Tepid support for racetrack plan among mayoral candidates

• Their answers foreshadow the likelihood of the plan being approved under a new mayor if the issue lingers past Cooper's term.
• Cooper's racetrack plan would use $17 million from the state, $17 million from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. (CVC), and $1 million in annual rent money from track operator Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as sales tax and event revenue generated by fans at the facility to pay for the project.
• Neighbors have expressed concern about noise, while Bristol has promised to build a sound wall and limit the number of days the track is in use. NASCAR would host races at the fairgrounds every other year under the plan.

The intrigue: The candidates' responses also give a glimpse into how they'll prioritize entertainment and tourism-related projects if they're elected.

• Whether to spend taxpayer funds on tourism-related projects is a routine question for a Nashville mayor.
• In the next four to eight years, for example, the Nashville Predators could pursue renovations at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville is also routinely on the list of cities where Major League Baseball may wish to add an expansion franchise.

State of play: Cooper leaves office in September, so his administration only has a few council meetings left to push the financing plan through a skeptical Metro Council.

• A proposal this week from Metro Councilmember Colby Sledge would have effectively prevented Cooper's racetrack proposal from ever taking shape.
• Sledge proposed amending the city's capital improvement budget to change the racetrack project's funding. At Tuesday night's meeting, Sledge's amendment failed by an eyelash with 13 in favor, 15 opposed and two abstaining.

Where candidates stand

✅ Support

Businessperson Alice Rolli: "In 2011 more than 70% of Nashville voters supported a charter amendment to protect racing at our fairgrounds. While the will of the voters may be an inconvenient truth for many developers in our city, their voices matter to me. The Bristol Motor Speedway proposal appears to deliver on the promise of improving safety, lowering noise, and reducing the long term financial obligation of the city — and for these reasons, I support it."

Property assessor Vivian Wilhoite: "I support the racetrack renovation plan and I welcome the improvements that will be made to address parking and sound pollution for the Nashvillians who live near the fairgrounds."

🛑 Opposed or skeptical

Businessperson Jim Gingrich: "Our city faces serious challenges: affordability, crime, schools, traffic. Rather than focus on these challenges, our politicians instead focus on stadiums and NASCAR speedways. We need a leader who puts the people of Nashville first and is a responsible steward of our tax dollars."

Councilmember Sharon Hurt: "I am leaning towards opposing the racetrack plan. I have primarily only heard opposition to the plan from Davidson County residents. In particular, many South Nashville residents have voiced concerns around noise so if we approve the plan, we would need to find an immediate solution to buffer the noise. So far, to me, this looks like a one-way deal and Nashville residents aren't getting enough out of it."

Councilmember Freddie O'Connell: "As with any deal presented to me, I will review it carefully, but I will say this: as I review a budget that doesn't do as much as it should for public employees — including first responders — or transit, accepting another offer from the CVC and state for a tourism-focused endeavor at a local public facility is not my priority."

Former Metro Official Matt Wiltshire: "I grew up riding the rollercoaster at Fair Park and have wonderful memories of the State Fair at the fairgrounds. Holding on to things that make Nashville special is important, but I have serious concerns about spending public money to bring NASCAR into the heart of a neighborhood. I'll prioritize investing in sidewalks, attainable housing that Nashvillians can actually afford and making [Metro Nashville Public Schools] the best public schools in America."

⚠️ Address later

State Sen. Jeff Yarbro: "We need to pump the brakes on the racetrack and not rush headlong into another large-scale sports facility project just days before the selection of a new mayor and Metro Council — especially while we're challenging the legislature's attempt to override the will of the voters to preserve the existing racetrack at the Fairgrounds. We should revisit this issue when our next mayor and council can give it the attention it deserves, with full public input.

• "Nashville voted 12 years ago to preserve the racetrack, fairgrounds and flea market, and we shouldn't mistake that decision as a mandate to build something new. Let's do our due diligence and not race into any decisions that will affect our city for decades to come."

State Sen. Heidi Campbell: "From what I'm hearing, the racetrack seems likely to pass through council. If that happens, then we're going to have a huge speedway right in the middle of a neighborhood — and from my understanding, the current proposals regarding the type of sound wall and the amount of available parking are totally insufficient. If the racetrack is approved, solving those problems is not negotiable. And it has to happen before construction begins."

Details: Thanks to a state law passed this session, it's unclear how many votes the proposal needs. The new law lowered the threshold from 27 votes to 21. Cooper's administration sued the state, arguing the law unfairly singled out Nashville, leaving the issue for a three-judge panel to decide.