briley’s candidacy after he was sworn into office in March; for many in the business community, Briley’s election is a sign of stability, and his presence at the helm is seen as a good thing for Music City. As Nashville continues to grow and enlarge her presence on the world stage, she will need strong and steady leadership to steer her in the right direction. The residents of Music City will now be looking to Mayor David Briley for that leadership, and we wish him well!
