Council Member Burkley Allen Update May 2026

Nashville.gov sent this bulletin at 05/02/2026 12:24 PM CDT

Burkley Allen Metro Council At-Large

EVENTS

Election Day is Tuesday, May 5 for County Primary Elections, School Board Elections, and some unexpired judge positions.  County offices that are on the ballot include Public Defender, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, Trustee, and County Clerk. The only contested positions are Circuit Court Clerk, and  County Clerk (where people get car tags, business licenses, marriage licenses, etc).  Candidates for County Clerk are Sharon Hurt, Pam Murray, and Freda Player. 

School board races are for even numbered districts only.  Only two are contested.  District 4 (the Donelson Hermitage area) has two candidates Jennifer Bell and incumbent Berthena Nabaa-McKinney.  District 6 (Antioch area) has three candidates Fran Bush, incumbent Cheryl Mayes, and Mary Bernice Polk

While judge elections take place every eight years, there are several unexpired terms to fill in different courts.  Circuit Court Division III has three candidates Audrey Anderson, incumbent Bethany Glandorf, and Corletra Mance.  Circuit Courts of Davidson County serve as the primary trial courts for civil cases. They handle a broad range of matters including contract disputes, civil tort claims, workers'compensation, domestic relations, condemnation proceedings, and estate administration.  Division III is specifically designated to see domestic relations cases.  Circuit Court Clerk is also up for election.  The clerk administers all the divisions of the circuit court. There are two candidates for Circuit Court Clerk, incumbent Joseph Day, and Howard Jones.

Criminal Court Division III in Nashville handles felony cases and misdemeanor appeals.  There are three candidates for Criminal Court Judge Division III, Dawn Deaner, Ronald Dowdy, and incumbent Jim Todd.

The General Sessions Court hears civil, misdemeanor, felony, traffic, environmental, and Metro ordinance violations. This Court is served by eleven judges that are elected to an eight-year term. There are a number of specialty courts including domestic violence, eviction, mental health, environmental, and  addiction. There are two candidates for General Sessions Division VI, incumbent Jodie Bell and Michael Robinson. 

There are informative interviews with most candidates in recent issues of the Tennesseean and the Nashville Banner.  Because this is a primary, voters will need to specify which primary they are voting in. For this election, there are NO candidates for any position listed in the Republican primary.  A voter does not currently have to officially belong to a party to vote in either primary. Voters who want to vote for county officials, school board members, and judges, will therefore need to ask for the Democratic primary.  The general election in August will include the winners of this primary.

On election day, voters have to go to their assigned precinct.  A few voting day locations have changed.  Voters assigned to 1-4, 3-1, 13-4, 15-3, and 16-3 will vote at  NEW locations, which  can be found on the Davidson County Election Commission website. The general election for those county positions is combined with the state and federal primary on August 6. Finally state and federal general elections are November 3.  More information is available on the Davidson County Election Commission website.  https://www.nashville.gov/departments/elections/services/find-2026-election-information

The Metro Budget for the next fiscal year (FY27) is available on the Metro Finance website starting May 1.  The Mayor presented highlights of his proposed operating budget to the public at the State of Metro Address on April 29.  The Mayor's budget presentation was taped and can be viewed on the Metro YouTube channel at https://nashville.cablecast.tv/?site=2  .  By law Metro is required to have a balanced budget, so operating expenses will have to be matched to the Finance Director's revenue projections for the upcoming year. Metro's Budget is expected to be close to  $4 billion, and the largest expense is education followed by public safety.  The largest source of revenue is property taxes, followed by sales taxes. The budget ordinance will be on the council agenda for the May 19 council meeting for first of three readings.  The council will begin budget hearings from key departments on May 11 through May 21.  The Council will then hold several workshops to work through department and community requests to incorporate into the Council's Substitute Budget.  The public hearing at the June 2 council meeting will provide the public an opportunity to comment on the budget  The final vote on the Substitute Budget will be on June 16 (or June 23 if we need more time).  Information on the whole budget process is available on the Metro Finance website at https://www.nashville.gov/departments/finance/management-and-budget/citizens-guide-budget .

Warner Park is hosting a star party  with the  Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society (BSAS) on May 23.  Everyone is invited to one of the darkest parts of our county to learn about constellations, galaxies, and the wonders of the night sky.  In addition to interesting constellations, the night school is also full of millions of birds heading back to their summer breeding grounds.  May is a major month for bird migration, and scientists are learning more about how city lights affect those migration patterns.  Excessive lights aimed up to the sky can disrupt the birds' navigation systems.  Nashville has a Dark Sky ordinance that provides design guidelines for smart lighting that saves energy, allows astronomers to study the night sky better, and reduces the negative impact on birds and other animals.  Learn more at https://www.nashville.gov/departments/parks/events/spring-star-party-0

Brush Pick-up  should be back to normal now.  Pick-up begins in

Area 2: East Madison, Inglewood, Neely's Bend, Peeler Park, Maplewood Heights, Iverson, Maxwell Heights, Edgefield, Eastwood, Shelby Bottoms, Shelby Hills, and Lockland Springs on May 6

Area 3 Old Hickory, Lakewood, Hermitage, Stones River, Two Rivers, River Trace) on May 20

Area 4  Donelson, Airport, Percy Priest, Northeast Antioch May 27.

A map and schedule are available on the NDOT website .

The Music City Mutt Strutt is Sunday, May 17th at Shelby Bottoms---a feel-good morning where neighbors  (and their pups!) can run, walk, and make a real difference. For a $30 donation to Nashville Humane, neighbors can join in on the fun while supporting lifesaving care for shelter pets. Plus, registration includes a Mutt Strutt T-shirt, a sweat towel, and a finisher medal!  Strutters will find a vibrant community of dogs and the people who love them, a lively vendor village, and plenty of adorable, adoptable dogs looking for their forever homes.

The annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive campaign takes place Saturday, May 9.  Neighbors can participate by placing a bag of unopened, nonperishable food next to their mailbox before the letter carrier delivers their mail on Saturday, May 10, and the letter carrier will do the rest. Food goes to help families in need of this assistance. Participating in this year's Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive is simple. Just leave non-perishable food donations in a bag by your mailbox Saturday, May 10, 2025, and your letter carrier will do the rest. With your help, letter carriers and the U.S. Postal Service have collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food in the United States over the 30 plus years as a national food drive. Please help us in our fight to Stamp Out Hunger.

*Customers are encouraged to verify food collections with their letter carrier or by entering delivery ZIP Code at https://www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive/branch-lookup for local NALC Branch coverage in their area. If the search tool does not return any results, contact the local Post Office or email communityserviceshq@nalc.org.

May is Bike Month. In addition to Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 6, neighbors can learn about bike options in Nashville through the Tour de Nashville and Open Streets Downtown. 

The Tour de Nash on May 17 is an opportunity for bike riders of all abilities to discover great bikeways through out the city.  Choose from 8 mile, 25 mile, and 45 mile courses, starting from the Nations.  Register at  https://www.walkbikenashville.org/tourdenash .

Walk Bike Nashville invites everyone to Open Streets Downtown to welcome locals to the heart of their city to step out of the car, slow down, explore new and iconic points of interest, discover local businesses, and hang out in the street.

Open Streets Downtown is a free, family-friendly event that opens streets to Nashvillians by temporarily closing them to cars. Walk Bike Nashville and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) invite Nashvillians to get active, support local businesses, and connect with their community by spending time in our largest form of public space: our streets. 

For more information  reach out to calah@walkbikenashville.org

The 50th annual Histotric Preservation Awards program, honoring Davidson County's best preservation projects will take place Tuesday, May 21 at 4:30 pm in the auditorium of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, Free and Accepted Masons at 107^th^ Ave N. The public is invited to celebrate the best of  pre-1975 buildings or structures that have been restored, rehabilitated, or carefully maintained over time. The awards also recognize well-designed new "infill" construction, built after 2023 that harmonizes with a historic environment. More information is  available through the Metropolitan Historical Commission website (https://www.nashville.gov/departments/historic-preservation/programs/preservation-awards ) or by calling the Historical Commission at 615-862-7970 or emailing scarlett.miles@nashville.gov. The awards will be followed by a reception honoring the 50^th^ anniversary and the new Historic Commission Executive Director, Caroline Eller.

NAZA-funded Summer Programs

NAZA-funded free summer programs are currently open for enrollment for programming in June and July 2025. Summer programs are open to rising 5th-9th graders. Programs are offered at no cost to youth and their families in partnership with non-profit and community-based organizations. Online registration is now live at  www.nashvillez.org/summer .

ISSUES

Metro has over 75 Boards and Commissions that help implement the goals and policies of the Metro Departments.  These are made up of citizens from all over the county who bring their diverse perspectives and expertise to ensure good decision making.  Board members are appointed by the mayor or vice-mayor and approved by the Metro Council.  The Mayor's Office is always looking for good people to serve.  Within the next few months, there will be openings on the Auditorium Commission, Homelessness Planning Council, East Bank Authority, Employee Benefit Board, Safety Advisory Board, Tourism and Convention Commission.  Anyone who is interested in being considered can go to the Boards and Commissions website at https://www.nashville.gov/boardslist  and apply through the link at the bottom of the page. 

Trash and recycling pick-up will be unaffected by the Memorial Day holiday.  Since Nashville Waste Services (NWS) has gone to a Tuesday through Friday pick-up schedule, most holidays fall outside the regular pick-up days.    Residents can check the schedule at https://www.nashville.gov/departments/waste-services

NWS has recently installed a machine for Styrofoam Recycling at East Convenience Center. While it is always better to reduce waste in the first place, frequently packaging includes Styrofoam (technically called Expanded Polystyrene -- EPS) , and now there is a way to keep it out of the landfill.  Clean EPS can be taken to the East Convenience Center at Adams Drive, where is will be fed into a processor that chops it up and heats it to eliminate all the air so that it can be compacted  and sent in heavy plastic bricks to a reprocessing plant in Lavergne to be turned into picture frames and other products.  Residents can always take cleaned Styrofoam cups and trays to Publix, and now there is this option for packing materials.  Note that squishy, bendy packing materials are not EPS and can't be reprocessed here.  For more information visit the NWS website.  https://www.nashville.gov/departments/waste-services

Metro Water Services is offering free trees to neighborhoods that request them through the Neighborhood Street Tree Program.  Davidson County neighborhood associations or groups of neighbors can request 20 or more trees to be planted in the public right-of-way, which includes the strip of land next to the road where sidewalks and public utilities are located. Once at least 20 locations have been identified and agreed on, neighborhoods can contact Metro Water at Mike.Jameson@Nashville.gov with requested species, addresses and property owner email and phone number.  Funding may be limited and trees will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Each tree will be planted and mulched in the fall and then maintained and watered by MWS for two years until fully established.  In addition to beautifying neighborhoods, trees provide shade, lower utility costs, improve air quality, reduce stormwater run-off, create wildlife food and habitat, sequester carbon, calm traffic, and increase property values.  For individual neighbors who need trees on private property, the Cumberland River Compact distributes free trees on behalf of the Root Nashville campaign to increase Nashville's tree canopy by 500,000 trees  by 2030.  Information is on the CRC website. https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/root-nashville/

Metro Water Services (MWS) will issue its annual Consumer Confidence Report  during Drinking Water Week May 3-9.  This report shows how the quality of our drinking water compares to required health standards.  There is a wealth of information on where your drinking water comes from, how it is treated before it comes to you, and what is measured to ensure that it is always safe and healthy.  The 2022 report added information on PFAS, a class of plastics that has become a new concern because of its prevalence.  This has only recently become  an EPA regulated compound, and MWS has been pro-active about measuring it.  Levels are below action levels, and MWS is researching technology to lower levels even further. More information on PFAS is available at https://www.nashville.gov/departments/water/water-quality/pfas .

Happy Spring, and Happy Mother's Day!  Let me know what is on your mind by contacting me at burkley.allen@nashville.gov or 615-383-6604.