Why voters should care about the Nashville vice mayor's race

It comes without the fanfare of a mayoral race, but Nashville voters will also decide Thursday who will serve the role of vice mayor for the next four years.

Details: The race pits incumbent Vice Mayor Jim Shulman against Councilmember Angie Henderson, who was term-limited for her district council seat.

Why it matters: The vice mayor has the important, but unheralded, job of presiding over Metro Council meetings.

• If the mayor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the vice mayor is next in line to serve.

Between the lines: The vice mayor also assigns council members to committees, which determine who is in charge of vetting legislation. Choosing a chairperson for the budget and finance committee is an especially important appointment.

• The vice mayor doesn't actually vote on legislation, except in the rare event of a tie.

Be smart: Shulman served a combined 11 years on the council, from 1999 until 2007 and from 2015 until 2018.

• He won a special election for the role of vice mayor in 2018, edging out Sheri Weiner, and was re-elected in 2019.
• Read a Q&A with Shulman on the Nashville Banner's voters guide.

Henderson is a two-term council member representing a portion of western Davidson County.

• Read Henderson's Q&A.