Belmont Hosts Second Televised 2019 Nashville Mayoral Debate

University Partners with News 2

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Mayor David Briley, At-Large Councilman John Cooper and former Vanderbilt professor- turned-national television analyst Carol Swain and Rep. John Ray Clemmons speak in a Nashville Mayoral debate in the McAfee Concert Hall on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, July 9, 2019.
Carol Swain, John Cooper, John Ray Clemmons and Mayor David Briley speak in a Nashville Mayoral debate in the McAfee Concert Hall on the campus of Belmont University on July 9, 2019.

Belmont University hosted the second and final live, televised 2019 mayoral debate last night with Nashville’s leading mayoral candidates participating.

In partnership with WKRN, the debate provided voters an up-close perspective on the positions of current Mayor David Briley, State Representative John Ray Clemmons, Metro Councilman John Cooper and retired Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain. News 2 Anchor Bob Mueller moderated and questioned the candidates on a variety of issues affecting Nashville, including teacher pay, police body cameras, property taxes, traffic and transit, and even scooters.

“Belmont always seeks to be an engaged member of this community, bringing people together to talk about issues, whether it’s a mayoral, gubernatorial or even a presidential debate,” Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said. “This city’s course directly impacts our alumni and campus community, and we want to do our part to help educate voters in a race that determines Nashville’s future while also modeling active citizenship for our students.”

WKRN broadcast the debate live from Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall and streamed the event live on www.wkrn.com. Open to the public, attendees reserved tickets prior to last night’s free event. Belmont political science students Matthew Nicholson and Jace Wilder, along with University staff, served as volunteer hosts for the candidates.

This is Belmont’s second successful mayoral debate this summer after collaborating with News Channel 5 and The Tennessean to host the first live, televised debate on June 25. Early voting in the mayoral race begins July 12 with Election Day on Aug. 1.

View more photos from last night’s debate here.