Paul King (Tennessee)
Paul King ran for election to the Nashville Metro Council to represent District 16 in Tennessee. He lost in the general election on August 1, 2019.
King completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Nashville, Tennessee (2019)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Nashville Metro Council District 16
Ginny Welsch defeated Tony Tenpenny in the general runoff election for Nashville Metro Council District 16 on September 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ginny Welsch (Nonpartisan) | 62.2 | 1,262 |
 | Tony Tenpenny (Nonpartisan) | 37.7 | 764 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 2,028 | |||
 = 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 16
Ginny Welsch and Tony Tenpenny advanced to a runoff. They defeated Paul King in the general election for Nashville Metro Council District 16 on August 1, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ginny Welsch (Nonpartisan) | 41.2 | 791 |
| ✔ | | Tony Tenpenny (Nonpartisan) | 37.3 | 715 |
 | Paul King (Nonpartisan) | 21.4 | 411 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 1,919 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Paul King completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by King's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Safety (sidewalks, police, speed abatement, fire), education, transportation (easing congestion, smartening existing systems for buses, lights, etc)
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Fixing the mentality that we can let the people wait indefinitely to see a return on their investments, letting
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
There's a candidate for an at-large council position I've been following named Zulfat Suara, as a politician and someone who has the experience and knows how to list it I'd say I'd like to work with her. As for who would I like to follow, I'm not entirely sure. I tend to not follow candidates as much as issues.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I don't think so - there has been no defining moment or 100% political match for me. I've experienced a gradual slide toward my current state. I try to do right, I try to make sure there's no waste, if I'm spending someone's money I try to make sure they get the best deal they can, I try to not infringe on anyone's rights or self, and I try to do no harm.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Keeping the promises they were elected on, doing no harm, knowing before they vote on spending that there was no better plan.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I research. If someone asks me "so what are your feelings on X" and I don't know, I'll say I don't know and I'm going to have to research that. I worked in IT for over 20 years, I know what the people want, I know what the expected result is, and I know that sometimes you have to look beyond those two things in order to accomplish what you want.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Zoning, budgets, accomplishing the goals that they've stated to get elected.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I'd like a sidewalk or two, the crossings next to two large grocery stores to not be death traps, someone to deeply explore the budget and lay it out so people can understand why downtown looks like a cash pit and everyone's talking about raising taxes on residents of a district with fewer police, higher crime, and crumbling sidewalks.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
There were some things from when I was a child, but the first thing that really impacted me was the Challenger disaster. I happened to be wearing a hat that had one of the shuttles on it and the words "roll out" - don't think it was the Challenger though.. I'd just worn it because Space Shuttles you know... I was at a game room I think when it happened.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I had a couple of temp gigs I won't count as both were day/ week / two month gigs up front... the first job I really count was at a game room in Franklin, TN called Power Play. I worked there as an attendant, assistant manager, and finally manager in name only when the manager quit and the company couldn't find a replacement for what they wanted to pay. I believe I worked there about three years along with some side jobs tutoring, computer repair, and one where I became a manager of a restaurant in an absurdly short time.
What happened on your most awkward date?
1) I didn't know it was a date. 2) she thought I thought it was a date and didn't want to date me. 3) I thought it was just getting coffee and talking about a class we were taking. 4) she either invented a whole lot of things to throw someone off of dating her, or really was just laying it all out there. 5) I did not know it was a date
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Halloween, because Halloween man... I've got two kids now and we're set with candy all year.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Probably in terms of times I've read it, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Louis Wu comes to mind, not so much for what he did but for the universe he lived in. I've not given this much thought and I can't remember everything he did in Ringworld, so perhaps I'm forgetting something horrible.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
I've got this thing called an Ooler, it's a mattress pad like the Chillpad that actually cools, not just blows air... especially when I'm out canvassing I come home, crank that on, jump in the shower, and then lay down on a 54 degree mattress pad... thing is the only thing keeping me going
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
It's a song called Catchy Song from the Lego Movie 2 in which the lyrics start out "this song's gonna get stuck inside ya this song's gonna get stuck inside ya this song's gonna get stuck inside your heeeeaaaddd it's so catchy catchy it's such a catchy song gonna make you happy, happy, don't try to fight it sing along..." It got stuck inside my head.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Getting people to understand that I actually do care about something and am not just standing there looking at them. I'm not sure if the home schooling / lack of social interaction when I was young or some sort of emotional disconnect is there but I can be completely torn up about something and nobody has a clue, I can be head over heels for someone and it doesn't show, basically the face doesn't match what I feel. People have to listen to my words.
Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?
There are few who understand what the position entails in the first place. So all of it?
What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?
Researcher, able to balance a budget, able to disregard the gut feelings when the reports contradict, social media savvy to connect with as many people as possible, wordsmith, understands that the people in your neighborhood are the people you work for.
What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?
Budget to keep the town going and the people paid, planning to keep our neighborhood from being overrun by tall and skinnys, a little bit of a stage so I can get the police department and codes to listen to some plans I have that cost nothing and would benefit everyone.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?
No, I've seen what that results in. I think someone who can balance a budget, understand that sometimes a plan is working even though their gut tells them it's not, respect the will of the people and not just the will of the backers, and doesn't feel the need to respond and talk for 90 seconds about every single question are what is needed. No, experience not needed, doing the job needed.
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.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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