Chris Cotton
Chris Cotton was a 2015 candidate for District 17 of the Nashville Metro Council in Tennessee. The general election took place on August 6, 2015.
Biography
Raised in a small Florida community, Cotton graduated from Hardee High School in the city of Wauchula. He attended Boston University, earning a B.A. in archaeological studies and political science in 1994. He went on to receive his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1997. His professional experience includes the following:[1][2]
- 2013-Present: Partner, Made Ya Look Entertainment
- 2009-Present: Owner, Bird in the Hand Entertainment
- 2002-Present: Sole practitioner, Christopher S. Cotton, Esq.
- 2012-2013: Senior director, Viacom
- 2007-2012: Attorney, Counsel on Call
- 2005-2007: Executive director, The Hands and Feet Project
- 2005-2006: COO, Flicker Records
- 2000-2002: Vice president of business and legal affairs[1]
Campaign themes
2015
Cotton's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[3]
Development
- Excerpt: "I will require all developers seeking rezoning for their projects to meet with me at the start of the development process and help them calendar the meetings with the nearby community. I will make certain that the entire neighborhood will be aware of the process by notifying the entire neighborhood of the community meetings regarding the projects."
Fairgrounds
- Excerpt: "I support the Fairgrounds and will work to ensure that it continues to be a center of not just our community, but all of Nashville. The Fairgrounds has been neglected for decades. The site itself needs improvements: infrastructure updates, new buildings and the updating of existing structures."
Public safety
- Excerpt: "I will work with Metro to make sure that our streets our safe with proper sidewalks, curbs, streetlights and crosswalks. I will work with neighborhood watch groups to facilitate their relationship with the Metro Police Department as crime is a concern for everyone. In 2013, there were 274 violent crimes and 1,034 property crimes in our district. The Council must work with the police department and the Mayor’s office to examine our current policies and how crime in our community is being addressed."
Transportation
- Excerpt: "I am committed to work to ensure that our community’s infrastructure can support the growth it is experiencing. I will work with the Council, MTA and community groups like Young Professionals for Transit and Transit NOW to develop both short- and long-term plans for transit in our city."
Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "I will insist that we carefully examine the life span and condition of our utility systems so they will continue to function and support their maintenance and/or replacement when necessary. Our water system is aging rapidly and is almost at the end of its life expectancy, as evidenced by the many recent water main breaks around the city. We must ensure that the system is safe and examine options for its replacement."
Education
- Excerpt: "I believe that all children in Davidson County have the right to attend a great school and receive a quality education. I will work with our Metro School Board to keep neighborhood educational issues in the forefront. To the extent that the Metro Council has influence, I will work to ensure that our neighborhood schools and facilities are well maintained and safe places for our children to learn."
Affordable housing
- Excerpt: "I will work to ensure that Metro’s Barnes Fund for Affordable Housing is well funded, and also examine and consider the model of 'inclusionary zoning' that would mandate that a certain percentage of units in large-scale, new multifamily developments and subdivisions be set aside for housing priced for families earning less than 60% of Davidson County’s median income, as well as other zoning tools to incentivize affordable housing. I will work with MDHA, which oversees public housing, owns residential properties and works to incentivize developers, to include affordable housing in their developments."
Elections
2015
The city of Nashville, Tennessee, held nonpartisan elections for mayor and metro council on August 6, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 21, 2015. All 41 metro council seats—including the office of vice mayor—were up for election. In District 17, Colby Sledge and Paula Foster advanced to the runoff election, defeating Chris Cotton and Tony Watson.[4] Sledge defeated Foster in the runoff election.[5] Incumbent Sandra Moore was term-limited. She ran for election to an at-large seat.[6]
| Nashville City Council District 17 Runoff Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Colby Sledge |
55.5% | 1,357 | |
| Paula Foster | 44.1% | 1,077 | |
| Write-in | 0.4% | 9 | |
| Total Votes | 2,443 | ||
| Source: City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official runoff election results," accessed October 2, 2015 | |||
| Nashville City Council District 17 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Colby Sledge |
37.7% | 938 | |
| Paula Foster |
28.1% | 700 | |
| Chris Cotton | 20.9% | 520 | |
| Tony Watson | 13.1% | 325 | |
| Write-in | 0.3% | 7 | |
| Total Votes | 2,490 | ||
| Source: City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed September 15, 2015 | |||
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Cotton is a member of Cross Point Church in Nashville, where he assists with legal aid workshops. In the past, he served as an elder and worship leader at a church in California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chris Cotton Nashville. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Nashville, Tennessee municipal elections, 2015
- United States municipal elections, 2015
External links
- Official campaign website
- Chris Cotton on Facebook
- Chris Cotton on Twitter
- City of Nashville Election Commission - 2015 Candidate Petition List
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 LinkedIn, "Chris Cotton," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Chris Cotton, "About Chris," accessed July 29, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Chris Cotton, "Issues," accessed July 29, 2015
- ↑ City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed September 15, 2015
- ↑ City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official runoff election results," accessed October 2, 2015
- ↑ City of Nashville, "Davidson County Election Commission," accessed December 4, 2014
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