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Jeff Eslick
From Ballotpedia
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Jeff Eslick is a member of the Nashville Metro Council in Tennessee, representing District 11. He assumed office on September 30, 2023. His current term ends in 2027.
Eslick ran for election to the Nashville Metro Council to represent District 11 in Tennessee. He won in the general runoff election on September 14, 2023.
Eslick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jeff Eslick was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He earned a high school diploma from Glencliff High School, an associate degree from Volunteer State Community College in 1994, and a bachelor's degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 1998. His career experience includes working as a marketing executive and electrical apprentice.[1]
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 | ||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 | |
| Joe Delucas (Nonpartisan) | 3.7 | 111 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 9 | ||
| 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 Eslick in this election.
Campaign themes
2023
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released June 21, 2023 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jeff Eslick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Eslick's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I grew up in Nashville. From elementary school in Tusculum/Paragon Mills to Litton Jr High and split high school between Stratford and Glencliff. My college years were mostly commutes to Gallatin where I earned an associate's degree from Volunteer State and then to Murfreesboro for my bachelor's at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Most of my adult life has been spent in Old Hickory.
I’m a small business owner and most of my career has been in sales and marketing. Over the years, I’ve helped many Nashville businesses build their identity and get where they want to be with focused priorities and creative problem-solving. Working on plans with others also helped me develop sharp negotiating skills. These traits should be helpful as a member of the Metro Council.
- The Safety of Nashville Nashville's police force has been recognized for outstanding performances in recent extreme situations. We should use this positive momentum to hire new recruits, while retaining our experienced officers and add better protection to our schools.
- Nashville’s Growth Management Nashville's recent growth is well documented and shows no signs of slowing down. Managing and making space for new construction should be done with respect for current residents and neighborhoods.
- The Growing Number of Encampments It seems for every encampment that is closed, several new ones pop up. Letting the encampments continue to grow isn't healthy for the people living in them or the residents living near them.
Community Question Featured local question
The mayor's office has or exercised too much power. There should be more input by the council and/or residents.
Community Question Featured local question
I have not looked into specific crime rates, but believe our police do as good of a job as they can in keeping our residents safe.
Community Question Featured local question
Nashville is known as Music City and Broadway is the heart of it. The honky-tonks attract tourists from all over the world. The revenue generated by them pays for many of the services the city's residents enjoy and helps keep our taxes in check. This could be in jeopardy if we don't keep Broadway safe and clean. We need to do a better job of doing this.
Community Question Featured local question
I got in this race because a poorly promoted rezoning meeting almost put 49 homes on a lot zoned for 2.5. There were only a few residents at the meeting. Even though most, or all, opposed the plan, they went forward with it anyway.
The same thing almost happened on June 6th, 2023, when Nashville's Metro Benefits Board voted on adding Gender Reassignment Coverage to the Metro employee's benefits package. The residents of Nashville didn't know it was happening. I was the only person to speak in opposition to the plan. Luckily, it failed and Nashville residents didn't wake up and find out they were going to be stuck footing the bill for a controversial and expensive benefit.
Community Question Featured local question
This is a subject I may need to learn more about to make specific calls, but the public should have access to the actions of the elected officials and the government employees. There should be a higher level of accountability.
Community Question Featured local question
Nashville seems to be following the trend of not prosecuting crime. Whether it's the outgoing Mayor or others, we see the same issues or same people doing the same things with seemingly no repercussions. A growing problem in our city is with homelessness. Our leaders coddle the situation instead of confronting it. The announced plan is to have taxpayers pay for rental houses for the homeless persons. Most of them need help with addiction or mental challenges. Spreading them out will make getting them the services they need more difficult, cost taxpayers more and cause our neighborhoods to be less safe. There needs to be a better plan. I would work to find a more centralized approach where they can be helped back to the point of being a better person and citizen.
Community Question Featured local question
Community Question Featured local question
We need to focus on safety, managing growth and addressing the homeless encampments. Letting these issues go unchecked will lead to Nashville being unrecognizable. Nashville has has a reputation as being a safe and friendly city with a vibrant music scene. It should still be known as that when this growth spurt ends.
Community Question Featured local question
I haven't dug into the statistics, but it seems crime is on the rise. We need to use all the tools to deter criminals from becoming repeat offenders. This needs to be a priority of the next Mayor.
Community Question Featured local question
We need a better plan for our trash. The surrounding cities use the same landfills and they are filling up fast. I have seen a couple of good ideas for resoving this issue. We need to take action sooner than later.
Community Question Featured local question
Nashville needs a plan to handle the huge influx of new residents. There doesn't seem to be a simple answer. It will take local, state, federal and potentially private involvement to solve the problem.
Community Question Featured local question
Nashville should be proud of it's police department. Recently, our officers have shown great courage in the face of grave danger. They ushered residents to safety before and up to the moment of detonation of the 2nd avenue bombing and didn't hesitate to enter the building and neutralize the shooter at the Covenant School. When things don't go well, the police are criticized, so when things work out better, they should be praised.
Community Question Featured local question
Hindsight is 20/20 and it is easy to criticize the policies now, but even during the pandemic, Nashville's mayor seemed to make decisions that didn't make sense. Our businesses were kept closed when surrounding businesses were open. That lead to residents crossing county lines to patronize their businesses. Then, while residents were still reeling from the shutdown, our mayor hit them with a 34% property tax increase. There is evidence the mayor targeted Broadway but ignored businesses that violated covid policies in other parts of town. A more even-handed approach would have a better way to handle the situation.
I am running because District 11 needs a neighbor. Metro Council doesn't need another political activist or new version of our current representative, but someone who will focus on the basics that go into making safe, flourishing neighborhoods. I want to bring a neighborly approach and will stick to a to-do list for the district and the city. I think voters are looking for someone who recognizes the little things about the district, like the traffic buildup on Lebanon Road and Shutes Lane or the need for a dog park and better restaurant options in the area.
This is already a nice area to live. I want to help take it to the next level.
This is already a nice area to live. I want to help take it to the next level.
Nashville's council is currently at odds with the state government. Our mayor made choices during and after covid that caused the state to exert it's power and make changes that affected the local government. It took control of some boards and cut the number of council districts in half. It would be beneficial to have more local representatives that saw things like the state does. This could restore the harmony that has been the norm.
I look up to those who have succeeded in the face of adversity. My mother was a divorced hairdresser with two kids. She worked hard to house, feed and clothe us. Growing up, we didn't have as much as my friends or classmates. There were times I was embarrassed for being poor. Those are the memories that helped develop my work ethic and drive. I don't classify myself as rich, but I am more well off than some that had more as children and no matter how much I have, I still work to make sure I don't end up in the broke again.
Creative problem solving, good negotiating skills and the ability to follow through on promises are all important.
I have spent most of my career in sales & marketing. It is a commission-based job. That means, if you don't sell something/make a deal, you don't get paid. This leads to learning how to come up with ideas, negotiate and sell the ideas and fulfill your promises. Since leaving corporate sales, I have started my own company. This brings another set of skills with it. These traits would be good to have as part of the council.
Lead Nashville in a direction that has everyone feeling represented.
My junior year of high school, I had a crush on a girl and she invited me to her house one afternoon. My imagination was going wild thinking of what may happen. But nothing I thought would happen did. When I got to her house, she said if I wanted to go out with her, I needed to run for vice-president of my class. That day, we wrote a speech, I delivered it and won. We didn't last long, but the speech and holding office made me more outgoing and helped me become the person I am today. I reached out to her when I decided to run for office. We both got a good laugh out of reliving the story.
My very first job was as a video game room editor at Chuck E Cheese. I was there until it closed. The first job out of college was in radio sales and I was there for 17 years. I left there to start my own business, Slick Media Productions, which I have owned for the last 11 years.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I got a 4 book pack as a kid and loved them all. Most became movies, but the Outsiders was my favorite.
Ricky Roma, Al Pacino's character in Glengarry Glen Ross. He was a great salesperson. You couldn't even tell he was selling, or you were buying, but it was happening.
Nothing compares 2 you....the Chris Cornell version.
I was poor much of my life. Living week to week isn't a good feeling. It can be frustrating and motivating. I took the motivated path. I am not rich now, but have developed a good work ethic, negotiating skills, follow through that has me in a position to help others do the same.
During my door knocking days, I am hearing a frustration about the council not seeing things from a taxpayer point of view. It seems many council members want to fight for a cause or specific group, not the taxpayer. Many feel having more regular people on the council would give the taxpayer a bigger voice and could restore faith in the council.
I have spent most of my career in sales & marketing. It is a commission-based job. That means, if you don't sell something/make a deal, you don't get paid. This leads to learning how to come up with ideas, negotiate and sell the ideas and fulfill your promises. These traits would be good to have as part of the council.
It's illegal to laugh out loud in Hawaii. You must keep it to a-lo-ha.
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See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate Nashville Metro Council District 11 |
Officeholder Nashville Metro Council District 11 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 21, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Nashville Metro Council District 11 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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