Bruce Barry asked most of the questions today, and Gentry covered enough territory with his lengthy answers that I didn’t have to ask any of my own. When asked how voters should make a decision about the mayoral race, Gentry said what sounded like a pretty standard talking point for any political candidate: “They should look for the candidate that best suits them and connects best with them.” Fine, I thought to myself, but I haven’t heard anything new here yet.

Then he leapt dramatically off the campaign path and began speaking his mind. It was refreshing. “The day of having a mayor who sits atop the country or the city and governs from 20,000 feet is over,” he said, making an indirect but punctuated allusion to Bill Purcell and Phil Bredesen. “Nashville has come to the point where it needs a mayor who not only has a vision for larger projects and initiatives … but who also has the ability touch people and their interests and concerns.”

“Do the communities here really connect with each other,” Gentry continued. “And are we really happy with each other? Are we ready to come together collectively to raise our schools’ graduation rates, reduce crime and make poverty fall? No, not really.”

This wasn’t a canned monologue or a campaign platform. I sensed that these words were close to Gentry’s heart. He went on to acknowledge the “great, wonderful direction” that Nashville is headed in but didn’t hesitate to point out that most residents “are not connected to that growth.” Gentry implied that as mayor, he’d favor revitalizing the riverfront, building a convention center and doing many of the civic initiatives that have been frequent topics of conversation at this point in the race, but he also said that as mayor he would work to do more than that. He said that the race should be “about the person” best suited to lead the city and that voters want to be able to trust that person.

I think he’s right, even for a cynical local electorate that has heard plenty of tired stump speeches saying all of the right things. I’ll share more about what Gentry had to say soon, but in the mean time I’ll say this: He may or may not earn the right to be our next mayor, but he definitely deserves to be heard–and considered–between now and August.

I have a confession to make: I like Howard Gentry, and he surprised and impressed me today at a blogger forum he hosted at his campaign office. Let me make this clear: I liked and respected Gentry and said as much back in December, but I wasn’t expecting what I saw and experienced from him in person today.

In my opinion, Gentry is a candid, genuine, hospitable and idealistic candidate, and he’s the kind of person who ought to be a mayor. (OK, he’s a little long-winded, too.) Today he gave the straightest, most honest answers of any of the candidates I’ve met so far or read about in the paper. I’d have to put David Briley second in that category, followed by Karl Dean, Buck Dozier and Bob Clement.

Gentry closed with an off-the-cuff comment that summarized his approach: “I know I didn’t provide y’all with a four-step platform and my core issues” and quipped that he’d be sure to print a brochure to put them on paper soon. His point, I think, was that the other candidates in the race all have their messaging, their nuanced answers and their hollow rhetoric, but Gentry has passion and sincerely wants to make a real difference, not just say the right things. Whatever the outcome may be, I left with the impression that Gentry means what he says, and that says a lot.

I’m sure the rest of the field consists of relatively decent, well-intentioned people (and that includes Clement), but if I had a grandmother who needed to be safely carried across the street or I accidentally dropped my wallet on the sidewalk, Gentry is the candidate that I would hope would be the first to arrive at either scene. He is a trustworthy figure.