NOAH weighs legal action over campaign flier

The faith-based group Nashville Organized for Action and Hope says it is weighing legal action after campaign material in Metro's runoff election has started to appear under the name of their predecessor organization.

The name at issue is Tying Nashville Together, a defunct social justice-driven nonprofit in Nashville that consisted of churches, synagogues and neighborhood associations and was active for nearly two decades, particularly in North Nashville.

Tying Nashville Together, founded in 1991, recently dissolved, but core members in 2013 organized under the nonprofit NOAH, which has built a campaign platform that it has presented to Nashville's mayoral and council candidates.

Two pieces of campaign material have surfaced ahead of Thursday's Metro's runoff election that say they are paid for by a new nonprofit corporation with the same name, Tying Nashville Together, which records show filed for organization with the Tennessee Secretary of State on Aug. 20.

One piece of campaign literature — one that appears to be circulating in North Nashville — is a voting card that says "Vote for these candidates." Candidates listed are mayoral candidate David Fox and at-large Metro Council candidates Erica Gilmore, Jim Shulman, Sharon Hurt, Lonnell Matthews Jr. and John Cooper.

The Aug. 20 nonprofit filing of Tying Nashville Together with the state lists Donald Richardson at 1028 Charlotte Ave. as the registered agent of the group. That address is also the address of Nashville Limousine Service, an Internet search shows.

A phone number listed on the Yelp page for Nashville Limousine Service is the phone number of Rick Williams, chairman of Save Our Fairgrounds and Stop Amp who is historically active in Metro races. In addition the incorporating address of Nashville Limousine Service appears to be the Madison home address of Williams.

Williams did not return numerous calls from The Tennessean or respond to multiple text messages.

Fox campaign spokesman Israel Ortega said the Fox campaign gave a $1,500 contribution to the Williams-led entity to cover printing costs of the voting card. The voting card is produced by John Smith of John Smith Marketing, who has connections in historically black North Nashville and produced campaign signage for past Metro candidates.

The new group, whose treasurer is listed as Steve Humphrey, also paid for a mail piece that targets at-large candidate Jason Holleman over past disputes with his former wife. The same ad appeared during the Metro general election, but that earlier version said it was paid for by a political action committee called Volunteer Values PAC.

"It has come to our attention that someone has appropriated the name of our predecessor organization, Tying Nashville Together, to suggest that we are responsible for their dirty campaign literature," the Rev. Edward Thompson, chairman of NOAH's Executive Committee said in a prepared statement. "Someone unknown to us incorporated an organization as Tying Nashville Together, Inc. on Aug. 20, 2015.

"NOAH is a transparent organization that encourages civic participation," he said. "As a nonprofit we do not support or oppose any candidate. We call on those responsible for these dirty tricks to identify themselves and the sources of their funds. We are consulting our attorney about possible legal action."

Ahead of the Aug. 6 election, Williams was behind a separate "Vote for these candidates" flier that highlighted several council candidates, but none of the then-seven mayoral candidates. That ad was paid for by a PAC called Nashville United For All, which records show was funded solely by Cooper and Shulman.

In a statement Wednesday, mayoral candidate Megan Barry spokesman Sean Braisted sought to tie the Fox campaign with decisions made by the organizers of the newly created Tying Nashville Together.

"First, David Fox's campaign consultants trademarked the civil rights phrase 'The Nashville Way' in Texas," he said. "Now, his campaign has co-opted the name of a civil rights organization to put out their misleading and possibly illegal cards. They continue to insult the intelligence of African-American voters in new and even more underhanded ways."

Ortega, from the Fox campaign, likened that statement to a conspiracy theory.

"The Barry camp's endless conspiracy theories are ridiculous," he said. "It's really not that complicated. The Fox campaign was asked to contribute $1,500 to the organization to support the fliers, and we did, and we publicly disclosed the contribution on our last report."

Matthews, who said he was not contacted about appearing on the flier, said he saw the latest "Vote for these candidates" card being circulated outside of Sunday's John A. Merritt Classic football game between Tennessee State University and Alabama State University. Matthews has endorsed Barry in Nashville's mayoral runoff, though he's pictured alongside Fox in the flier.

"It doesn't upset me," Matthews said. "At this point, in how that race is going, it's not really surprising. ... I think this is just another attempt to manipulate voters and kind of confuse (them), especially voters in the African-American community that may have seen this heavily circulated."

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.