June 29, 2007
Briley and Dean: Figure it out, quickly
As often happens, I wholeheartedly agree with Liz Garrigan and her column in this week’s Nashville Scene:
The [mayoral] field is too fragmented, and it amounts to some bad juju for Dean and Briley. So, gentlemen, we know it’s not fair to ask one of the two best candidates in the field to abandon your pursuit. But politics is rarely a fair game. Once Briley’s TV is up and there’s a clear sense of your respective support, one of you needs to get out and throw your support behind the other. Do what’s best for your city. You wouldn’t have to make a pact with the devil—only with one another.
Look, guys, I’ve spent time with both of you on several occasions this year. I think you’re both smart, intelligent people who will lead this city in the direction I’d like to see it go. I wish you were in separate races because I’d likely vote for you both under those circumstances, but unfortunately you’re not.
I fear, as Garrigan does, that neither of you can win while both of you are candidates. If you are genuinely as inclined to act in the city’s best interest as I firmly believe you are, lock yourselves in the same room (leaving your staff members and consultants behind) sometime in the next week or so and figure this thing out. One of you needs to do the right thing for Nashville and leave the race. Whichever one of you does will earn a lot of respect–and future viability–by doing so. Both of you may suffer politically in the long run if you insist on charging ahead in futility.
![Rob Robinson](http://thinktrain.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/Rob.jpg")
Volunteer Voters » Sorting Out The Race For Mayor said,
June 29, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
[...] Rob Robinson likes both David Briley and Karl Dean and doesn’t seem to want to have to choose between them. Even more, he doesn’t want his fellow voters to have to either: Look, guys, I’ve spent time with both of you on several occasions this year. I think you’re both smart, intelligent people who will lead this city in the direction I’d like to see it go. I wish you were in separate races because I’d likely vote for you both under those circumstances, but unfortunately you’re not. [...]
Sam Davdson said,
June 30, 2007 @ 9:37 am
Well put. Especially your last 2 sentences.
Rob Robinson said,
June 30, 2007 @ 10:19 am
Thanks, Sam. I’m eager to see how things unfold over the next few weeks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Nashville is Talking » Interesting mayoral analysis on new City Paper blog said,
June 30, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
[...] has a lot more thoughts, going beyond the recent Briley-Dean speculations so rampant here on the web to evaluating the role of Dozier and Gentry, something Brewer finds much [...]
Jon Crisp said,
July 1, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
Voting starts in 12 more days…don’t you think this is a bit late? As it stands now, Dozier or Gentry will make the run off with Clement…so both Dean and Briley seem to be a non factor at this stage. If a compromise can be made… Briley seems to be more well known.
Rob Robinson said,
July 2, 2007 @ 8:41 am
You may be right, Jon. It may well be too late. I’ll be curious to see how things shake out as the race expands beyond those of us who have paid attention for months, though.