Tennessee state Rep. John Ray Clemmons says he's running for Nashville mayor, becoming the first candidate to challenge Mayor David Briley in this year’s election and unleashing an assault on the incumbent’s leadership and vision.

Clemmons, D-Nashville, announced his plans to run in the August mayoral election in an exclusive interview with The Tennessean after months of speculation about a bid.

He framed himself as a stronger, bolder leader than Briley who would more effectively communicate the city’s priorities and path forward.

“I'm prepared to provide that strong, decisive leadership that Nashvillians expect and deserve,” Clemmons said. “I have a vision for this city that’s rooted in our core values of equity, opportunity and justice, and I want to tackle the issues facing our city head-on.”

Clemmons slams Briley over 3 major issues

Clemmons, a 41-year-old attorney elected last year to his third term representing West Nashville’s House District 55, pointed to transportation, affordable housing and public education — long regarded as three of the city’s most pressing issues. He argued Briley has fallen short addressing each in his less than one year in office.

“What’s lacking in Metro right now is a vision to address the issues facing Nashville,” Clemmons said.

Out of the gate, his candidacy could find its biggest following among the left. Although Briley is known as a progressive, Clemmons could present an alternative for voters critical of Briley’s position on the November referendum creating a community oversight board for police as well as others who have hammered the mayor for reneging on cost-of-living pay increases for Metro workers.

But Clemmons also might look to capitalize on a contrast in styles with Briley, who has taken on a lower-key persona than his predecessor, former Mayor Megan Barry. Clemmons said he would “bring a new level of energy to the mayor’s office.”

“People do expect a level of charisma from their mayor," he said. "On the whole, the mayor is selling the city. In order to recruit businesses and jobs to this city, you have to be somewhat of a salesman and have a personality to be able to communicate your vision for the city.

“Mayor Briley has failed in both of those in A, he doesn’t have a vision for the city and B, he can’t communicate it.”

Unusual backdrop could mean unusual mayor’s race

Briley, Nashville’s onetime vice mayor, was thrust into office on an interim basis in March after Barry resigned amid a sex scandal with her former police bodyguard.

Briley won the office outright in a May special election to finish the final year of Barry’s term, avoiding a runoff by securing 54 percent of the vote. He’s now running in his second election in as many years to claim a new four-year term.

Other possible mayoral candidates, At-large Councilman John Cooper and Nashville real estate executive Bill Freeman, are expected to make decisions on runs soon.

A sitting mayor has never lost a re-election bid in the history of Nashville's Metro government. But past mayors had full terms under their belts during their re-elections and didn’t enter under unusual circumstances like Briley. Some observers see Briley, who confirmed plans to run for re-election in the fall, as vulnerable given a year that has seen ups and downs for him politically.

Briley has pushed a return to core city services — which he’s called “the fundamentals" — after winning approval of a new $275 million Major League Soccer stadium and helping land a new Amazon operations hub.

But he’s attracted criticism over last year's status quo budget, supporting a transit referendum that failed and raising concerns about the community oversight board that passed despite his objections.

“Mayor Briley is currently focused on the work he does every day for the residents of Nashville to ensure that everyone — regardless of zip code — has the opportunity to succeed as our city continues to grow and prosper," Briley campaign manager Sarah Lingo said in response to Clemmons' entry into the race.

"When the voters go to the polls, we are confident they will agree that Nashville’s best path forward is with Mayor Briley leading the city.”

Clemmons allowed to raise money for mayor's race while in state session

Clemmons, who will be considered an underdog given Briley's incumbency advantage, could be challenged on fundraising in a race that might cost $1.5 million to compete. Four candidates spent more than $2 million in the 2015 mayor’s race that Barry won, but the price tag could be smaller if fewer viable contenders run.

Clemmons declined to say how much money he thinks the race will demand but expressed confidence in his ability to raise enough.

State law permits the transfer of excess campaign funds from his state House campaign committee, which has a balance of $58,941, to his mayoral campaign. He said he would contribute a small amount of personal money into the campaign but didn’t say how much.

Although the new state legislative session kicked off last week, Clemmons is allowed under state law to accept campaign contributions from Davidson County during session but not from outside the county until the session adjourns.

Clemmons said he’s spent the past few months talking to Nashvillians, calling it “almost uncanny” how much they have the same concerns about the city’s direction.

Positions on affordable housing, transit, other issues

His campaign has planned a series of town hall meetings across Nashville over the next month.

On the future of transit in Nashville, Clemmons said he supports identifying a plan with community buy-in and “skin in the game” from surrounding counties.

Fresh off defeat in May of a $5.4 billion light rail and transit system, Briley has ruled out pursuing a second transit referendum over his next term if elected. But Clemmons said he would leave a second transit referendum on the table.

“We can’t kick the can down the road,” Clemmons said. “That’s what’s lacking in the mayor’s office today. We need strong, bold, decisive leadership in making this a priority along with those other issues.

“Writing off a transit referendum for the next four or five years, I think, is completely irresponsible.”

Clemmons also said Metro needs to “seriously consider” an increase to the city’s property tax rate to pay for its obligations, including education — a contrast to Briley, who’s said he’s committed to avoiding a tax hike for the second straight year.

Clemmons, a public school parent, said he wants to ensure the school district has the financial resources to succeed. He withheld any criticism of Director of Schools Shawn Joseph, whose future has been debated by members of the Metro school board.

“Dr. Joseph deserves an opportunity to succeed and I would do everything I can to help make him successful,” he said.

Clemmons slammed Briley over affordable housing, saying the mayor was wrong last fall when he declared that affordable housing “is not a crisis, but it is a significant problem.”

He said Metro needs to make affordable housing a greater budget priority, more aggressively use city-owned property for affordable housing and take advantage of new state laws on the issue.

“Affordable housing in this city is a crisis for too many families. I think trying to describe it as anything else is false and irresponsible.”

From losing Metro Council race to knocking off longtime state representative

Clemmons, a native of Lebanon who practices civil law at Clemmons and Clemons Law, was first elected in 2014 when he scored an impressive victory by defeating longtime state Rep. Gary Odom in the Democratic primary.

Five years before, Clemmons finished last among four candidates in the Metro Council District 18 special election.

Given the state’s Republican supermajorities and his short time in office, Clemmons arguably lacks major legislative victories, but he cited bills regarding education administration and affordable housing as some of his top accomplishments. He also said he “worked across the aisle” with Gov. Bill Haslam to pass the state IMPROVE Act, which raised the gas tax to fund transportation projects and created a local option allowing for referendums on transit.

“Those are major accomplishments that I was able to achieve in four short years in the state legislature in the most difficult of environments as a Democrat,” he said.

Clemmons, married with three children, resides in the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood, where he served as the area’s neighborhood group president in the past. He attended undergraduate school at Columbia University and law school at the University of Memphis School of Law.

While other candidates might enter, Clemmons said his campaign has a plan that they're ready to execute and believes his positions on the issues "will be easily contrasted." His campaign manager is Democratic operative Kathleen Coffen. He said he would announce a campaign consulting firm at a later time.

"It's always difficult running against an incumbent, who has the bully pulpit, so to speak, but we're prepared to meet those challenges."

Early voting in the Aug. 1 election begins July 12.

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Reach Joey Garrison at jgarrison@tennessean.com or 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.