Politics

At-Large Candidates Get Questioned on Topics

THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE — Six candidates for at large council answered questions Monday night before a crowd of at least 1,000 at Plaza Mariachi on Nolensville Rd. A coalition of 21 pro-immigrant organizations hosted the forum to hear the candidates answer questions about immigration enforcement, criminal justice, small business and the economy, affordable housing, education, and workers’ rights.

Published

7 years ago

June 25, 2019

Peter White

By Peter White

NASHVILLE, TN — Six candidates for at large council answered questions Monday night before a crowd of at least 1,000 at Plaza Mariachi on Nolensville Rd. A coalition of 21 pro-immigrant organizations hosted the forum to hear the candidates answer questions about immigration enforcement, criminal justice, small business and the economy, affordable housing, education, and workers’ rights.

District 18 Councilperson Burkley Allen got a question about Affordable Housing. In 2014, Allen managed to get a small source of recurring funding dedicated to low income housing.

“What would you do to address the affordable housing crisis?” asked Katherine Ledezma, a board member of Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). Allen, who helped create the Barnes Fund, said Nashville’s attempt to establish inclusionary zoning for working families was preempted by the state legislature.

“I’m working on providing funding that would be geared toward lower-cost housing without requiring such a high return on the investment,” she said. “There are more tools and we’ve got to bring those to Nashville and I will continue to work to make those happen,” said Allen.

One by one, the at large candidates fielded questions asked by a member of one of Metro’s immigrant communities, most of whom now live in South Nashville and Antioch but who speak at least two languages and whose families came from all over the globe.

District 31 Councilman Fabian Bedne got a question about access to services for immigrant and refugee families, a subject close to his heart. Bedne told the crowd he was the first immigrant ever elected to the City Council.

“Usually an immigrant is not interested in services. They just want to be left alone. They come to know about problems with the city when the city comes to them and tells them to mow their grass or you gotta take care of the dog,” he said. Bedne said immigrants make up 20% of the city population and they deserve to be treated equally.

“I’m frustrated when people get a notice from Codes and it’s in English. Even if you’re an Anglo

you cannot understand those code notices,” he said. “Imagine if English is your second language and you’re trying to figure out what you did to get this scary notice from the city telling you that you’re going to have to go to a judge,” he said. His remarks drew laughter as well as applause.

Gicola Lane is a community activist who helped create the Community Oversight Board.

“For many immigrants even minor encounters with law enforcement can result in their detention or deportation. If you were elected what would you do to address inequality in our justice system,” asked Evelin Salgado, a teacher at Cane Ridge High School.

“I’ve bailed out immigrants,” said Lane. “It’s a rush against the clock before we’re seeing a hold placed on someone. So I think one thing we can do immediately is to stop working with ICE,” she said. Lane was roundly applauded.

Incumbent Bob Mendes was asked about cooperation between local police and federal immigration officers. He’s against it.

“Local government doesn’t work if people are afraid to interact with it,” Mendez said.

He said nothing works right if people are worried that the first thing that comes up is their citizenship status.

“During this last term we did file a couple of pieces of legislation to try to keep our jails from being used by ICE and to keep city government from paying for federal immigration enforcement,” Mendez said. He wrote those bills but the TN state legislature overruled them.

“I’m still interested in that legislation and hope we get a chance to pursue it again in the next term,” Mendez said. He said it would take 21 members of the city council to challenge the state law in court.

Gary Moore was asked about wage theft and job safety: immigrant workers get plenty of the first and not enough of the second. Moore comes from the ranks of organized labor. He is a former firefighter and served in the Tennessee House of Representatives for seven years.

“What will you do to address the experiences and conditions of immigrant workers in Nashville?” asked Abey Lissane, member of the Nashville Ethiopian Community Association.

“This is something I have fought for my whole career,” said Moore. “I have fought to protect the rights of immigrants and all working men and women…. I will continue to do that,” he said.

Workers’ safety is supposed to be enforced by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a state agency, but Moore said issues like wage theft can be addressed at the local level.

“In the procurement process we can make sure there is language in there that protects the rights of the workers… to make sure we have no more wage theft,” Moore said.

He said on big jobs general contractors tend to “push things down to the subcontractors.”

Moore said tougher language in city contracts would make general contractors police subcontractors better so they don’t steal from workers. “We can do that in the procurement process. I would fight to make sure that happens,” Moore said.

Moderator Judith Clerjeune, asked all the candidates what they would do to represent the experiences and perspectives of immigrant and refugee communities on the council. Zulfat Suara would be the first Muslim on the city council.

She is a longtime advocate for refugee and immigrant families and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She was Assistant Comptroller at Meharry Medical School and in her CPA practice, she had four counties and two city governments as clients. Suara wants to make sure Metro budgets reflect the issues important to her community.

“We talk about Nashville being welcoming…it’s about time our government actually reflects the population that it serves. I think we need to have more voices on the council and as a Muslim woman, immigrant, African American, I bring all those diverse voices to the table. But I want people to also remember that I am that Muslim women who is also a CPA ..and I’m an immigrant who is an MNPS parent and a woman that has actually worked with Tennessee women and children,” she said.

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune.

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OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

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Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Assemblymember Lori Wilson — Advocate for Equity, the Environment, and More

Her rise has also included several historic firsts: she is the only Black woman ever appointed to lead the influential Assembly Transportation Committee, and the first freshman legislator elected Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. She has also been a vocal advocate for vulnerable communities, becoming the first California legislator to publicly discuss being the parent of a transgender child — an act of visibility that has helped advanced representation at a time when political tensions related to social issues and culture have intensified.

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Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City). File photo.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) joined the California Legislature in 2022 after making history as Solano County’s first Black female mayor, bringing with her a track record of fiscal discipline, community investment, and inclusive leadership.

She represents the state’s 11th Assembly District, which spans Solano County and portions of Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties.

California Black Media spoke with Wilson about her successes and disappointments this year and her outlook for 2026.

What stands out as your most important achievement this year?

Getting SB 237 passed in the Assembly. I had the opportunity to co-lead a diverse workgroup of colleagues, spanning a wide range of ideological perspectives on environmental issues.

How did your leadership contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians this year?

The Black Caucus concentrated on the Road to Repair package and prioritized passing a crucial bill that remained incomplete during my time as chair, which establishes a process for identifying descendants of enslaved people for benefit eligibility.

What frustrated you the most this year?

The lack of progress made on getting Prop 4 funds allocated to socially disadvantaged farmers. This delay has real consequences. These farmers have been waiting for essential support that was promised. Watching the process stall, despite the clear need and clear intent of the voters, has been deeply frustrating and reinforces how much work remains to make our systems more responsive and equitable.

What inspired you the most this year?

The resilience of Californians persists despite the unprecedented attacks from the federal government. Watching people stay engaged, hopeful, and determined reminded me why this work matters and why we must continue to protect the rights of every community in our state.

What is one lesson you learned this year that will inform your decision-making next year?

As a legislator, I have the authority to demand answers to my questions — and accept nothing less. That clarity has strengthened my approach to oversight and accountability.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians are facing currently?

Affordability and access to quality educational opportunities.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2026?

Advance my legislative agenda despite a complex budget environment. The needs across our communities are real, and even in a tight fiscal year, I’m committed to moving forward policies that strengthen safety, expand opportunity, and improve quality of life for the people I represent.