The candidates running for Nashville mayor have attended more than 20 mayoral forums so far in the campaign, and they’re on track to double that number before the election. But some candidates have been eager to make sure voters know their positions beyond a short, often formulaic response.
A typical mayoral forum goes something like this: seven or eight candidates sit on a panel, and each one gets a minute to respond to each question. The organizer might ask several questions over the course of an hour — then, it’s over and on to the next one.
“The forums are nice. You get to see people’s personalities and how they respond on their feet,” says candidate and businesswoman Linda Rebrovick. “But you can’t get to the depth of the candidate in the forum.”
Rebrovick is one of the mayoral candidates who’s been trying to promote her ideas outside of the arranged forums. She recently released a 13-page paper on transportation policy. Real estate mogul Bill Freeman and city councilwoman Megan Barry also have been posting issue pages on their websites.
Of course, just because candidates write out their views doesn’t mean voters will read them — something Rebrovick recognizes.
“That’s why we’ve got a lot of infographics in there,” she says of her policy paper.
The candidates have also been meeting individually with groups of voters to explain their positions in more depth. Meanwhile, they’re attending three mayoral forums next week.
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