I ran into Metro Council At-Large candidates Brady Banks and Ronnie Steine when I voted early on Saturday. I’m happy to report that both candidates, along with a Peter Westerholm supporter named Jeff, stayed beyond the law’s 100-foot boundary requirement (not that I expected anything different). The three of them were only a few among many who lined up outside Belle Meade City Hall to court voters. By all accounts, early voting has been larger than in comparable recent mayoral elections. If you missed your chance, don’t forget to hit the polls on Thursday.

Speaking of the Signature Tower, I have to disagree with City Paper reporter William Williams that even the building’s name is impressive:

Make no mistake: Signature Tower will command attention, given its sleek design, sheer height, dramatic 200-plus-foot spire, and location in the epicenter of downtown. Heck, even the name “Signature Tower” is attention-grabbing, as Giarratana could not have nailed a more direct moniker for his behemoth building other than had he opted for “One of the 50 Tallest Skyscrapers on the Planet.”

I think the tower could be a great addition for the city, but in my mind the name is sugar-free-vanilla bland. Signature Tower sounds almost generic to me. It might as well translate as “impressive structure” or “tall building.”

Will you ever see this view outside of a digital image? Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Ralph Schultz addressed the Junior Chamber membership on Tuesday night and reportedly mentioned that the Signature Tower is about three months out from a “go-or-no-go” decision.

Meanwhile, tower developer Tony Giarratana said earlier this month, in this City Paper story stored on the Signature Tower Web site, that the project will break ground within 30 days. Reporter William Williams notes that even that may not mean that the building is a done deal:

[In early July,] Giarratana met with general contractor Turner Construction Co. to address a $5 million overage for what was to be a $250 million hard-costs budget. Also, Giarratana expects to have only about 100 of Sig T’s 400 units under contract by the end of July. To more easily obtain full construction financing, he will need 60 ercent of the units (240 total) under contract. As such, the Giarrantana sales team will have only a five-month excavation period during which to secure 140 additional contracts so that the tower can go vertical and the project an continue uninterrupted.

I’d personally like to see the tower built, but we’ll have to hold on for at least a few more months to see whether it will actually happen.

• I’m convinced that I had never read the following phrase prior to yesterday: “The fastest growing sport in the world, Dragon Boat Racing…” It’s big, it’s legitimate, and it’s coming to Riverfront Park on August 25. Every time I do see the phrase “fastest growing sport,” it’s always applied to a different target. Does that mean that “fastest growth sport labeling” is really the fastest growing sport?
• Guess which mayoral candidate Lindsay Ferrier is talking about: “Why would I expect a man who was rude and unresponsive … to be any different as the city’s mayor? And why shouldn’t candidates who were kind before they were shilling for mayoral votes not reap the benefits down the road?”

• I don’t know two of the three celebrities Hutchmo is talking about, but I think he’s right about our local Nashville blogosphere: “I know a lot of people in the so called Nashville blogging clique. I really like most of them, but folks, these people generally aren’t your party, seen in the Scene, Ricky Lee Jones Coolsville denizens. They are wonderful and many of them write as if they were born to the craft, but folks, there are a lot of social wallflowers in that patch. Many of us blog because we don’t really know how to say out loud what we think we know or what we know we feel. I was frankly beyond terrified the first few times I went to blogger shindigs, because I genuinely felt that THEY were all going to be Dorothy Parker or Robert Benchley (yeah, my references date me) or Cary Grants dripping bon mots as if they were to the manner borne. But guess what…most everyone I’ve met felt the same way. I think that’s one reason why we get along.”

I had two initial reactions when reading the City Paper’s endorsements of Karl Dean and Howard Gentry for what is expected to be a runoff in Nashville’s mayoral race: One, is this a cop out not to pick a single candidate for mayor? Two, is this a wise, genuine and refreshingly candid move by the paper?

The City Paper recommends Nashvillians cast their votes for either Dean or Gentry, sending both men to an anticipated run-off where the future of our city can be debated in a civil, meaningful way between two public servants who have shown they know how to lead and understand Nashville.

I settled on the latter. There’s nothing wrong with making a traditional endorsement, but in a race where it has been tough for many voters to get to know five strong candidates, this is a great move. Instead of bestowing an endorsement on one candidate when a runoff is almost sure to follow, why not endorse two well-qualified leaders and let them keep working to make their cases for mayor if they make the cut on Election Day?

Aside: It’s also refreshing to see the CP endorse two opponents of another candidate whose banner ads on the CP site have been ubiquitous for weeks. Advertising and editorial should stay independent of each other, and they certainly have in this case. To be fair, I wouldn’t necessarily frown on a paper endorsing a candidate who happens to run ads in its publication, but with these endorsements from the CP, it’s clear the paper is not letting its margins detract from its mission. That should be applauded.

How’s this for a pun: “Karl racks up newspaper endorsements” [emphasis added]. It may draw a groan or two, but Dean is the one who’s laughing right now. The city’s three major newspapers have endorsed him for the city’s top job (though it should be noted that the City Paper co-endorsed opponent Howard Gentry). After running TV commercials in heavy rotations without appearing to make much of a dent in Bob Clement’s lead in the race, Dean has clearly gained momentum in recent weeks.

The City Paper’s Clint Brewer has noticed much the same strategy at play in the mayoral race that I have when it comes to political polling:

Please also realize it has become a routine part of any major political contest for candidates to simply attack polling that doesn’t suit them or bolster their own efforts. On this blog several days ago, a Clement supporter was critical of our newspaper even covering a WSMV Channel 4 poll on the race that showed Dean in the lead. My offer to publish stories on the internal polling of the campaigns stands, but they have to release it first.

Is there a practical alternative to this? Since polling is an art, not a science (despite the use of the term “scientific” to describe polls that are more objectively constructed than most), it’s easier to debunk a survey than, say, arguing that the sky is purple rather than blue. Considering that an earlier WSMV-TV was widely criticized for not being a representative sample, perhaps not.

One of my coworkers, who has seen his fair share of political campaigns and then some, once told me about his efforts years ago helping a local candidate in West Tennessee. A survey commissioned by the candidate showed that he wasn’t fairing very well in terms of public opinion. The candidate’s response? “Those people in Trenton,” he said in angry disbelief. “They lie!” Maybe they did, but their ballots didn’t: The candidate ultimately lost.

I’m with Brewer that a story on internal polls would be welcome. Come on, shillers, release the hounds!!

• Sam Davidson is on to something in regard to rising blog MCB and fading NiT: “If you can meet a need (and not just a want), you’ll be successful for longer and will reach more people. This what Music City Bloggers understands and Nashville is Talking forgot … People look for different perspectives, and Music City Bloggers provides this through a diversity of voices. Nashville is Talking once paid a person to have a unique voice but to also balance the varying opinions of the blogging community. Music City Bloggers offers this naturally with their diverse board of writers. Therefore, more time can be spent on doing what it does best (highlighting the local). It’s one thing to have a set of values; it’s a remarkable thing to embed those values in the way you do business. Here’s to hoping that Music City Bloggers continues to be a good destination for local writing, a way to highlight the good, and a way to connect people to one another.”
• Former NiT hostess Brittney has some sound advice for anyone looking to land in the blogosphere’s A-list: “Never start blogging under the impression that you are going to become famous. You aren’t. A rare few become “internet famous,” but not a damn one thus far has become truly famous. Fame is not what blogs are for. All that said, you should act like fame is in your near future. Because, if you don’t prepare for over-exposure, you will be sorry.”
• On to more important matters, Gavin Richardson has discovered yet another way to savor college football: “espn much to my surprise, has started a new program called college football live, which will respond to fans that are able to send in questions or input via email or video. i don’t see myself putting in questions or video, but i do see the dvr having another scheduled recording.  mostly, i am stoked that this means that college football [is] on the doorstep.”

Howard Gentry, who placed in a virtual tie for the lead in the City Paper poll documented in today’s edition, just fired off a missive in regard to the survey results:

MOMENTUM CONTINUES BUILDING FOR THE ONLY POLL THAT MATTERS…

Our campaign knows the only poll that matters is on election day. Still, we thought you might want to see this new City Paper/SurveyUSA independent poll that shows Howard in a statistical tie for the top spot going into the August 2nd election. Howard’s unifying message of building Nashville by building its people is resonating with folks across the city.

Gentry’s camp is right to agree with Clement spokesperson Ben Hall’s reference to the political truism that only elections, rather than polls, matter in a campaign. If a poll demonstrates a positive for you, though, then by all means BELIEVE!

I admire City Paper sports writer Brett Hait’s boldness in predicting a bowl for Vanderbilt football for the first time in 25 years this season, and I sure hope he’s right:

 Is this the year Vanderbilt’s bowl drought comes an end? Allow me to speak for [Coach Bobby] Johnson for a moment. Yes, this is the year. The  Commodores haven’t been bowling since 1982, but the stars are aligned for that run of futility to come to an end…

When was the last time Vanderbilt entered a season with this much [talent and experience]? Seventeen starters return, and several were on the coaches’ Preseason All-SEC team this summer. Talent without experience sometimes falls short. Experience without talent doesn’t mean much, either. For a change, VU has both. 

Hait lists nine other reasons why the Commodores will be playing after their regular season ends in November. He makes a sound argument, but will “Vanderbilt” and “bowl-eligible” sound right in December? The buzz around this year’s team is as high as it has been since Jay Cutler’s departure or even during Cutler’s sophomore year, the last time pundits prognosticated postseason play for the ‘Dores, but the schedule is awfully tough in a crowded SEC East.

I learned two things this morning from reading about the City Paper’s recently conducted mayoral poll: One, the mayoral race is very much in play for at least four candidates, though it may be headed toward a Bob Clement-Karl Dean runoff. Two, a poll is only valid if you like the results it generates. Well, at least that’s what seems to happen every time one is released:

“You can do these polls any way you want to — unscientific and random polls are of little concern to me and my campaign,” [Buck] Dozier said. “We are going after the likely voters who vote in this kind of election — not just people who are registered,” he said.

[David] Briley’s campaign said the race is far from clinched. “Our internal polling continues to show that this is a wide open race. We believe this race will be won on the ground,” said spokeswoman Emily Passini.

In a race where five candidates have significant support, I think there is an element of truth in both Dozier’s and Passini’s comments. I definitely see scenarios where Dozier and Briley can make the runoff. At the same time, though, what else can you say when you are trailing in a poll a week before Election Day except that the poll isn’t accurate?

This may be the first time during the campaign, but I definitely agree with Ben Hall on one thing: “While not directly addressing the poll, Clement spokesman Ben Hall said, ‘The only poll that matters is the one on election day.’” Is anyone else ready to stop pontificating and see how it turns out?

• I love the Preds, but Chris Wage makes an excellent point: “We can get ourselves worked up into a fervor over the prospect of losing the Predators or gaining a baseball stadium, but the extent of our interest regarding the homeless amounts to ‘why don’t we just arrest them all’. There was a lot of talk about ‘community’ and ‘coming together’ at the rally. I dunno, the contrast of this mass hysteria to the yawning apathy at the other events was striking.”
• Malia is on a similar topic and provides a much needed infusion of reality: “As a friend of mine put it recently, “You know we live in Disneyland, don’t you?” He and I were talking about something completely different, but the image is still the same. We act as though the way we live in the U.S. is normal, but it is more like living every day in Disneyland. Reality is across the ocean and south of the border. Reality is that 40% of humanity lives in abject squalor. Reality is that thousands of people die every day from starvation and thirst. Reality is that a car, a steady supply of food, a roof, clean running water, electricity, etc. are all luxuries. ” (By the way, David and Malia are looking for folks who want to go in on Preds tickets if you are interested, too.)
• Speaking of hockey and spirituality, Kerry Woo reports that the Promise Keepers just outdrew the Our Team rally: “Men Gather 9,500 Strong for Promise Keepers at the Sommet Center… Many thanks for the hard work from all of the volunteers - hundreds of women, youth and men gave of their time to facilitate the third stop on the seven conference schedule… the best is yet to come!” While PK is a little too conservative for my personal tastes, any time nearly 10,000 people are gathered together to try to live more honorably, that sounds like good news to me. Let’s see Canada or Kansas City do that. (Seriously, how about franchising compassion and kindness and other forms of virtue?)