Eric Patton

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Eric Patton

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 14, 2023

Education

Associate

Austin Peay State University, 2021

Personal

Birthplace

Tennessee

Religion

Christian: Methodist

Profession

Customer Service

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Eric Patton ran for election to the Nashville Metro Council to represent District 11 in Tennessee. He lost in the general runoff election on September 14, 2023.

Patton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Eric Patton was born in Pall Mall, Tennessee. He earned an associate degree from Austin Peay State University in 2021. His career experience includes working in customer service.

Elections

2023

See also: City elections in Nashville, Tennessee (2023)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Nashville Metro Council District 11

Jeff Eslick defeated Eric Patton in the general runoff election for Nashville Metro Council District 11 on September 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Eslick (Nonpartisan)	50.5	1,984
		Eric Patton (Nonpartisan)	49.3	1,934
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	7

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,925
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Nashville Metro Council District 11

Jeff Eslick and Eric Patton advanced to a runoff. They defeated Sherard Edington and Joe Delucas in the general election for Nashville Metro Council District 11 on August 3, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Eslick (Nonpartisan)	38.2	1,143
✔		Eric Patton (Nonpartisan)	36.3	1,086
		Sherard Edington (Nonpartisan)	21.5	645
	Submit photo	Joe Delucas (Nonpartisan)	3.7	111
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	9

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,994
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Patton in this election.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Eric Patton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Patton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Hey there! I’m your neighbor Eric Patton over in Old Hickory Village and I’m running to be your next council member.

In a town that feels like the folks who run things only care about skylines and stadiums, it’s time normal citizens remind them we care more about schools, services, and small businesses.

I’ve lived in Tennessee all my life. I moved to Nashville at 20 on a hope and a prayer. I found a job selling boots on Broadway, couch surfed for the first month, moved around a bit, and worked hard for everything I’ve had.

It’s been thirteen years since I first moved to town. I’m in my early thirties now, and I bought my first house here in the village a couple of years ago. Like everyone who lives here, I’ve fallen deeply in love with this community. The people are like me. We work hard, we love our families, and we watch out for each other.

We may disagree on some things, but we’re not disagreeable. We try to work together and take pride in what we have.

It’s time we had more folks that were normal, hard-working, everyday folk making decisions for us. Not lobbyists and millionaires.

I want your vote, and, like everything I’ve earned, I’m going to work for it. You’ll see me and a few friends and neighbors all over this summer. We’re all neighbors and deserve a seat at the table. Enough division, enough nonsense. Let’s make District 11 a model for the rest of the city, and let's do it together.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Schools: Better pay for teachers and aids. More after-school programming. Focus on getting kids job or college ready.
• Services: Better and more things a city should be providing. More police, fire, and medical with competitive pay. A focus on infrastructure that isn't just downtown high rises. Better utility service. Sidewalks. Speed bumps. Those kinds of things we've been wanting out here forever.
• Support for Small Business: Incentives and support for locally owned small businesses who've been getting left out in the cold. When folks like Amazon and Oracle come to town and get the city to bend over backward to get them here, they've not been working to keep the small, locally-owned businesses we already have. That needs to change.

Community Question Featured local question

Do you think the downtown area is healthy? What is your definition of a healthy downtown? What changes, if any, would you like to make?

Downtown is doing just fine. We need to bring the focus back to the neighborhoods. I would love to see a downtown we could go to as Nashvillians and enjoy it, not feel like we've been invaded by folks who don't care about our city.

Community Question Featured local question

How important is it to involve residents in the government’s decision-making process? What plans do you have regarding resident involvement in this process?

It is paramount. We must be able to listen to each other and bring diverse voices and views to the table. The best decisions are made together. I will be accessible and visible in the community. I want to have regular meetings and listen carefully to the views of my neighbors.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you address crime and public safety? Do you have a different stance than current city council policy?

There are nowhere near enough police officers in Nashville. I do not want to get to a place where we are over-policed, but the fact that you can call 911 and not get a response and that be something we accept as a city is unacceptable. There are usually under ten officers per shift at the Hermitage police precinct. That is ridiculously dangerous and needs to change.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's current approach to public safety? Would you take any different positions?

We need more well-trained officers. We need to expand the Partners in Care program pairing mental health professionals with police officers. We're on the right track, we just need to grow it quickly.

Community Question Featured local question

What plans do you have regarding infrastructure?

Quickly: fewer high-rises. More affordable homes. More focus on water mains and less focus on stadiums.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Homelessness: I know what it's like to fall on hard times and be unsure of where I'm sleeping that night. We need to be helping NGOs and supporting the Homeless Impact Division and working to get folks off the street and into housing. Cities like Milwaukee have effectively eliminated homelessness with their Housing First model. Nashville is on track to do something similar and I wholeheartedly support it. It makes streets safer for residents and approaches our unhoused neighbors with compassion and real solutions. If we want to end human trafficking, tackle the drug problem, and have a thriving, safe, clean city, Housing First is the path we must take.

Youth Crime: Nashville is no longer affordable for families and hasn’t been for a long time. Most parents have to work multiple jobs to pay their bills and provide for their families. This unfortunately pulls some kids into bad situations, and they get into trouble. The number of petty thefts from minors is reported frequently. Porch pirating, breaking into cars, etc. We have a serious issue. There are several ways we need to tackle this problem. The root is making sure parents can parent. We need to make sure all Nashvillians are making a living wage. Bringing in more after-school programming and following a community schools model that provides opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's education.

There are more, but I've run out of room. Email me with your questions at eric@ericfornashville.com.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Obviously, there are a few. I look up to my mother. Her strength and quiet courage have taught me a lot. I look up to the kinds of politicians who are in it for the people who got in to help their neighbors. Bob Mendes, Gloria Johnson, Pete Buttigieg, folks like that. Smart, compassionate people who use their heart and their brain simultaneously.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the death of Princess Diana as the first big news story. I remember how sad it made everyone.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I ran a cash register for my father beginning at seven years old. I worked there at the family business until my father passed away at sixteen.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Trustee Erica Gilmore

Council At Large Bob Mendes
Council Member Russ Bradford
Council Member Emily Benedict
Rep. Bo Mitchell
Rep. Craig Fitzhugh
Rep. Mike Stewart
Abby Rubenfeld
Sydney Bennett

Hal Cato

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

See also

2023 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Nashville Metro Council District 11

Website

Twitter