Nashville mayoral candidate Erica Gilmore flips to now oppose transit plan

At-large Metro Councilwoman Erica Gilmore, a candidate for Nashville mayor, flipped her position on the city's transit plan Monday, saying she will now vote against the proposal when the contentious referendum begins Wednesday.

Gilmore, who had expressed support for the plan when she entered the mayor's race two weeks ago, announced her new stance at a news conference, calling the plan "unworkable" and raising issues around equity.

"From talking to citizens like these, I've gained a new clarity on the path to building a better, more progressive Nashville," said Gilmore, flanked by a handful of campaign supporters.

"Because I believe in fairness and I believe in justice, I cannot support the transit referendum on May 1."

► More: Still not sure how you'll vote in Nashville's transit referendum? Catch the debate.

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'A lack of leadership'

The mayoral election is set for Aug. 2. Gimore's abrupt shift creates a major policy contrast with incumbent Mayor David Briley, who is a chief salesman of a plan originally put forward by former Mayor Megan Barry.

The campaign event was held at the Hilton Nashville Downtown, owned by prominent investor Mark Bloom, an outspoken referendum opponent and supporter of the opposition political action committee NoTax4Tracks.

Gilmore slammed the transit plan — which would raise four taxes to pay for a $5.4 billion plan that includes light rail — for not responding to concerns of residents and decried a "lack of leadership."

"It shows that there is a vacuum and people want leadership," Gilmore said. "I'm here to do that today."

Briley, asked for his response, said he remains a strong supporter of the transit plan because "we have reached a saturation point in terms of traffic."

“Nothing has changed from my perspective from the day the council voted to put the measure on the ballot, so I don’t see any reason for anyone to change their position at this point," Briley said.

Gilmore had been a high-profile supporter of the $5.4 billion transit proposal, even representing the pro-transit side during a recent televised forum on the referendum. She was the second Metro Council member to co-sponsor legislation approved this year to put he transit tax measure on the ballot.

As recently as March 28, Gilmore told The Tennessean that she backs the plan but said the city needs to work to make it more equitable in reaching all Nashvillians.

With Gilmore reversing her stance, Briley is now the only top-tier mayoral candidate, out of 14 who have qualified, who backs the transit plan.

Other candidates who oppose the transit plan include conservative commentator Carol Swain, former radio talk show host Ralph Bristol, and jeff obafemi carr, who works for NoTax4Tracks. State Rep. Harold Love Jr., D-Nashville, another candidate, has said he is still forming his position.

Nevertheless, Gilmore insisted that the politics of the mayor's race did not sway her reversal.

"That is not true," she said.

Gilmore says chamber trip helped sway opinion

Although calling herself a transit supporter, Gilmore said the plan on the table is a distraction from more important issues including "a housing crisis, crumbling infrastructure and ever-increasing cost of living." She suggested greater investment in bus rapid transit, as opposed to light rail, as an alternative.

"I am pro-transit. Have always been pro-transit. I will always be pro-transit," she tweeted. "But I can no longer support this current plan. As hopeful as I’ve been in the past that we could make this imperfect plan work, I concluded salvaging the current plan is unworkable."

Gilmore credited a recent trip to Seattle — one, ironically, led by the pro-transit referendum Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce — for helping sway her to now oppose the plan. While observing Seattle's transit system, she said she noticed underserved areas there lack light rail lines.

She likened the scene to working-class neighborhoods in Nashville, including Antioch, and the Dickerson Pike and Clarksville Highway areas, which she said would remain underserved if the transit plan is implemented.

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Despite going from a yes vote to a no vote on the referendum, Gilmore said she raised "long-standing concerns since the very beginning of the process."

"Furthermore, in the months to come, questions have been posed to me. These problems have not been addressed to my satisfaction. The construction would threaten iconic Nashville symbols like Bridgestone (Arena) and Broadway."

The Nashville Predators, which operates the arena, supports the transit plan and is a member of the Transit for Nashville coalition

Nashville voters are set to decide a controversial plan dubbed "Let's Move Nashville" that calls for an increase in four taxes — including a 1-cent increase to the sales tax — to pay for 26 miles of light rail on five major corridors, a downtown connector tunnel, rapid transit on other roads, enhancements to city buses and other upgrades.

Early voting runs from Wednesday through April 26 ahead of election day on May 1.

Staff reporter Jamie McGee contributed to this report. Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Joeygarrison.