The Contributor: October 26, 2022

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Please Vote Nashville

For the Nov. 8 election, The Contributor teamed up with Please Vote Nashville to create a guide of offices and candidates. Since its inception, Please Vote Nashville’s goal has been to provide information on every candidate on the ballot. The ballot breakdown also gives a description of the office to give voters a sense of what exactly the candidate should do in the job.

Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 3. Visit nashville.gov for more information on where to vote.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Tristen Gaspadarek

ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR: Ellen Angelico

PDF EDITOR: Alise Grysen

COVER ART: Rachel Briggs

ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN: Kami Baergen

WRITERS: Susan Steffenhagen Griffith, Sarah Morris, Katie Johns, Laura Carroll, Jess Nolan, Kai Welch, Sophie Morehouse, Anna Dufur, Ellen Angelico, Christina Norwood, Marcus Lewis, Shea Nolan, Chloe Stillwell

COPY EDITORS: Susan Steffenhagen Griffith, Katie Johns, Anna Dufur, Laura Carroll, Hayes Peebles, Ellen Angelico, Christina Norwood, Marcus Lewis

WHO WE ARE

The Contributor is a nonprofit social enterprise that creates economic opportunity with dignity by investing in the lives of people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

Starting in 2019, our C.O.V.E.R. Program (Creating Opportunity for Vendor Employment, Engagement, and Resources) was the natural expansion of our mission of removing obstacles to housing. We now offer full case management, assistance with housing and rental expenses, addiction recovery, health insurance, food benefits, and SSI/SSDI assistance. We see the onestop-shop team approach radically transforming a vendor's image of self and their place in community.

Buying more papers grows & legitimizes a vendor's business, allowing the vendor to apply for housing.

Since we started in 2007, more than 3,200 different vendors have purchased $2.3 million worth of The Contributor and sold over six million copies, generating over $15 million in income for themselves.

Take the paper, change a life. Read the paper, change yours.

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Tom Wills, Chair

Cathy Jennings, Christine Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Kerry Graham, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Drew Morris, Andy Shapiro

This

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Joe First

Cathy Jennings Executive Director

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Director of Vendor Operations

Carli Tharp SNAP Specialist

Ree Cheers SOAR Manager

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Amy Holt Housing Navigator

Mary Margaret Weatherford Housing Navigator

Jesse Call Operations Consultant

Raven Nye Director of Housing Initiatives

Arnita Carson Recovery Specialist

Justin Wagner Resource Coordinator & Reporter Barbara Womack Advertising Manager

Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors

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Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate.

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April Calvin discusses new role at MHID, newly approved $50 homelessness response initiative

BY JUSTIN WAGNER

The Metro Homeless Impact Division is currently undergoing reorganization as Nashville moves toward a standalone Office of Homeless Services, but remains at work developing strategies to implement Mayor John Cooper’s $50 million homelessness response plan — which Metro council ap proved Oct. 5.

April Calvin recently took over as interim director of MHID following Jay Servais’ re cent departure from the position. Previously assistant director at the department, Calvin boasts over two decades of experience in social work at the Salvation Army. She hopes to utilize that experience, she said, as she works to address homelessness in the city and oversees the coming changes for her department.

Calvin sat down with The Contributor and discussed her new role at MHID during a hectic week spent reorganizing and planning for the future.

How have you found the transition to interim director?

I’ll say it has been going well, you know, I’ve been well prepared for the job with 26 years of experience in this [area]. It’s a fulltime job that could probably be three fulltime jobs. I know that they’re interviewing for the director. We’re just restructuring the department, we want to make sure we have enough staff on the leadership level.

For this department, there was a bill for it to be its own department — that doesn’t just happen because a piece of paper was signed, right? There’s a lot of work that goes into the backend of getting that together.

What’s your No. 1 priority now that you’ve transitioned to this role?

Before two days ago [when Metro Council passed the ARP funds bill], the No. 1 priority

was to solidify the $50 million as a short-term goal, and working on implementation, con tracts, grant agreements for that body of work, kind of just moving a lot of parts at once. We have a strategic plan that our Homelessness Planning Council is working on. We just want to make sure that all the bodies of work are aligned so it’s a seamless system.

So, it’s a lot of working out logistics at this stage.

The logistics of the funding, the logis tics of the strategic plan, the logistics of an outdoor encampment strategy — along with the help of our consultant, HUD TA.

They’ve been really great, HUD TA, that’s ready to hit the ground running as soon as the funds are deployed.

With regard to those plans and strat egies, how do you see the department moving forward on encampments?

The Shelter Committee has helped, we’ve all helped to draft an outdoor housing strat egy and that was returned to MHID. I was able to share that with other Metro depart ments that would be heavily involved in that venture, which would be Metro Nashville

Police, Metro health, Metro parks … just sharing that with several Metro departments so that they can speak to it, help draft what their tasks and duties would be in such a plan, and they’ll send that back to us. And we just did that last week. We’ll be putting that all together so that we have a solid plan on what the strategy is and what everyone’s tasks, duties and objectives are. Do you see any immediate changes com ing to the department?

There was a bill that was passed recent ly for this department to become its own standalone department. The executive direc tor Renee’ Pratt at Metro Social Services is wanting to identify a timeline and a process, maybe by July 1, having this office fully op erating independently. But that comes along with a lot of building the infrastructure of a standalone department.

And then there’s the search for a director. I’m not sure of a timeline on that just because I have applied for the position. So I’m a little bit removed from the timeline on that search.

What are the city’s biggest obstacles right now when it comes to affordable housing and getting people into them?

Having enough affordable housing and agencies being at max capacity as far as staff ing is concerned. The problem’s twofold. There’s having enough affordable housing available — and so, hopefully funds like the $50 million initiative, obviously not all $50 million dollars is dedicated to affordable housing, but $25 million of that is. So bring ing on some units pretty quickly, within the next six to 18 months. Then helping agencies reach max capacity as far as staffing.

You have experience in the city, at the Salvation Army — how has that in formed the work so far?

I have a lot of experience with all of the nonprofits here in Nashville throughout my 26 years of working in this industry. And within the last year, working here at MHID. I’ve been able to see it on the Metro level, much more macro, and actually being one of those agencies with boots on the ground, as well. I definitely draw from all of those experiences and then create new and even much more exciting relationships with the funding resources we have on hand and my level of leadership.

Is there anything else you’d like people to get on people’s minds as Metro moves forward?

This is just an exciting time. I really want to celebrate, I may sound super tired — I am, right? — but, you know, Tuesday was a long day and Wednesday was not a break, right? I didn’t schedule to be up until 2 in the morning, and then on Wednesday we had major things going on. I may sound super tired, but it’s OK, because it’s really, really some great things that are going on. I think our community partners have collaborated like no other time in the past, and this is super exciting work.

I think this is a time like no other where Metro council heard the need and the cry of community partners, those that are ex periencing outdoor homelessness, and it’s great when we are aligning our programs, strategies, and funding streams with what we see on a national level as well.

This was the first time ever that the federal HUD released a special notice of funding opportunity for the unsheltered, people living outdoors. We’re finalizing that scope of work as well, and that application as well. That’s exactly how you help to reduce homelessness. By aligning strategies and having enough resources to meet the need.

Kangen

811-C

Nashville, TN 37207 www.KangenWaterNashville.com (615) 562-6337

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THE CONTRIBUTOR CALENDAR

Nashville’s Best Free Events Downtown

Whether you’ve lived in Nashville for years or you’re just in town for a few days, there’s always a way to get out and about without spending a ton. Every two weeks, The Contributor rounds up some of the best local fun to help you navigate all the city has to offer as well as volunteer opportunities and hot tips for the tourists from a vendor.

HALLOWEEN AT THE MARKET

Oct. 28-29 | 5-8 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Nashville Farmers' Market, 900 Rosa L Parks Boulevard

Halloween at the Market is a free day of family and pet-friendly celebrations. The Nashville Farmers’ Market will have music, a kids zone with inflatables, bilingual storytime, a celebrity pumpkin contest and a hay bale maze in addition to its normal market fare. Costumes are encouraged.

HAUNTED MUSEUM 2022

Oct. 29 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Tennessee State Museum, 1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.

Just a few steps from the Nashville Farmers Market, the Tennessee State Museum will host its Haunted Museum Storytelling Festival on Oct. 29. The event is free and features some of Tennessee’s best storytellers, who will deliver chilling ghost stories from Tennessee’s past for all ages. There will also be snacks, games, art activities and costume parades. Keep your costume on from your trip to the farmers market.

NASHVILLE JEWISH ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL

Nov. 6 | 11 a.m. at Gordon Jewish Community Center, 801 Percy Warner Boulevard

Gordon Jewish Community Center will have a double whammy going on. On Nov. 6, in addition to hosting the 7th Annual Kosher Nashville Hot Chicken Festival, it’ll put on the Nashville Jewish Arts & Music Festival. All ages, faiths, races, cultures, and people are welcome at the free event. Children’s activities, including an inflatable bounce house and obstacle course, will be offered throughout the day and the festival will have all kinds of Kosher food items, not just delicious hot chicken.

HOPE CHURCH AND PEOPLE LOVING NASHVILLE VOLUNTEER EVENT

Nov. 7 | 5-8 p.m. at 3511 Gallatin Pike

Hope Church is partnering with People Loving Nashville to prepare and package meals and clothing for people experiencing homelessness. Volunteer to help by packaging and sorting at 4:30 p.m. or head over with the team at 6 p.m. to distribute items to folks in need at War Memorial Plaza downtown. Contact Joel Frame (joel@hopechurchnashville.com) for more information.

VENDOR TIP FOR THE TOURISTS

STOP! Don't come! We're full. At maximum capacity. Just kidding! But since we are so crowded, please be considerate to the folks living here and take time to learn about our community.

Volunteer Spotlight: Gisselly Mazariegos

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Many of our regular readers are famil iar with our articles featuring a Vendor Spotlight. After one of our paper release meetings, I decided it was time to turn the tables and do a Volunteer Spotlight. Ten nessee is the Volunteer State after all, and The Contributor volunteers play a large part in keeping the paper and it’s vendors running smoothly.

With that in mind, meet Gisselly Mazariegos. She came to the U.S, in 2013 from Honduras. She now lives in Smyrna, Tennessee and attends Trevecca Nazarene University. Her major is Social Justice with a minor in nonprofit Management.

In line with that, she got an internship with People Loving Nashville.

She learned about The Contributor when Cathy Jennings, Contributor executive di rector, came to speak to one of her classes and the rest is history.

She been a volunteer at The Contributor for the past eight months, and she contin ues to volunteer on Wednesdays in spite of her very busy schedule. Why? Because The Contributor is, “a family, and they provide immediate income to make a difference and help heal the brokenness.”

From her prospective she says, “ It’s NOT about the volunteers it’s about the vendors.”

(For the record, I disagree with that. It takes EVERYBODY to make it work!)

So what does she hope to accomplish with her degree? She said she wants to go back to Honduras, get out of her comfort zone, to be a light in the dark, create jobs and eventually open a nonprofit.

She said her work with nonprofits (Peo ple Loving Nashville and The Contributor) has really opened her eyes to, “a system built to oppress,” and she is determined to, “ do something, to take action as opposed to doing nothing.”

She says she wants to continue learning more and she encourages other young peo

God Save the Queens

BY WILLIAM B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Back when I was younger I remember Queen Elizabeth. I’m gonna say she was spectacular in her form. She really was a spectacular lady. I watched her when I grew up. She was in movies! One short film with James Bond, and in a scene with Paddington Bear.

To me, she was a generous lady. I’ve known her over the years by watching her on TV and she gives. I think she gave money to the United States when we needed it. I think in the '50s.

She was a very loving lady to her family. Her family meant the world to her. It broke her heart when her grandson Harry and his wife Meghan left the business. I’m gonna say the business because it is a business but

also a gift they inherited. That really broke her heart.

I think when they left that changed her a lot. I think she did love Meghan and she loved her grandkid. And now they’ve got two, right?

She even believes in second chances for people. I know this for a fact because look what she done when we had our war years and years ago. The British came to OUR aid and they didn’t have to do that. The queen had that done.

I would have loved to meet her in person. I believe I could put a smile on her face. By singing if nothing else. I believe she loved music of all kinds. She loved animals. She had all those dogs. I can’t have a pet, and I miss that.

We lost an amazing woman when we lost Queen Elizabeth.

I want to add two other ladies we lost in the last few months that meant a lot to me. We lost an amazing singer that I met when I was a child in the hospital I was in — Loretta Lynn. My favorite Loretta Lynn song is "Don’t Come Home a Drinkin.’" She did good gospel too. Certain songs she couldn’t sing while being filmed because she would cry. I can relate to that.

Another great lady we just lost was Angela Lansbury. I watched her on many, many movies and she was a great lady. She was in Beauty and the Beast! I watched her in Murder She Wrote. She had more gifts than Carter had

ple to, “get out there and see what’s going on in the world around you, and don’t get to comfortable or focused on technology and our own little world, because young people CAN make a difference! ”

You may wonder what motivates Gisselly to act as she does — I know I did — so I asked.

She cited the words of Micah 6:8: “‘ He has told you what is good. And what is the LORD require from you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.’ And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Well, I think she’s off to a pretty good start!

liver pills! An older person my age will get that joke. You could also say she had more gifts than Quaker has oatmeal. I should have said grits. I love grits.

We also lost a few actors and singers during the pandemic. Makes me think, I must be get ting old! But at times I don’t feel my age. I feel like a young teenager. Because I won’t stay at home. Getting out and staying active is what’s going to keep me alive. I have some operations coming up, but I’m gonna fight to get where I need to go. I’m not a person who can sit at home and give up, I was in the boxing ring at five years old. That’s how I broke my nose. But that’s a story for another time.

A Key To Life Is Qualification(s)

BY MAURICE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Do you have or are you able to meet certain qualifications? One can speak on their experi ences of flying, but can they truly fly? No one can tell someone how to fly a plane if they've never been in the cockpit.

The same goes with many other aspects of life, whereas yes instructions are given on how to do many tasks in life, but the explanations of the hardships that come along with it are never pointed out. Being a single individual and sharing the topic of prosperous and productive family life is just a person's observance of what they could fathom because there are so many different cir cumstances that occur in life. There are so many changes or ways to go about being productive that not one person knows all the answers to what makes "The productive family life."

If a couple has been together since the 7th grade, then married when they got older and is now in their 60s and has never looked or touched another individual since they have been married, they know a lot but can still only share their expe

riences of how they made it. They can’t know all the other possibilities on how relationships can be.

Most likely every individual takes the notions of their childhood life experiences from home and moves forward. They can be good or bad, but they move on trying to make do with what they've experienced. Then some run into some kind of harsh experiences as youngsters at home and things just don't add up. Therefore they are not able to understand how to weather the storm that they find themselves going through, and the actions of love are found out where they can find it.

Sometimes the streets are showing them "artificial love." The streets love no soul, but they fall deeper into the search for that feeling of be ing cared for which covers up the hardship that they experienced. Then the acceptance of being in or out on the streets seems to be an ongoing motive. The motive that one received from the beginning of the party is the major motive that one continues in their later life. The party is

the lime life of how to continue to cover up the possible structure of responsibilities in and of living. To be at a party is to have fun without any cares, an aspect that can and will grow on many. Because living a responsible life brings about times of boredom or situations of hardship and bad memories that are disliked.

People must be focused on how to overcome and override many issues. Being responsible means that there is a structure that was normal ly formulated or instilled in a person from an adolescent age, but during that age, the mind is developing and processing so much that the time of remembrance is mainly focused on the good.

When one thinks of life being a party and wanting the party to endure forever, the party becomes all about enjoying one's self depending on the degree of that individual's desire/qualifi cations. On the other hand, when dealing with the principle of structure it's observed that the factor of responsibilities lay within the resources that one is involved with. When one thinks of

life as a game or a business then all playas go at it or treat it just as such.

Many individuals who treat life as a game of eating and eating greedily spend their time getting more of whatever it is what it's all about, and by any means necessary. When one has many responsibilities then the weight is upon one's shoulders whenever one hasn't adapted to the concept of having a lot of material things in life but refused to downsize to their qualifications.

Participants who are eating greedy sympa thize with it because their simple analogy is to receive more only to meet their qualification. Is that wrong or is that right? With the equation being a negative and positive being all of what controls life that it takes a neutral to balance things out, therefore in some aspects it's wrong and in some aspects it's right, but because it takes both to make most things equal then any person should find out what they qualify for towards all circumstances and situations in and on this life's plane .

The history of George W. Hubbard Hospital

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

Early in the 20th century, the board at Meharry Medical School decided to build a hos pital to meet the medical needs of Nashville’s Black community and as a teaching facility for Me harry students.

They hired as a consultant Daniel Hale Williams, M.D., a successful heart surgeon at Providence Hospital in Chica go, of which he was the primary founder. Dr. Robert Fulton Boyd, of Nashville, one of the leading Black physicians in America, was named chairman of the George W. Hubbard Hospital Associa tion, whose charge was to raise the money to build the hospital. The first section of Hubbard Hos pital opened Dec. 15, 1910, on First Avenue South. It was named for Dr. George W. Hubbard, the first president of Meharry. The two-story brick structure, which was dedicated Nov. 12, 1912, could accommodate 80 patients and 20 more in the case of emer gencies. Dr. Hubbard became the first superintendent.

In 1925, the Meharry board concluded that its hospital could not be modernized and enlarged to “conform to established mod ern standards.” Accordingly, they purchased six acres in North Nashville across what is today Meharry Boulevard from Fisk University, where Mehar ry would build in 1931 a new medical school. This was made possible through the generosity of the General Education Board,

the Rosenwald Fund, George Eastman, the Harkness Foun dation, the City of Nashville and Meharry alumni. The hospital became part of Meharry, a brick building, trimmed with lime stone, which was three stories high on the east and five stories high at the rear because the land sloped down to Albion Street. It cost about $2 million.

By mid-century, Meharry’s president Dr. M. Don Clawson concluded that because Hubbard

was primarily providing medi cal care for Nashville’s indigent Black community, a permanent partnership with Nashville’s city government was the only solu tion. He was not, however, able to pull this off.

In 1952, Dr. Clawson was succeeded by Dr. Harold D. West as president of Meharry. The next year, the City of Nashville agreed to reimburse Meharry Medical College for indigent care. This was a start.

Ridley wrote a book!

Dr. Lloyd C. Elam became the sixth president of Meharry in September 1967. He also was the college’s first black president. At that time, Meharry had only a few buildings — the main building, which included Hubbard Hospi tal, the schools of medicine and dentistry, a nursing dorm, Alum ni Hall and Alumni Cafeteria. Despite a rapid expansion of the campus during the Elam years, his administration and ones to follow were beset with financial

problems at Hubbard. Unexpect ed help came in 1983 when the $30 million mortgage on Hub bard Hospital was forgiven.

In 1994, Hubbard Hospital closed, leaving Meharry with out a teaching facility for its students. Meharry successfully negotiated with Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Da vidson County to move General Hospital to the Hubbard location and care for Nashville’s indigent population.

Longtime writer for The Contributor Ridley Wills II has published a book cataloging all of his work writing History Corner articles for the paper from over the past decade. All proceeds from the book will be donated to The Contributor to continue its mission of providing low-barrier income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness so that they can find sustainable housing.

FIND THE BOOK AT THESE LOCAL STORES:

• Belle Meade Mansion Gift Shop: 5025 Harding Pike

• Elder's Bookstore: 101 White Bridge Road

Fort Negley Visitors Center: 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard

Historic Belmont: 1800 Belmont Blvd.

Logos Book Store: 2136 Bandywood Drive

Parnassus Books: 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14

• Landmark Booksellers: 114 East Main Street, Franklin TN

• Hot Pink: 831 Franklin Pike, Brentwood TN

Duck River Books: 124 Public Square, Columbia TN

Governor

The governor of the State of Tennessee is the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Tennessee. Elected every four years by popular vote, gover nors are limited to two consecutive terms.

The governor is the command er-in-chief of the state's military forces. They are responsible for signing or veto ing bills and joint resolutions as a final check before they become laws. Tennes see governors are also responsible for appointing state department heads, as well as some members of boards and com missions, such as the Commissioner of Finance, who oversees the state budget.

They appoint justices to the state, local and appellate courts, which interpret and decide the constitutionality of laws made by the General Assembly. The governor grants pardons, oversees executive de partments, makes recommendations for legislation and signs all commissions granted by the state of Tennessee.

Governors must be at least 30 years old and must have lived in the state for at least seven years before being elected to the office. As of 2020, the Tennessee governor's salary was set at $198,780 per year, the fourth highest gubernatorial salary in the United States.

BILL LEE Republican

Republican Bill Lee is the incumbent governor of Tennessee, elected in 2019. Lee received his Bachelor’s in Mechanical En gineering from Auburn University before taking over his family’s Franklin-based home maintenance business, Lee Company. Before he was elected governor, he served as a repre sentative for the 7th Congressional District

to the TN Higher Education Commission and as a member of the Board of Trustees at Belmont University.

Economic development is a primary focus for Lee. During his tenure, the state created almost 40,000 jobs and $12.9 billion in capital investments. Tennessee has been named the best fiscally managed state, best business climate in the U.S., #1 for advanced indus try job growth, and the best state for small business growth.

Lee has boosted education funding, with an additional $125 million going to teachers’ salaries. In May 2022, Lee signed the Ten nessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act into law. Under TISA, Tennessee’s K-12 public schools will transition to a stu dent-based funding approach, beginning with a base funding level for each public school student. Lee supports and has funded school choice and is in favor of tax vouchers for par ents to move their children to religious or private schools.

In 2022, a News Channel 5 investigation

reported Lee received campaign donations from school privatization PACs. During the 2022 State of the State Address Lee an nounced a partnership with Hillsdale College, a private Christian college in Michigan, to create a network of charter schools across Tennessee. Lee praised Hillsdale’s approach to education, however Hillsdale withdrew their proposal after significant public controversy.

Following the surge of mass shootings, he issued an executive order to enhance school safety. Lee supports teachers being armed, and does not support restricting firearms or strengthening gun control. Lee received criti cism for his COVID-19 response, as Tennessee struggled with high infection rates and one of the lowest vaccination rates. He opted out of mask mandates for schools and allocated $4 million of federal COVID-19 funding to charter schools.

While in office, Lee has issued 98 exec utive orders to date. These address a variety of topics including, but not limited to: rural investment from state executive agencies;

the establishment of paid family leave for executive branch employees and subsequent removal of an effective date; protection of life and property orders related to protests; reconstitution of the State Workforce De velopment Board and promotion of trucking industry deregulation.

Last year, Lee supported a series of bills in the Tennessee legislature including a transgender athlete ban, bills criminalizing gender-affirming care and restrictions on discussing LGBTQIA+ issues in schools. A bill signed by Lee requiring trans-affirming businesses to post signs on restrooms was struck down in May 2022.

He is a vocal pro-life advocate and has stated that he supports banning abortion, including in cases of rape and incest. In a proclamation on September 23, 2022, Lee said Tennesseeans need to acknowledge a sovereign God and seek forgiveness. He de clared September 30, 2022 a voluntary day of prayer, humility, and fasting and encouraged all citizens to join him in observance.

JASON BRANTLEY MARTIN Democrat

Dr. Jason Martin, Democratic candi date for governor of Tennessee, was born in Southern Alabama and currently lives in Nashville. Martin is a critical care phy sician and pulmonologist affiliated with multiple hospitals in the Nashville area. He holds a medical degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and this is his first time running for office. In August of 2022, he narrowly won the gubernatorial primary election, defeating Memphis Councilman JB Smiley Jr. by few er than 1,500 votes.

Martin has practiced medicine for over two decades in various roles, including Chief Resident at the Nashville Veteran Affairs Medical Center. In December 2020, Martin held a news conference with two other physicians calling for a statewide mask mandate. He has criticized Gov. Lee’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes Tennessee has regressive public policies that are harming the health of Tennesseans.

Martin considers himself a moderate Democrat. His many goals in running for

governor include fully funding public ed ucation, opposing the school voucher sys tem, providing support for immigrant and refugee communities, legalizing marijuana, reforming the criminal justice system, pro tecting womens’ reproductive rights, and the civil rights of LGBTQIA+ Tennesseans. He is especially interested in expanding Medicaid and healthcare access for Ten nessee’s rural communities. Martin wants to repeal permitless carry, and use existing regulation to make sure responsible gun owners aren’t penalized.

Constance M. Every, an independent can didate running for Governor of Tennessee, is a veteran, community organizer, activist, and Knoxville native. She attended Austin Peay State University before enlisting in the U.S. Army, where she served as a mechanical engineer for

BALLOT

15 years and was deployed to Afghanistan.

After an honorable discharge, Every re turned to civilian life and experienced homeless ness for four years. Her time as a homeless vet eran motivated her to fight for the marginalized and to start two nonprofits: Sleeves4Needs and Black Coffee Justice. Following the murder of George Floyd, Every met with Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon to advocate for body cameras, mental health training, drug intervention and public safety reform.

Every is running for Governor to return the power of the office to poor, disabled, and strug gling Tennesseans. Her policy goals include: full funding of unemployment, Medicare for all, a minimum wage of $23.00 per hour, full funding of public schools, full legalization of cannabis for recreational and medicinal use, and public participation in the state budget.

Charles Van Morgan was born in Chat tanooga and raised in Knoxville. He studied Business Administration at Tennessee Wes leyan College and later received a Master’s degree in Sociology at University of Tennes

see. He earned his Juris Doctor degree at the Nashville School of Law, but is not a licensed attorney. He is currently an account executive at Safe Taxi, a Knoxville-based taxi company.

Morgan served as a Tennessee state troop er for more than a decade, and claims to have made more drunk driving arrests than any other trooper during his tenure. He is out spoken about enforcing DUI laws to ensure Tennesseeans are safe on the road.

Morgan vows to fight for ordinary Ten nesseeans, and to root out corruption in the Tennessee state government. His goals include bringing more jobs to the state by increasing green energy, making healthcare more avail able by taxing marijuana, expanding Medic aid and passing legislation to ensure that the death penalty is carried out within five years of a conviction.

John Gentry is running for Governor as an independent. He was born in Goodlettsville, Tennessee and served 8 years in the United States Marine Corps. He earned an Accounting Degree from the University of Maryland. Currently, Gen try is a Financial Analyst.

Gentry describes himself as “not affiliated with either corrupt party” and feels that it is his

duty to fight against the rampant corruption of the government. In 2019 he submitted a Peti tion of Remonstrance to the Tennessee General Assembly, alleging a violation of duties and re questing a jury trial. His case was dismissed on appeal in 2020.

Term limits for state senators, representatives, and judges are among Gentry’s top priorities. He believes Tennessee’s judiciary and legislators are running afoul of the Tennessee State Constitu tion and frequently cites specific Articles of the Constitution on his YouTube channel. He’s made dozens of videos about his views, ranging from his campaign goals to alleging that Child Protective Services encourages prostitution.

Gentry is running to give voice and power back to the people by restoring the right of remon strance according to the Tennessee constitution. Gentry is committed to adhering to the Ten nessee Constitution and supporting legislation that ensures the peace, safety, and happiness of the people.

Basil Marceaux, a registered Republican, is running as an independent candidate for Governor. Born in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in 1952, Marceaux received an Associate's Degree in Business Administration from Edmondson Junior College and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1971 to 1973. He is married with two children, and resides in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.

According to the Hamilton County Criminal Court of Tennessee, Marceaux has been the defendant in 19 criminal cases. He

pleaded guilty to vandalism, possession of drug paraphernalia, and reckless driving. According to court records, Marceaux was found guilty by reason of insanity and or dered to be hospitalized for observation at Tennessee's Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute twice.

In the past, Marceaux unsuccessfully ran for the US Senate, House of Represen tatives, and Governor. His previous election platforms include: recall of gun permits and immunity from all state crimes for the re mainder of one’s life. Marceaux also stated that phonics should be taught in school and that a mandate should be declared to ensure that our flag will be flown correctly.

Alfred O’Neil was born and raised in New port, Tennessee and went to Cocke County High School. According to his Facebook page, he currently works for Bluegreen Vacations, a travel timeshare company. He supports Ten nessee educators and stands up for teachers. In his freetime, he enjoys auto racing.

RICK TYLER Independent

Rick Tyler is running as an independent for Governor of Tennessee. He is also running for the U.S. House in Tennessee’s 3rd Congres sional District. Originally from Miami, he has run unsuccessfully in several elections, both in Florida and Tennessee, since 2010.

Tyler is a formerly owned Whitewater Grill

ed from Cleveland State Community College with a degree in Business Accounting and received a Hazmat certification from the University of Tennessee.

Rouse was on the Maryland presidential ballot in 2016. “I have no political back ground,” she told the Kent County News at the time of her presidential bid. “Just helping people and doing what is just.” During that campaign, she spoke in support of univer sal health insurance and criminal justice reform and in opposition of gun control. If elected to governor, Rouse said her top priority would be to remove federal and state taxes on fuel as well as state and local taxes on groceries.

Michel Scantland is an independent candi date for Governor of Tennessee. He received his B.S. in Business from Tennessee Technical Uni versity, and has worked as a Sales Manager for Research Electronics International since 2012.

in Ocoee, which closed in 2018 after he was evicted. In 2020, he pled guilty to property theft and tax evasion and admitted he failed to remit sales taxes while he owned the restaurant.

Tyler drew national attention during his 2016 campaign for the U.S. House in Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District when he erected a billboard in Polk County that said “Make Amer ica White Again”. “The Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, Mayberry America that I grew up in was a better America,” he told WTVC shortly after the sign was taken down. Tyler is associated with the American Freedom Party, a political party that advocates for white nationalism.

Tyler’s political positions are listed on his website, the homepage of which features an illustration of the White House covered in confederate flags. His priorities include strong support for Second Amendment rights and constitutionalism and strong stances against abortion, LGBTQIA+ rights, and taxes.

Deborah Rouse lives in Athens, Tennes see, and is a native Tennessean. She graduat

CONSTANCE M. EVERY Independent

DEBORAH ROUSE Independent

MICHEL SCANTLAND Independent

CHARLES VAN MORGAN Independent

JOHN GENTRY Independent

BASIL MARCEAUX Independent

ALFRED O’NEIL Independent

Andrew Ogles is run ning for U.S. House of Rep resentatives in District 5 and is the current mayor for Maury County. Ogles received his B.S. in Interna

tional Relations from Mid dle Tennessee State Univer sity. Ogles calls himself the, “most conservative mayor in Tennessee.”

Ogles supports Sec ond Amendment rights, pro-life legislation and securing our borders. He also believes that individ ual states, not the feder al government, should be in charge of education. He criticized the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, calling it a, “weaponization of the FBI to advance a par tisan political agenda.”

received a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance Economics and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Leadership from Austin Peay State University. Brantley spent just under 15 years in the U.S. Army, working as an air assault instructor and infantry platoon sergeant among other jobs. He now works for Oracle as a Business Development Consultant.

US House of Representatives

The United States House of Repre sentatives, alongside the United States Senate, forms the legislative branch of our federal government. Representa tives serve two-year terms. The 117th US House of Representatives holds 223 Democrats, including four Delegates; 213 Republicans, including one Dele gate and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico; and five vacant seats.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 indi

viduals. Tennessee elects nine repre sentatives to the House. On January 20, 2022 the Tennessee Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 0781 that redraws Tennessee's historically Democrat ic-leaning 5th congressional district of Davidson County into three pieces, absorbing parts of it into the largely white, historically Republican 6th and 7th districts.

The House of Representatives in troduces bills and resolutions, offers amendments, and serves on commit

tees. The House has the sole power to originate impeachment proceedings against public officials, who are then tried before the Senate. A representa tive’s job requires them to address the concerns, problems, and goals of their constituents. Representatives research topics, identify issues and propose laws that protect citizens, while working in coordination with their political party’s agenda. They must be informed on international matters, as well as any pending legislative matters.

Derrick Brantley is a con servative running as an in dependent candidate for the U.S. House in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. He

Brantley supports border control, police funding, envi ronmental conservation and Second Amendment rights. He is opposed to abortion, mixed gender sports, and

Prior to holding may oral office, Ogles was president and owner of eNet Media. In 2011, he worked as COO for Abo lition International, now called Hope for Justice. In 2012, he worked as the Na tional Deputy Director for Newt Gingrich's presiden tial campaign. He became the Executive Director of Americans for Prosperity Tennessee in 2013. His campaign is backed by the Super PACs USA Freedom Fund and Americans for Prosperity.

debt and supreme court ex pansion. If elected, he plans to reduce taxes, fight infla tion, and protect Tennessee’s communities from the hedge funds and institutional in vestments that make home ownership increasingly diffi cult. ”One in three homes are being grabbed by hedge funds and offshore investors. Help me stop it with legislation putting a cap on the amount of the houses bought,” he wrote on Twitter. “Young generations of Americans shouldn’t have to compete with that.”

Heidi Campbell is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Represen tatives in District 5. Campbell is currently serving her first term in the Tennessee State

Senate. She sits on several committees, including the Government Operations and the Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources commit tees. She is the chair of the Davidson County Legislative Delegation.

Campbell previously served two terms as the May or of Oak Hill. A Nashville native, she earned her bache lor’s degree from Sarah Law rence College and her MBA from Vanderbilt University. Outside of her work, Camp bell values being a mother and has professional experience as a music industry executive,

owner; he has run two restaurants, a healthcare hospitality company and a coffee distribution compa ny. Shannon is also a United States Marine Corps veter an and has lived in Tennes see since 2007.

songwriter and musician.

Campbell’s campaign centers around “freedom for families first” and advocat ing for legislation support ing middle-class families. According to her campaign website, Campbell supports fiscal responsibility, the protection of voting rights, common sense gun legisla tion, fighting inflation, and the legalization of marijuana, She recently spoke out against the state’s trigger law that bans abortions with a group of pro-choice candidates and the privitazation of the public education system.

stagram. “I don’t give a rip about your race, religion, or sexual orientation.”

Daniel Cooper is an indepen dent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee’s

5th Congressional District. Cooper received a degree in Finance from the University of Tennessee and com pleted his post-graduate studies in Public Administration at Tennessee State University. He worked for over

Rick Shannon is an in dependent candidate for the U.S. House in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. He is a self-employed au thor, pastor, and business

a decade in Wall Street firms and is a U.S. Army veteran. Since his retire ment from the Army he has worked as a substitute teacher for Maury County Schools.

Cooper is an active community

Shannon is passionate about being of service to his constituents and mak ing politics for the people, something he feels the cur rent system has lost. “Our country is divided over every possible thing, (but) we are Americans first,” he said on his campaign’s In

member in Maury County, having served on the Maury County Health and Safety Board and volunteered with Columbia’s American Legion Post 19. He has also coached Lit tle League baseball and given free

While Shannon is a life long Republican voter, he said he’s running as an in dependent because he can’t be bought by a political par ty. “I’m not running to be endorsed by any political party or politician… I’m running to be endorsed by you.” Shannon is endorsed by Make Voters Matter, a non-partisan citizen group focused on putting an end to large campaign donations and corporate lobbyists.

guitar lessons to veterans suffering from PTSD.

He was elected to the Maury County Commission in 2016, where he focused on county growth. He was not re-elected for a second term.

ANDREW OGLES

DERRICK BRANTLEY

HEIDI CAMPBELL

RICK SHANNON

DANIEL COOPER

John Rose is an incum bent Republican running for U.S. House of Representatives in District 6. Rose was born and still lives in Cookeville, Tenn. He received a bache

lor’s degree in Agribusiness Economics from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in Agricul tural Economics at Purdue University. He received his Juris Doctorate from Vander bilt University.

In 1992 he founded Tran scender Corp, an Internet Technology (IT) company that was sold in 2000 for $60 million. He currently owns and is the president of a pro fessional IT training compa ny called Boson Software. He also owns a family farm in Temperance Hall, Tennessee.

His lifelong passion for farm

ing led him to serve the Ten nessee State Fair Association as a volunteer for 12 years.

One of the most conser vative members of Congress, Rose is focused on reducing government spending, regu lation, and the national debt. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and views Second Amendment rights as one of his primary campaign issues, along with continuing to build a wall on the southern border and repealing the Af fordable Care Act. He voted against the certification of the 2020 presidential elec tion results.

2019. Born in Florida in 1964, Dr. Green graduated from the United States Military Acad emy with a B.S. in Business Management. After receiving his M.D. from Wright State University, he served as a flight surgeon in the Army during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

ing transgender people, Green withdrew his nomination for the United States Secretary of the Army under President Donald Trump.

Randal Cooper is a Demo crat running for U.S. House of Representatives in District 6. He is originally from Mobile, Alabama, and moved to Nash ville shortly after graduating

from college. He holds a bach elor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Cooper works as a me chanical engineer at Nissan. He entered the race in February 2022, following the announce ment that Tennessee's 6th Con gressional District would be re drawn, splitting Nashville into three new districts. Cooper did not want to be represented by Congressman John Rose, and believes that voters in the newly formed 6th district deserve a candidate with “true progres sive values.”

He feels that his back

in public service at Cumberland University. Kelly led the Napier Community Center for over a decade, and co-founded the nonprofit Stand Up Nashville.

ground in engineering makes him well suited to solve the complex problems facing Tennesseans today. His top priorities are fighting inflation, guaranteeing every citizen has the right to make decisions regarding their own bodies, and fighting for free and fair elections. Cooper supports universal healthcare, common sense gun laws, funding pub lic education, and expanding immigration. On Twitter, he stated that “Tennesseans de serve someone who represents their interests, and who won’t be a party to Donald Trump’s corruption.”

awards nationally and locally for her activism. Recently, she was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, which is the largest group of labor unions in the US.

Mark E. Green is running for re-election to the US House representing Tennessee’s 7th District, a seat he has held since

Green represented the 22nd district in the Tennes see Senate from 2013 to 2018, during which his legislation ended the Hall Income tax on interest from stocks and bonds. In 2017, following concerns about his comments regard

In 2021, Green support ed a bill prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion costs as well as a constitutional amendment limiting the Su preme Court to nine justices. In February 2022, he sponsored the Keep Schools Open Act. His platform focuses on lowering taxes, deterring illegal immi gration and advocating for small businesses and veterans.

Odessa Kelly is an East Nashville native who graduated from Tennessee State Universi ty and earned a master’s degree

Following the 2020 tornado and pandemic, Kelly petitioned for an economic recovery plan to protect local Black commu nities and organized around the CARES Act. When Nashville funded a new soccer stadium in 2020, Kelly negotiated an agreement returning some of that investment to those im pacted by the stadium’s cre ation. Kelly has received several

Kelly supports economic justice for all people; affordable housing; protecting Social Se curity, Medicare, and Medic aid; a $15/hour federal mini mum wage; and progressive tax rates that require corporations to pay their fair share. She is an advocate of justice and gun reform, LGBTQIA+ equality, humane immigration policies, and the Green New Deal.

TN State Senator

The Tennessee legislative branch consists of both a Senate and House of Representatives. Called the Tennes see General Assembly, the legislative branch enacts laws, proposes legisla tion, establishes a state budget and can allow a forum for debate.

Tennessee is divided into 33 dis tricts with relatively equal populations and 12 committees are formed to over see the state’s functions: Commerce and Labor; Education; Delayed Bills; Energy, Agriculture and Natural Re sources; Finance, Ways, and Means; Government Operations; Health and Welfare; Judiciary; State and Local

Government; Ethics; Rules; and Trans portation and Safety.

A senator’s role is to answer to their constituents and pass bills on public policy matters. The Tennessee Senate has the power to hold a trial for a state official who has committed a crime against the state, a process similar to an impeachment trial. The Senate also has the power to vote to uphold or override vetoes made by the governor.

Senators are elected to a term of four years, and there is no limit on the number of terms a Tennessee legislator may serve. In order to serve, candidates must be at least 30 years of age and

have been a US citizen for at least three years, as well as having established res idency in their district for one year.

Women, Black people, and Latino people are underrepresented in the Tennessee State Legislature compared to the Tennessee state population. The senate map submitted in early 2022 was originally blocked by state courts but reinstated by the State Supreme Court because election season had already started. Currently, the Ten nessee Senate is held by a Republican supermajority, with 27 Republicans and six Democrats, contributing to the state’s Republican trifecta.

JOHN ROSE

RANDAL COOPER

MARK E. GREEN

ODESSA KELLY

MARK PODY

Mark Pody is the in cumbent state senator in District 17 running for re-election. Pody moved from Spokane, Washington,

DISTRICT 17

to Wilson County in 1985 and owns an insurance sales company called Edu cator Resource Association.

Pody is the Chairman of the Tennessee Legisla tive Prayer Caucus and a member of the Tennessee Firearms Association, as well as the Wilson Coun ty Chamber of Commerce, the DeKalb County Cham ber of Commerce, and the Cannon County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a private pilot and a member of the Civil Air Patrol.

During a meeting at Woodmont Bible Church

in 2015, Pody stated he believes he's on a mission from God to stamp out same sex marriage. Pody supported the "Stop the Steal" movement con testing the 2020 election results. While in office, Pody has supported bills to nullify the Affordable Care Act, permit religious objections to vaccinations and ban abortion and samesex marriage. He was one of three state senators to vote against a campaign finance reform bill in January. He is pro-small business and supports term limits.

He then received a law degree from the University of Virginia and moved to Nashville. Af ter a clerkship with a federal judge, he practiced law with Bass, Berry, & Sims, focusing on civil and appellate litigation, consumer financial services, constitutional law, and public contracts.

political service, he has served as Casa Azafran’s Capital Cam paign Co-Chair, and sat on the board of directors for East End Preparatory School.

Charlane Oliver is running for the state senate in Tennes see’s 19th District. Oliver grew up in Arkansas, raised in a Christian family with work

DISTRICT 19

ing class values. She moved to Nashville to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Human & Or ganizational Development at Vanderbilt University, and lat er a Master of Public Admin istration from UT Knoxville.

Charlane Oliver is the co-founder and co-executive director of The Equity Alli ance (TEA), a Tennessee based non-profit, nonpartisan organi zation focused on increasing civ ic engagement, leadership devel opment and organizing in Black communities. Her work with TEA has earned her numerous awards, including recognition in the Tennessean’s 2020 People

of the Year. Oliver has extensive experience in policy, advocacy and community engagement. She served as a congressional aide and communications strat egist for U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, where she focused on voting rights and criminal jus tice reform and was selected to lead Project Register, a biparti san voter registration initiative.

Oliver’s priorities include addressing the rising cost of liv ing, ensuring equitable housing and development, fighting for public education, and gun re form. She now lives in Bordeaux with her partner Leshaun and their three children.

JEFF YARBRO

Jeff Yarbro is a Democrat running for Tennessee State Senate in District 21. Yarbro grew up in Dyersburg, Tenn. He received a bachelor’s de gree from Harvard University and after college worked on Al Gore’s Presidential campaign.

Yarbro was elected to the Tennessee Senate represent ing District 21 in 2014. He was selected as the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus in his first term and appointed Senate minority leader in 2018. While in office he has served on the health and welfare, rules, transportation, and safety committees. In addition to his

After the Tennessee abor tion ban went into effect, Yar bro warned that infant and maternal deaths would go up as a result of the criminaliza tion. During recent education hearings, he speculated that the Tennessee Charter School Commission, backed by Gov ernor Lee, should ensure an in dependent review and approval process, rather than prioritize opening more charter schools. Yarbro has spoken against ef forts to put right-to-work in the Tennessee Constitution.

REUBEN DOCKERY

Reuben Dockery is an independent running for state senator in Tennessee’s 21st District. Dockery has lived in Davidson County for over thirty years. Dock ery holds a bachelor's de gree in history from Fisk

University, a master's in Leadership/Supervision from Trevecca Nazarene University, and a doctoral degree in K-12 Education al Leadership from Walden University.

Dockery has been a pas tor at Bethel Family Church for twenty-two years. He has worked in social ser vices positions for twen ty-five years, including as a special education teacher in MNPS, treatment coun selor, and supervisor at a youth detention center.

Dockery states his top three priorities for his dis trict are addressing eco nomic, educational, and

health inequalities; work ing to empower constitu ents via training programs, organization, and com munity involvement; and serving the greater good of Tennessee. He would like to prioritize balancing Nash ville’s growth with housing, job opportunities and pub lic safety. He and his wife have two adult children.

TN House of Representatives

The Tennessee House of Repre sentatives, along with the Tennessee State Senate, forms the General As sembly and works with the Gover nor of Tennessee to create laws and establish a state budget. Generally, this body is responsible for enact ing, amending and repealing laws in Tennessee.

The state is divided into 99 House districts. One representative is elect ed from each district and represents about 64,102 citizens. Every ten years, the House undergoes a redistrict

ing process, dividing the state into new political districts. The makeup of the 112th General Assembly is 73 Republicans, 24 Democrats, and one Independent. Cameron Sexton is the current Speaker of the House. Wom en, Black people and Latino people are underrepresented in the General Assembly compared to the Tennessee state population.

Legislative authority and respon sibilities of the Tennessee House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting state

budgets, raising and lowering taxes and voting to uphold or override gu bernatorial vetoes. The House has the sole power to originate impeachment proceedings against public officials, who are then brought before the Sen ate for trial.

To qualify for election to the House, one must be 21 years old, a U.S. citizen, a Tennessee resident for three or more years, and a resident of the county in which one is running for a minimum of one year prior to the election.

CHARLANE OLIVER

Incumbent Bo Mitchell is running unopposed for the TN House of Representatives for District 50, a position he has held since 2012. He is a native of middle Tennessee

DISTRICT 50

who graduated from Lip scomb University with a BA in Political Science.

Mitchell has served as a member of both the Bellevue and Goodlettsville Chambers of Commerce, and he is also a member of the Joelton Civitan Club, Harpeth River Water shed Association, FiftyFor ward J.L. Turner Center, the Bellevue YMCA, Tennessee Conservation Voters, and Ten nessee Farm Bureau.

Mitchell believes in in creased healthcare coverage for Tennesseans, more public

DISTRICT 52

District 52, the most diverse district in Tennessee. Jones studied Political Science at Fisk University and attended Vanderbilt Divinity School.

school funding, road improve ments, and increased Medicare for senior citizens. Recently, Mitchell voted against the pro hibition of abortion and against increasing criminal penalties for protesting on public prop erty. Mitchell is endorsed by the AFL-CIO and the Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parent hood. He was highly critical of Governor Bill Lee’s school voucher program, which would allow the use of public funds to ward private school tuition, and called for an investigation into the constitutionality of the law.

Bill Beck is running for the Tennessee House of Represen tatives in District 21. He was raised in Madison and Whites Creek. Beck holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administra tion from Belmont University

51

and a law degree from Nashville School of Law. He assumed of fice in November of 2014 and is running for reelection, ad vancing from the Democratic primary in August 2022.

Beck has served in the Ten nessee Air National Guard and since 1998 has worked at Beck & Beck Attorneys at Law with his mother, Martha Cone Beck. He has been a member of the Madison Chamber of Com merce, the American Legion Post 82, the Nashville Bar As sociation and more. In 2015, Beck was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The case was dismissed

DISTRICT 54

by a Cheatham County Judge on the basis that there was not reasonable suspicion for Beck to have been pulled over.

As a legislator, he has spon sored bills to increase funding for public transportation. He supports universal Pre-K, ex panding Medicaid, increasing the minimum wage, fair pay for women, mass transit in Nash ville and investing in renewable energy. He is a member of sev eral committees including the Criminal Justice Committee, the Select Ethics Committee, and the State Government Committee.

Justin Jones is a com munity organizer, activist, and self-proclaimed “good troublemaker” running as a Democrat for the Tennessee House of Representatives in

Jones’s campaign focuses include environmental jus tice, immigrant and refugee rights, and ending mass in carceration, as well as better working conditions, better public school conditions and affordable healthcare for all.

Jones acted as an orga nizer and strategist for the People Plaza’s 62-day sitin for racial justice at the

Tennessee Capitol in 2020 and walked 273 miles from North Carolina to Nashville to bring awareness to rural hospital closures during the pandemic. In 2021, he was instrumental in protesting a bill granting protection to drivers who ran over pro testers, calling it “morally insane.”

He has been recognized by organizations such as the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the ACLU of Tennessee and the Nashville NAACP.

VINCENT DIXIE

Vincent Dixie, the incum bent Democratic candidate in District 54, assumed office in 2018 and serves on the Health and Education Committees. He earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration

DISTRICT 53

degree in Accounting and an MBA from Tennessee State University. He is married to a Metro Nashville Public Schools educator with whom he has two daughters.

Dixie worked as an In ternal Auditor for HCA and Ardent Health Services before starting his own businesses, Bail U Out Bonding and A Way Out Bonding. He serves on the Finance Committee at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and is a member of the Ten

nessee Black Caucus.

Since being elected, Dixie has sponsored bills focusing on helping vulnerable citi zens, pushing for faster test ing of rape kits, letting Black people wear their hair any way they choose in workplaces, and offering veterans dis counted rates at state parks. If re-elected, Dixie plans to sponsor a bill requiring hand gun buyers to register with the state. He also advocates for Medicaid expansion and adequate funding for public schools and teachers.

University in Atlanta and her master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago.

Dia Hart is a Republican running for House of Rep resentatives in District 53.

Originally from Chicago, she earned her bachelor’s de gree in computer information systems from Clark Atlanta

Hart worked for the Peace Corps for two years in Haiti be fore working for Rotary Inter national in Evanston, IL, where she completed a variety of wa ter and toilet projects as well as projects to eradicate polio. She has volunteered with United Way and is certified in finan cial literacy through Neighbor works Financial Training.

This is Hart’s first run for public office. If elected, she

DISTRICT 55

from Columbia University and a law degree from the Universi ty of Memphis School of Law.

wants to help families and communities have their voices heard. She plans to promote ELS and STEM in schools and advocate for laws that reduce and ultimately eliminate hu man trafficking. Hart also plans to prioritize supporting the First and Second Amendments, pa tient’s rights, law enforcement, free markets, and fiscal respon sibility. Hart believes that, “we need voices among our elected officials and decision makers that stand with families and communities to find ways of helping us all thrive.”

Representatives, representing the 55th District.

Jason Powell is the Dem ocratic candidate in District 53. Since being elected in 2012, Powell has sat on multiple committees, in cluding State Government and Commerce. He has also

served as the Democratic Whip since 2019.

After growing up in Nashville, Powell earned his B.A. from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he also played football. He holds a Master of Public Ad ministration from Tennes see State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis. Powell’s work ex perience is in real estate and nonprofit management. He is part of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Nashville Realtors.

DISTRICT 56

He lost his father at a young age and was impacted strong ly by the Big Brothers/Big Sis ters organization, which he went on to work for early in his career.

In his current term, Pow ell has sponsored several new laws. One ensures confiden tiality of license plate reader system data, and another es tablishes a voluntary unem ployment workshare program. On social media, Powell has also advocated for expanding access to medical marijuana and interstate rail travel.

John Ray Clemmons is the incumbent Democratic candi date for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 55. He was raised on a farm near Watertown, Tennessee. Clem mons holds a bachelor's degree

Clemmons worked for two years in Washington D.C. as a legislative aide in the House of Representatives then returned home for the U.S. Senate campaign before be coming the Political Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party, from 2003 until 2004.

He practices law at Clemmons & Clemmons, PLLC, a firm he founded in 2013, and which focuses on civil litigation.

Clemmons currently serves in the Tennessee House of

While in office Clemmons has served on the Civil Justice, Education Administration, Health, K-12, and Emergen cy Orders Committees. He has served on various boards including Nashville Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities, the Metro Board of Fair Commis sioners, and the Tennessee Civil Service Commission. His poli cy priorities include Medicaid Expansion, gun safety, public transportation and promoting equality for all.

Bob Freeman is a Demo crat who has served two terms as a representative in the state house and sponsored over 60 successful bills. He was born and raised in District 56, where he still lives with his wife and their three children.

Freeman holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Man agement and Land Develop ment from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master’s in Sustainability from Lipscomb University. He is a co-founder of the consulting and construc tion firm Freeman Applegate.

Freeman is currently the Exec utive Vice President at Freeman Webb, a private real estate in vestment firm.

As a member of the Gen eral Assembly, he serves on the Health and Select Ethics Committees. His focus is on improving the health of Nash

villians through innovation and investment, building an educated workforce, improving early education and after-school programs, and allying with rural health providers to combat the opioid epidemic.

In addition to his time in the legislature, Freeman has served on the Continuum of Care Homelessness Planning Coun cil, Tennessee Environmental Council, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Metro Sustain ability Advisory Committee and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Tennessee Market Leadership Advisory Board.

BO MITCHELL

BILL BECK

JUSTIN JONES

DIA HART

JASON POWELL

JOHN RAY CLEMMONS

BOB FREEMAN

Harold Love, Jr. is a life long Nashvillian, with a doc torate in public policy from Tennessee State University (TSU), and a master’s degree in theological studies from

DISTRICT 58

Vanderbilt University. Love has served in the Tennessee House of Representatives, 58th District, since 2012. Notably, he is a pastor and Life Member of the NAACP.

As a Tennessee House Representative, Love has helped secure $300 million in funding for TSU structural re pairs; passed legislation to cre ate a maternal mortality review board; passed a bill to reduce the impact of Adverse Child hood Experiences (ACEs); and worked on legislation support

ing computer science for all; among other initiatives. Love is also the Vice President of The National Black Caucus of State Legislators.

His platform focuses on improving resources for K-12 education in public schools; promoting accessible health care; supporting small busi nesses; and supporting crim inal justice reform. Love hopes voters will look at his record of “getting good legislation passed” and keeping “bad legislation from passing.”

Living in the Hermit age and Old Hickory areas since 1979, Jernigan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Po litical Science and Public Relations from Austin Peay

DISTRICT 59

DISTRICT 60

State University, as well as a Master of Criminal Justice Degree from Middle Tennes see State University. Jernigan represented District 11 on the Metro Council starting in 2007, and has respresnted District 60 since 2012.

Jernigan is a member of seven house committees. He has sponsored dozens of bills, including introduc ing House Bill 1670, which updates outdated language used to describe deafness.

Jernigan is an advocate

for the DREAM Act, the expansion of Medicaid, the legalization of medical mar ijuana, and equitable access to healthcare. He is prochoice and voted against a bill that would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat is de tected. He supports a living wage, equal pay, affordable childcare, and universal Pre-K education in Tennes see. He opposes predatory lending and the use of public funds as vouchers for private school tuition.

a registered nurse and has worked as a psychiatric nurse and clinical risk manager.

Michelle Foreman is a Re publican running for Tennessee House District 29. Foreman is a native of the Nashville area, who graduated from Brent wood Academy and David Lipscomb University. She is

Foreman supports empow ering parents in their child’s education, placing a check on wasteful government spend ing and overreach, improving access to affordable healthcare insurance, a government that is, “smaller, smarter, and more efficient”, and the local police. In 2018, she was elected to the office of GOP State Executive Committeewoman for the 20th Senatorial District. She chairs the Permanent Elections sub committee of the SEC, which

was formed after the 2020 elec tion, and has led efforts to draft resolutions focused on election integrity for the Tennessee General Assembly.

Michelle Foreman is a member or volunteer of sev eral organizations, includ ing Bellevue Exchange Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, American Nurses Association, Tennessee Nurses Association, Tennessee Wild life Resources Agency, Tennes see Federation of Republican Women, Nashville Republican Women, The Federalist Society, and The Heritage Foundation.

Goodlettsville Board of Commissioners

member of the Tennessee Bar Association.

A native Nashvillian, Caleb Hemmer’s educa tion through metro schools culminated in a bachelor’s degree in business adminis tration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and

an M.B.A. from Tennessee Technological University. He currently lives in Forrest Hills and works in corporate development at American Health Partners.

A member of the West End Methodist Church, a husband, and a father of two, he also served in several leadership roles in former Gov. Phil Bre desen’s administration and ex ecutive roles in the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Hemmer served on the Fair Commissioners Board for nearly eight years and

recently resigned to focus on his campaign. As a re sult of his extensive work and volunteer experience in the field, Hemmer’s political priorities center around the right to healthcare. He has served as an Ambassador for the Vanderbilt Ingram Can cer Center, and on the Mem ber Engagement Committee of Leadership Health. Other focal points include funding for public education, eco nomic expansion, science backed COVID protocols, voting rights, and affordable housing.

Jesse Walker is a Sumner County native running for Goodlettesville City Com missioner. He is the asso ciate corporate counsel at Roadie, a same-day logis tics platform. Walker holds degrees from Volunteer State Community College and Belmont University as well as a Doctor of Juris prudence from Nashville School of Law. He is a li censed attorney in the State of Tennessee and an active

Walker serves as the corporate secretary for Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, and was named one of the Good lettsville Chamber of Commerce “31 Under 31” in 2022. He is passionate about using technology cre atively to solve problems that have been long unad dressed or ignored.

His campaign promises to focus on attracting and supporting new and ex isting small businesses to revitalize the community, improving traffic design, strengthening public ser vices such as fire and po lice departments and waste management and investing in and maintaining public parks.

Goodlettsville is located northeast of Nashville in both Davidson and Sumner Counties. It was in corporated as an independent municipality in 1958, five years before the Nashville and Davidson County governments merged. Like other charter cities in Davidson County, Goodlettsville has its own local government.

The Goodlettsville Board of Commissioners is the

Rusty Tinnin is a Good lettsville native who notes that his family settled in the area more than 150 years ago. He is a graduate of Goodlettsville High School. Prior to his election as city commissioner in 2014 and reelection in 2018, he served on the Goodlettsville Fire Department. He has been

Jimmy D. Anderson was born and raised in Good lettsville. He comes from a family that valued public service, and his father was a Metro Nashville Canine Police Sergeant. Anderson continued the family tradi tion of service as a Good lettsville firefighter. He has

policy-making arm of that government. The board consists of five elected officials who serve four-year, staggered terms. The commissioners are responsible for writing and enacting the city’s ordinances and resolutions as well as holding weekly public meetings to discuss changes to the municipal code. Every two years, the board also elects two of their own to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor of Goodlettsville.

the mayor of Goodlettsville since 2018.

Tinnin has promised to continue trusting the ex perts in local government, while also using his first hand knowledge acquired in years on the job. His goal is to increase economic de velopment with new and ex isting businesses, to create

new parks and greenways and to strengthen the po lice and fire departments. He is a believer in lowering taxes and the idea that gov ernment is not the solution for every problem, but that a functioning government ought to be a resource for improving the lives of the citizens of Goodlettsville.

served as a Goodlettsville City Commissioner for the last four years. Anderson currently lives in Good lettsville with his wife of 28 years, Kimberly. His son Kory lives in Goodletts ville, and also works as a firefighter.

HAROLD LOVE

MICHELLE FOREMAN

CALEB HEMMER

DARREN JERNIGAN

JIMMY D. ANDERSON

JESSE WALKER

RUSTY TINNIN

Belle Meade City Commissioner

The City of Belle Meade sits south west of downtown Nashville on just over three square miles of land. It has a pop ulation of nearly 3,000 residents and a history that dates back to 1807. Though Belle Meade is in Davidson County and

is considered part of Metro Nashville, it is a charter city that operates auton omously. In 1955, Belle Meade’s charter established a City Manager-Commis sioner government, granting the city its own regulations, city hall, police force,

of Management in Illinois. Fol lowing their purchase of the food manufacturing company Savannah Foods, Bryan and her husband settled in Belle Meade, Tennessee in 2001.

served as the president of the Nashville Parks Foundation.

mayor, and board of commissioners.

The Belle Meade Board of Commis sioners consists of five elected officials who serve staggered, four-year terms as the city’s policy makers. The board also elects two of their own members

to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor of the City of Belle Meade for two-year terms. Three of the five commission seats are up for election in 2022, with the remaining two seats set to expire in November 2024.

Born in New Orleans, Lou ise C. Bryan came to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University, receiving her BA in History. Af ter pursuing finance, she then earned her MBA at Northwest ern University’s Kellogg School

Bryan was principal of the marketing and communica tions consulting firm Bryan Communications. She went on to serve on the Board of Directors for Truxton Trust, committee chair for Friends of Warner Parks, and board chair of The Leukemia and Lympho ma Society of Tennessee and Alabama. Since 2021, Bryan has

Bryan is running for re-election, having served as Belle Meade City Commission er since 2018. Utilizing her busi ness and branding background to shape a long term vision for the community, Bryan focus es on neighborhood safety, beauty, and financial security in her plans to meet residents’ needs. As Lead Commissioner on Belle Meade Together, she oversees projects concerning walkability, traffic calming, and stormwater management.

Rusty Moore was born in Dickson, Tennessee to Judge Durwood Glenn Moore, a 5-term General Sessions Judge for Dickson County and Nan cye Travis Moore. He received his undergraduate degree in 1981 and his law degree in 1985 from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. After

Neal Clayton is a Nash ville native. He graduated from the University of Al abama in 1982 with a B.S. in Communications and Advertising, and is current ly a broker and partner at

working as a Staff Assistant to Senator James Sasser, he was admitted to the Tennessee Bar and began his law practice with Stokes & Bartholomew, focusing on real estate, avia tion, and commercial law.

Moore is the president of Bankers Title & Escrow Cor poration, a residential closing

real estate firm Engel and Volkers Nashville. He has worked in real estate in Nashville for thirty years.

Clayton is a current director of the National Association of Realtors, and has previously served as the president of the Greater Nashville Associ ation of Realtors, president of the Tennessee Real Es tate Education Foundation and several others. He was awarded 1996 Realtor of the Year from the Greater Nashville Board of Realtors

and listed as a top ten Re altor in the Nashville Busi ness Journal. Clayton has served as a board member for multiple organizations, such as Nashville Area Hab itat for Humanity and Pre vent Blindness Tennessee, among others.

Clayton has donated to the Society of Ceres, a committee dedicated to the beautification of Belle Meade. He was a citizen participant in the City of Forest Hills Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2010.

and title insurance company. He frequently speaks to pro fessional groups on issues re lated to real estate.

Moore is an active member of the Belle Meade commu nity, having served for more than ten years as a volunteer instructor for W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music

School, as president and board member of Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, and as president and board member of the American Heart Associ ation Heart Gala. He believes in keeping the Belle Meade community safe and attractive and keeping property values strong.

Forest Hills City Commisioner

The City of Forest Hills is located southwest of Nashville, on the northern border of Wil liamson County. It is a residential city with a population of nearly 5,000 people. Though it is part of Davidson County and Metro Nashville, Forest Hills has its own local government, es

tablished by charter in 1963.

The Forest Hills Board of Commissioners is the policy-making arm of this government. This group of elected officials is responsible for writing and enacting the city’s ordinances. The board is composed of three commissioners

Henry A. Trost, a native Nashvillian, attended Mont gomery Bell Academy and graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a Vice Presi dent at Avison Young, a global real estate advising company, where he specializes in health care real estate and landlord

who each serve four-year, staggered terms. Once these commissioners are elected, they select two board members to serve two-year terms as Mayor and Vice Mayor. The Forest Hills Board of Commissioners exercises both legislative and executive powers to govern the municipality.

representation. In 2014, Trost was elected Commissioner for the City of Forest Hills, where he has lived since 2008. He was re-elected in 2018. He sits on the advisory board and executive committee of the Friends of Warner Parks, and previously was on the Board of Directors for Nashville Rowing.

HENRY A. TROST

LOUISE C. BRYAN

RUSTY MOORE

NEAL CLAYTON

Amending the Tennessee State Constitution

The Tennessee Constitution is the fundamental governing document of the state of Tennessee and it operates at a state level like the Constitution does at a federal level; it is the legal

document and framework explaining the structure, responsibilities, rules of the state government and processes for amending the Constitution.

Tennessee does not have a process

AMENDMENT 1

Enshrining Tennessee's "Right to Work" Laws

The first proposed amendment would make it illegal to deny or at tempt to deny employment to any person because of their membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, refusal to join, or refusal to affiliate with any labor union or employee organization. It would incorporate Tennessee’s right-to-work laws into the constitution, which would make it more difficult to overturn or change the laws in the future.

The “Vote Yes on 1” campaign is led by Governor Bill Lee and

former Governor Bill Haslam.

Proponents of right-to-work laws say they prohibit mandatory union membership or dues as a condi tion of employment. In line with already existing federal laws, they also prohibit employers from fir ing workers if they are part of a union. Opponents, including all of the state’s major unions and the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Coun cil, say the laws reduce collective bargaining power and ability of workers to organize.

for amendments to be initiated by a group of citizens through a ballot ini tiative. All amendments to the Ten nessee constitution are initiated by the legislature or by a constitutional

convention. Amendments pass by re ceiving more “yes” votes than “no” votes and the number of “yes” votes must equal a majority of the total votes in the election.

AMENDMENT 2

Clarifying the transfer of powers of the Governor during disability

The second proposed amendment adds more directives and clarifica tions in situations where the gover nor is temporarily unable to exercise their powers or duties. Currently, the constitution states that the speaker of the Senate is first in line to take over if the governor is removed, resigns from office or dies during their term. In cases where there is no speaker of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives would take over. This proposed amendment doesn’t change the transfer, but adds

new wording around when it would apply, such as for medical reasons. It also states that were the speaker to be in the acting governor role, they would not be able to preside as speak er or vote as a member of the gener al assembly. While acting governor, they would be paid the same salary they would have made as speaker.

The governor, once able to return to their role, would need to submit a written and signed declaration that they are able to resume their responsibilities.

AMENDMENT 3

Removing Slavery as Punishment for a Crime

The third proposed amendment would update the current language in Article I, Section 33, which states that, “slavery and involuntary ser vitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, are forever prohibited in this state." Although Tennessee’s constitution outlaws slavery, this wording technically

allows slavery and indentured ser vitude as punishment for a crime.

The amendment would replace the current language with the fol lowing: “Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall pro hibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime.”

AMENDMENT 4

Removing the Religious Minister Disqualification

The fourth proposed amend ment would delete a section in the constitution that was written to prevent "ministers of the Gospel" and priests of any denomination from holding office in the state.

This clause has not been en forced since 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional in McDaniel v.

Paty. In this case, the eligibility of Paul McDaniel, a Baptist min ister and civil rights leader from Chattanooga, was challenged by his opponent on the basis of the law. At the time, Tennessee had argued the law existed to uphold the separation of church and state under the First Amendment's Es tablishment Clause.

The following candidates had no information online and did not respond to our emails requesting information, and therefore were not included in this issue: Steven J. Hooper, US House of Representatives D7; Pime Hernandez, TN Senate D19; Jim Gardner, Forest Hills City Commissioner

LA NOTICIA

“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publi cation include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

SALUD

Octubre/2

L

ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...

ticia ticia

ANTES”

Cámara de Comercio Hispana Celebra 18 años de premios

La Cámara de Comercio Hispana del área de Nashville (NAHCC) anunció este viernes a los ganadores de los premios Business and Community Excellence Awards 2022.

Laorganización elogió la resiliencia de los propietarios de negocios hispanos, el liderazgo de socios comunitarios y corporativos, los recursos de atención médica de la ciudad y el estado y sus esfuerzos de alcance comunitario, el programa Nashville Small Business Recovery Fund de Metro Government (NSBRF); y el rol instrumental de los medios de prensa hispanos.

Durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana, la NAHCC reconoce las contribuciones profesionales, cívicas y empresariales de sus miembros y destaca a quienes siendo no miembros participaron causando un impacto significativo en la comunidad de Nashville durante todo el año. Los nominados se eligen entre aquellos que han demostrado compromiso y liderazgo con el avance de la organización, la comunidad hispana y la ciudad de Nashville.

Los 18º Premios Anuales de la NAHCC se llevó a cabo en la Universidad de Belmont marcando la última semana de un programa conmemorando el Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana (del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre) presentado en colaboración con la Fundación NAHCC. El evento, dos días antes del final oficial de un calendario de un mes, fue posible gracias al apoyo de los miembros de la NAHCC, patrocinadores corporativos y socios comunitarios.

"Felicitaciones a todas las empresas. Creo que cualquier pequeña empresa, que haya sobrevivido a la pandemia, merece un premio y reconocimiento. Y a todos los ganadores, felicitaciones por ejemplificar lo que realmente significa el Mes de la Herencia Hispana "Con Ganas Se Puede Hacer Todo", así que adelante con la Celebración. Realmente es un honor ser su presidente", dijo el Dr. Rolando Toyos MD, presidente de la junta de la NAHCC.

Además de una proclamación en honor al Mes de la Herencia Hispana por parte del Gobernador Bill Lee; un mensaje del alcalde de Nashville, John Cooper; y del Dr. Paul Juarez, Meharry Medical College y TN CEAL; palabras del director ejecutivo del Metro General Hospital, Dr. Joseph Webb; testimonios y comentarios de Ruth Rico, propietaria/fundadora de Delicias Colombianas RR; Ramiro Cavazos, presidente y director ejecutivo de la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de EE. UU.; Karlha Ramón, propietaria/fundadora de la revista Azul615; Thomas Sheffield, director de Nashville Opportunity Fun en Pathway Lending; el decano de Watkins College of Art en Belmont, James Pierce; y actuaciones musicales

invitados de los galardonados Rafael Vázquez y San Rafael Band, bailarines folclóricos Oreanna Villanueva y Yostin Estrada, el famosos Trío Internacional Hidalguense. Además Watkins College of Art de Belmont presentó increíbles obras de arte de estudiantes; bajo la guía de los artistas locales Dalia García y José Vera González. La celebración contó con invitados especiales que representaban al gobierno, las empresas y la comunidad sin fines de lucro.

"En nombre de la Junta Directiva de la NAHCC, felicito a los ganadores de nuestros 18.º Premios Anuales del Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Nos sentimos honrados de tener la oportunidad de reconocer a aquellos cuyo trabajo y logros han sido vitales para el empoderamiento, el crecimiento y la apreciación de las empresas hispanas. y nuestra comunidad de Nashville, a pesar de los difíciles tiempos de pandemia. La cantidad de hispanos en Nashville representa el 14 % de la población, y con más de 500,000, ahora somos el 7 % de la población de Tennessee. Debería ser nuestra prioridad garantizar que nuestras pequeñas empresas latinas tengan los recursos y la orientación necesarios para acceder al apoyo económico para mantener vivo y próspero este sector esencial de la economía del país". dijo Yuri Cunza, presidente y director ejecutivo de NAHCC.

Los ganadores de premios son seleccionados por un comité independiente y se eligen en función de sus contribuciones, logros destacados, calidad de servicio, liderazgo cívico y empresarial y compromiso con la comunidad empresarial hispana y la ciudad de Nashville.

Es una tradición ahora en su año 18, no informar a los ganadores de los premios hasta el momento en que se anuncian y entregan los premios. "Es fácil asistir a un programa de premios cuando sabes que estás recibiendo algo. Durante nuestro reconocimiento anual, sabemos que los asistentes vinieron porque les interesa nuestro trabajo y nuestra comunidad sin esperar nada a cambio, sólo para participar y pertenecer". dijo Yuri Cunza, presidente y director ejecutivo de laCámara de Comercio Hispana del Área de Nashville (NAHCC).

Premios NAHCC Honran Mes de la Herencia Hispana 2022

"Ganas" Entrepreneur Award in Media: Karlha Ramon, Azul615 Magazine

Outstanding Community Health Impact Award: Tennessee Community Engaged Alliance Against COVID-19 (TN CEAL)

NAHCC’s Legacy Achievement Award: YMCA Latino Achievers

“Spirit” in Arts & Culture Leadership Award: Alex Paul Loza

Hispanic Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Flor Melgar, Mi Casa Realty

Entrepreneur Community Impact of the Year Award: Moncherie' HolmesJones / MOJO Marketing +PR

“Pasión” in Media & Community Award: Ponle Play

“Bridges” Leadership in Business and Community Service Award: Voces de Nashville

Outstanding Leadership in Service Award: Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County

Strategic Resource Partner Award: Southeast Center for Cooperative Development

Community Partner Leadership Award: Fighters Boxing Gym

Advocate of the Year Award: Cecilia Prado, Workers Dignity

Outstanding Community Service Leadership Award: Nashville General Hospital

Outstanding Business Leadership in Service Award: Piedmont Natural Gas

Strategic Community Resource Partner Award: American Red Cross

Outstanding Leadership in Media & Community Award: Latino Tennessee Voices / David Plazas, The Tennessean Newspaper

“Ganas” in Business Achievement Award: Tempo

Outstanding Leadership in Arts, Culture & Community Award: Nashville Symphony / Schermerhorn Symphony Center

NAHCC's Best Hispanic Film at Nashville Film Festival Award: Robe of Gems (Manto de Gemas), Director: Natalia López Gallardo

Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com

Escanee esta imagen para ver La Noticia newspaper edición bilingüe digital

awardees and board leadership at NAHCC’s

Annual Business & Community Awards

The New Christian Year

Selected by Charles Williams

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. First pub lished in 1941, this series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation through out the church's year. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

20th Wednesday after Trinity

LOVE does the work of all other graces without any instrument but its own immediate virtue. For as the love to sin makes a man sin against all his own reason, and all the discourses of wisdom, and all the advices of his friends, and without temptation, and without opportunity, so does the love of God; it makes a man chaste without the laborious arts of fasting and exterior disciplines, temperate in the midst of feasts, and is active enough to choose it without any intermedial appetites, and reaches at glory through the very heart of grace, without any other arms but those of love.

Jeremy Taylor: Holy Living

20th Thursday after Trinity

THEN first do we attain to the fullness of God's love as His children, when it is no longer happiness or misery, prosperity of adversity, that draws us to Him or keeps us back from Him. What we should then experience none can utter; but it would be something far better than when we were burning with the first flame of love, and had great emotion, but less true submission.

Tauler: Sermons

HIS life has been brought into mine, so that I am atoned with Him in His Love. The will of Christ has entered into humanity again in me, and now my will in me enters into His humanity.

Boehme: Signatura Rerum

The Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude

IN the Christian Church He hath given us means to be better to-day than yesterday, and to-morrow than to-day. That grace which God offers us in the Church does not only fill that capacity which we have; but gives us a greater capacity than we had: and it is an abuse of God's grace not to improve it, or not to procure such further grace as that present grace makes us capable of.

Donne: Sermons.

IN the Christian Church He hath given us means to be better to-day than yesterday, and to-morrow than to-day. That grace which God offers us in the Church does not only fill that capacity which we have; but gives us a greater capacity than we had: and it is an abuse of God's grace not to improve it, or not to procure such further grace as that present grace makes us capable of.

Donne: Sermons.

20th Friday after Trinity

NOW this is the ground and original of the Spirit of Love in the creature, it is and must be a will to all goodness; and you have not the Spirit of Love till you have this will to all goodness at all times and on all occasions. You may indeed do many works of love and delight in them, especially at such times as they are not inconve nient to you or contradictory to your state or temper or occurrences in life. But the Spirit of Love is not in you till it is the spirit of your life, till you live freely, willingly, and universally according to it.

William Law: The Spirit of Love

"THUS it must be" —The ground of this necessity is in himself, whereas the ground of the created universe is not in itself but in him.

Doctrine in the Church of England, Report of the Commission

20th Saturday after Trinity

HE made all things in fulness of goodness, and therefore the blessed Trinity is ever full pleased in all his works.

And, all this showed he full blissfully, meaning thus: "See! I am God: see! I am in all things: see! I do all things: see! I lift never mine hands off my works, not ever shall, without end: see! I lead all thing to the end I ordained it to from without beginning, by the same Might, Wisdom, and Love whereby I made it. How should anything be amiss?

Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love.

JESUS Christ is a God whom we approach without pride, and before whom we humble ourselves without despair.

Pascal: Pensées.

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

MEEKNESS in itself is nought else but a true knowing and feeling of a man's self as he is. For surely, whoso might verily see and feel himself as he is, he should verily be meeked. Two things there be that be causes of this meekness, the which be these: One is the filth, the wretchedness, and the fraility of man, into the which he must

always feel in some degree the whiles he liveth in this life, be he never so holy. Another is the over-abundant love and the worthiness of God in himself; in beholding of which all nature quaketh, all clerks be fools, and all saints and angels be blind. Insomuch, that were it not, through the wisdom of his Godhead, that he measured their beholding according to their ableness in nature and in grace, I cannot say what should befall them.

The Cloud of Unknowing

21st Monday after Trinity

WE would fain be humble; but not despised. To be despised and rejected is the heritage of virtue. We would be poor too, but without privation. And doubtless we are patient, except with hardships and with disagreeables. And so with all the virtues.

Eckhart: Sermons and Collations

HUMILITY is deep enough when God has mortified a man with the man himself, then and not till then is a man satisfied, and the claims of virtue.

Eckhart: In Colllationibus

The Feast of All Saints

IT is the feast-day of all those who loved Jesus Christ, who gave Him their souls and their blood for pure Love, who were without pride, without confidence in themselves, and who, because of that, shine with the greatest imaginable splendour.

Léon Bloy: Letters to his Fiancée.

AS verily as we shall be in the bliss of God without end, him prais ing and thanking, so verily we have been in the foresight of God, loved and known in his endless purpose from without beginning. In which beginning love he made us; and in the same love he keepeth us and never suffereth us to be hurt (in any way) by which our bliss might be lost. And therefore when the Doom is given and we be all brought up above, then (shall) we clearly see in God the privities which now be hidden to us. Then shall none of us be stirred to stay in any wise: "Lord, if it had been thus, then it had been full well"; but we shall say all with one voice: "Lord, blessed mayest thou be, for it is thus: it is well; and now see we verily that all thing is done as it was then ordained before that anything was made.”

Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love.

About him all the sanctities of heaven Stood thick as stars, and from his sight received Beatitude past utterance.

Milton: Paradise Lost.

21st Tuesday after Trinity

IF thou hast not the prayer of the spirit, strive for the prayer of the body, and then shall be added unto thee the prayer in the spirit. If thou hast not humility in the spirit, strive for the humility which is in the body, and then shall be added unto thee the humility which is in the spirit.

The Paradise of the Fathers

BE not humble in thy words only, but also in thy deeds.

The Paradise of the Fathers

21st Wednesday after Trinity

LET humility be always at work, like the bee at the honey-comb, or all will be lost. But, remember, the bee leaves its hive to fly in search of flowers and the soul should sometimes cease thinking of itself to rise in meditation on the grandeur and majesty of its God.

St Teresa of Avila: The Interior Castle.

HUMILITY is not insipidity, but it is seasoned, as it were, with salt.

The Paradise of the Fathers.

21st Thursday after Trinity

A BROTHER asked an old man, saying, "What is humility?" And the old man answered and said unto him, "That thou payest not back evil for evil." That brother said unto him, "And supposing that a man cannot attain to this measure what must we do?" The old man said unto him, "Let us flee and follow after silence."

The Paradise of the Fathers.

HE who owes everything to grace in such a degree that he under stands he is superfluous must be all the more obedient. True, all that exists is nothing in the hands of the Almighty who created it out of nothing; but that which by coming into existence attains nothing more than to be superfluous must understand most profoundly that is is nothing.

Kierkegaard: Christian Discourses

Sponsored by Matthew Carver, publisher

21st Friday after Trinity

WHEN religion is in the hands of the mere natural man, he is always the worse for it; it adds a bad heat to his own dark fire and helps to inflame his four elements of selfishness, envy, pride, and wrath. And hence it is that worse passions or a worse degree of them, are to be found in persons of great religious zeal than in others that make no pretences to it. History also furnishes us with instances of persons with great piety and devotion who have fallen into great delusions and deceived both themselves and others. The occasion of their fall was this; it was because they made a saint of the natural man. My meaning is, they considered their whole nature as the subject of religion and divine graces; and therefore their religion was according to the workings of their whole nature, and the old man was as busy and as much delighted in it as the new.

William Law: Christian Regeneration

21st Saturday after Trinity

JESUS Christ, without riches, and without any external exhibition of knowledge, is in His own order of holiness. He did not invent; He did not reign. But He was humble, patient, holy, holy to God, terri ble to devils, without any sin. Oh! in what great pomp, and in what wonderful splendour, He is come to the eyes of the heart, which perceive wisdom!

Pascal: Pensées.

HERE is the root then, the love of the Father, and the tree, the merit of the Son; except there be fruit too, love in us, to them again, both root and tree will wither in us, howsoever they grew in God.

Donne: Sermons

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

THE seeking is common—that every soul may have with his grace —and ought to have that discretion and teaching of the Holy Church. It is God's will that we have three things in our seeking:— The first is that we seek wilfully and busily, without sloth, as it may be through his grace, gladly and merrily without unskilful heaviness and vain sorrow. The seconds is, that we abide him steadfastly for his love, without grudging and striving against him, to our life's end: for it shall last but a while. The third is that we trust in him mightily of full sure faith, for it is his will. We know he shall appear suddenly and blissfully to all that be his lovers.

For his working is privy, and he willeth to be perceived; and his appearing shall be sweet and sudden; and he will be trusted. For he is full kind and homely: blessed may he be!

Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love

22nd Monday after Trinity

SUDDENLY, I saw before my inward eyes these words—God only . . . they were at the same time a Light, an Attraction and a Power. A Light which showed me how I could belong completely to God alone in this world, and I saw that hitherto I had not well under stood this; an Attraction by which my heart was subdued and de lighted; a Power which inspired me with a generous resolution and somehow placed in my hands the means of carrying it out.

Sister Lucie-Christine: Spiritual Journal

IN the Son of Man I see the Son of God, because Thou art so the Son of Man that Thou art the Son of God and in the finite attracted nature I see the Infinite Attracting Nature.

Nicholas de Susa: The Vision of God.

22nd Tuesday after Trinity

IT is nature which teacheth a wise man in fear to hide himself, but grace and faith doth teach him where. Fools care not where they hide their heads . . . But because we are in danger like chased birds, like doves that seek and cannot see the resting holes that are right before them, therefore our Saviour giveth his disciples these en couragements beforehand, that fear might never so amaze them, but that always they might remember, that whatsoever evils at any time did beset them, to him they should still repair, for comfort, counsel, and succor.

Hooker: Sermons

I AM not come to this meaning, or to this work and knowledge through my own reason of through my own will and purpose; nei ther have I sought this knowledge, nor so much as to know anything concerning it. I sought only for the heart of God, therein to hide myself.

Boehme: Aurora

HOBOSCOPES

SCORPIO

It’s usually a misnomer to say a snake is “poisonous,” Scorpio. What you prob ably mean is that the snake was “ven omous,” meaning it injects venom into its prey by stinging or, in this case, biting. A truly “poisonous” snake would be a snake that is toxic when eaten.

For instance, the Japanese grass snake is poison ous because its diet includes toxic toads and so if you eat a Japanese grass snake…Scorpio? Scorpio please don’t foam at the mouth and lose conscious ness while I’m trying to explain semantics to you. Sometimes, Scorpio, it’s more important to listen for intent than particulars.

SAGITTARIUS

My landlord is having the whole apart ment complex fumigated. There’s not even a roach problem, it’s just that his brother owns a pest control company and they’re doing some kind of tenant-care or cross-promotion or tax-evasion. I’m not really sure. Anyway, the note on my door said to stay outside for 12 hours. They left a complimentary folding chair. So I’m just sitting out here counting the cracks in the cement stairs and thinking about how much patience it takes to be a Sagittarius these days. I’m starting to think maybe you’ve waited long enough.

CAPRICORN

Someday, Capricorn, the internet will be gone. Maybe it will be when hu manity is long gone and the earth is finally consumed by the sun. Or maybe it will be next weekend when you accidentally click “confirm” on the popup that asks if you want to “erase all data.” In any case, Capricorn, it’s nice to remember that none of this is permanent. I think that means the only moment that really matters is now. Not the disappearing past or the imaginary future. Do something you like today. Maybe don’t even put it on the internet.

AQUARIUS

What if instead of changing something about your life, Aquarius, you changed everything? You could change your hair, your job, your clothes, your car, your family, your address, your height, your social security number, your favorite color, your best joke, your oil. You could change it all at once, Aquarius, and if you do I hope it makes you feel more like yourself. And I hope it makes you feel less alone. And I hope you’ll take me with you.

PISCES

I’m alone sitting in a cold folding chair outside my apartment door. My neighbor waves, walks over, and starts a conversation. Now I’m in a neighborhood. It’s amazing how a simple interaction can change the geography right under the plastic tips on the ends of your chair legs. If you can get over the social awkwardness and you’ve got some time to chat, you may find yourself starting a new country on your own front porch.

ARIES

Imagine you’re a rock rolling down a hill, Aries. You’re a generally round rock, so you keep moving, but you’ve got some jagged edges so you never really know which way you’re gonna bounce or turn or what you might run over or into. You might decide you want to roll over a nice patch of moss. And you might try really hard to get there. And you might make it! But was it really all your wanting and trying, or was it just that the shape of the hill and the ridges on your side sent you that direction? I’m not saying you’re not in control, Aries, I’m just saying maybe you could let the hill do more of the work for a while.

TAURUS

The first constellation I learned to spot was The Big Dipper. I liked it because it was so big and dippery. Then somebody taught me how to find Orion’s Belt. Those three stars, also called “The Three Sisters” or “The Three Kings” are still the first thing I look for on a clear night. But, as it turns out, Orion’s belt is actually made of nine stars. They’re so tightly clustered and so far away that they look like three to the naked eye. The closer you look, Taurus, the more there is to see. If you think you’re seeing all the options, look closer.

GEMINI

Maybe being stuck outside my apart ment waiting for the cloud of bug poi son to settle out of the air and attach to my floors and furniture isn’t such a bad thing. I mean, I can hear a marching band practicing in the distance. It’s kind of nice. I think they’re playing “Rehab.” Whatever your situation today, Gemini, see if you can find the music in it.

CANCER

I see some cold nights in the forecast, Cancer. And I’ll bet there’s some even colder ones coming after that. And some people say it’s just gonna keep getting colder. That the currents in the ocean will change and the warm air won’t go where it should and the winters will get too hard and too long. And I don’t know what’s going to happen in the long run, Cancer. And I feel helpless about the big picture and it’s getting cold. But I know what helps in the night is a warm blanket by the fire. And I know what’s even better is if you invite more people in.

LEO

Every time I have to click one of those boxes that says “I am not a robot” I have to think about it a little bit longer. If I were a robot, would I know? What if it’s not a verifi cation of my humanity but just a repeated affirmation to keep me from suspecting the truth? Anyway, Leo, I think we’re better off when we define ourselves by what we are. If your identity rests in the things you aren’t, you’re only delaying your discovery of who you really are.

VIRGO

Every night at sunset my neighbor goes out looking for her cat, Marty. Sometimes I see her looking under the bushes along the parking lot or by the creek behind the building. Tonight I saw him first. That old black and gray tabby. He came right up the stairs to my apartment door and saw me sitting in my folding chair. He looked me right in the eyes and said “We all just want to be pursued. We all want to believe that love is chasing after us.” I nodded and he ran down under the railing. Marty’s right about some things, Virgo, but I think next time love comes running, you should try to stay put.

LIBRA

I’ve been waking up early lately. Too early. Like, it’s dark outside and there’s no cars on the street and the birds ar en’t up yet, but I’m wide awake. So I make myself some tea and I sit at the window and I meditate on the day to come. Just kidding, Libra! I pick up phone and I scroll through my feed and I let the anxiety start to build before I’ve even gotten out of bed. Honestly, it’s embarrassing, but I’m telling you this because I think there must be a better way to live. You’ve got to try, Libra. For both of us.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained replicant hunter, or a registered exterminator. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

THEME:

HOSTS

Kid's Corner

MARYANNE II

By Jen A.

"How could I forget you" I said Again with deadpan confidence I remember

She tracked me down one night

As I wandered from pillar to post

To yell at me for not taking her calls

She said that I was a terrible person

And after all she had done for me I hadn't known I was running a tab I thought she was just being kind

For kindness sake

I was pretty naive at that point I asked if I was such a terrible person

Why would she care if I returned her calls

Wouldn't she be well rid of me

I didn't see her again after that She had problems of her own Heroin had been her ball and chain

Though she said she had a handle on it I'd never known a serious addict before And had no reason to doubt her She was on the fifth step

Of her 12 step climb back then She answered questions in a workbook

She praised Jesus and knew All the words to the songs

In the Contemporary Christian song book

A lust for life sparkled from her eyes She was on the rise

"I'm like you now" she spit out nervously I asked her to come sit next to me

Trying to figure out how we could be alike "You homeless"

She nodded and turned her face away Then came the confession

Her plea for redemption

"And I'm using again"

BY JUNE P., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Do You Know God?

BY JOHN H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

I remember a while back when before I start ed with The Contribu tor, I had a friend who sold the paper, I want say who actually intro duced me to the paper, but he had an alcohol problem. I asked him one day I sat with him while he sell, “Why you have to have that drink?”

He answered, “I been do ing it for years.” And I replied, “you shouldn’t do it on the job.” After days passed by he slowed down. I showed him in God’s word where too much drinking was a sin. I continued to sit with him for a couple more weeks and he stopped drinking completely. I guess the point I’m mak ing is we have to be an aid to our brothers and sisters. Show real love.

“If you hurt, I hurt.”

That’s the kinna love we should have for one another.

Ya see, it was out of love that God come to this Earth in the form of mankind to show the love he had for all of us humans. He saw at the rate humans was going, somehow there had to be an example shown.

Plus, a way we could be closer. We could talk and repent to him per sonally. We don’t have to have a priest to go to him and repent for us.

I guess the question is still, do we know God? I look at the world we live in, the schools, especially the private schools here in Nashville, sell right in front of one, they have God in their school, at least they pretend, but

they do know God be cause they have no love for their neighbor. These are God’s words from 1 John 2-4 chapters. He said, if we didn’t love our neighbors we didn’t know him. Because God is love.

God’s word is some times used as a front in school, but it’s not in the people’s heart. See, I’m explaining this to you before you die and try to explain to God how and why you lived as you did here on earth, before he send you to a place you don’t wanna be for eternity. He gave you a tool. Use it. Stop following the world. Get to know God. Live it like you know him. Because if you don’t know him, how can you spend eter nity with him?

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BY ANTONIO B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Cato: The Libertarian Hero Of The Right

BY JEN A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Cato was a Senator during the an cient Republican Roman Empire. Cre ating chaos among his peers so that no actual business could be conducted was the hallmark of his time in the Senate.

The Cato Institute is the lib ertarian think tank. That's where modern-day Cato-like individuals sit around and think about ways to destroy our liberal democracy so that they can profit from privatiz ing government agencies. Though once shunned by Republicans, lately their ideas of "limited government" and creating partisan chaos have been adopted by more mainstream Republicans. Our former president is a master of exploiting their ideas for fun and personal gain.

A libertarian running as a Repub lican in the Tennessee 5th congres sional district during this election cycle was the former Tennessee Ex ecutive Director of the Koch libertar ian organization. He has received 1.6 million dollars from the Cato Insti tute's campaign funding arm, Club for Growth. Interestingly enough, they also tout the funding of Ten nessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Is she really a Republican?

The Club for Growth outlines its policy goals as:

1. Reducing income tax rates and repealing the death tax

2. Replacing the current tax code with a fair/flat tax

3. The full repeal of Obama Care and the end of abusive lawsuits through medical malpractice/ tort reform

4. Reducing the size and scope of the federal government

5. Cutting government spending and passing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Con stitution

6. Regulatory reform and dereg ulation

7. Expanding school choice

They say that they don't take po sitions on social issues. It's simply all about the money.

As far as I can tell, all of these pol icies favor those with gross amounts of money and exorbitant assets. Mid dle-class Americans won't benefit nor will the poor. And if they succeed in repealing the Affordable Care Act and abolishing our public schools, there will be a lot of sick, suffering, uneducated Americans wandering our streets. Who can possibly believe any of these policies

will move us into a better future?

Hyper-wealthy Republicans own everything in America and charge us rent to use it. They also own the companies that make all of our goods and set the prices. The unconsciona ble increase in inflation in America is the result of these companies price fixing for corporate gain. They could have chosen to profit a little less. But they keep jacking up prices to keep us right where they want us — hurting and dependant.

The night the libertarian/Repub lican who won the Republican prima ry for district 5 said that he wanted to get DC out of Tennessee among other things that in no way benefit every day Tennesseans. When flood waters washed Waverly away, the citizens were grateful to have FEMA, the fed eral government agency that shows up when natural disasters strike. As Americans, shouldn't we come to gether to help? We are The United States of America. We should all be pulling together to secure our union.

It is said that Cato, after every speech he made before the Senate, re peated the phrase, "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam," a call to destroy Carthage, knowing that the simple repetition would breed agreement. It's one of the earliest examples of illusory truth effect used effectively by politicians like the current delusional idea that the last presidential election was stolen. It's also employed by news media, advertisers, and propagandists. The repetition of a lie, makes the lie seem more believable to those who don't take the time to think rationally.

The libertarian/Republican can didate running for the district 5 seat, refuses to debate the Democrat, Heidi Campbell. He just keeps repeating the same libertarian dogma. It is my hope that the thoughtful voters of district 5 will see through his ploy and vote for someone who has actual expe rience solving the real problems of Middle-Tennesseans. A vote for Heidi Campbell is a vote for a better future for Tennessee women and children.

Libertarians might be big fans of the chaos that Cato brought to the Republican Roman Senate, but they seem to ignore Cato's end. It wasn't pretty. Restrictive, selfish govern ment policies lead to dire outcomes for citizens. It was true of ancient Rome and it is true in 2022 America. Spare us all — vote Heidi Campbell!