Nashville Councilmember Joy Styles announces bid for mayor
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Metro Councilmember Joy Styles announced Tuesday she will run for mayor of Nashville in next year's election.
Why it matters: Styles is the first candidate to declare for the August, 2027 election. Incumbent Mayor Freddie O'Connell is likely to run, but hasn't officially entered the race.
Catch up quick: Styles is in her second term representing the Antioch area on the council.
- Advocating for economic development in Antioch has been a hallmark of her council tenure.
- She announced her candidacy at the old Hickory Hollow Mall. The city purchased the site in 2022, but has been slow to implement a redevelopment plan.
- Styles' voting record is pro-business, and she's also supported public safety measures, such as the police department's plan to create a network of security cameras owned by private businesses.
What she's saying: Styles blasted O'Connell for not advancing the redevelopment of the mall.
- "I'm running because Nashville needs a fighter, someone who's going to fight for you and your neighborhood," she said at her press announcement. "Over the last six years, I've shown what inclusive leadership looks like.
- "Antioch is the fastest growing part of the city. Development is booming in our part of the city because I work with developers and the community."
Between the lines: Styles, who moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a country musician, is known for an occasionally outspoken political style.
- She butted heads with O'Connell's team on reforms to the city's Arts Commission, when she supported the embattled former director who was eventually pushed out. An Arts Commission board member accused Styles of inappropriately interfering with the commission's business.
- Styles was also integral in the creation of the city's entertainment commission.
The big picture: If elected, Styles would be the first mayor from the Antioch area, as well as the first Black mayor in Nashville history. Antioch is the fastest growing part of Davidson County.
Reality check: Her candidacy faces substantial questions. District council members often lack name recognition outside of their section of town, which calls into question whether she can build a countywide coalition.
- It's also unknown if she can raise the money necessary to bankroll an expensive challenge against a well-funded incumbent mayor.
The other side: Political insiders expect O'Connell to run for reelection, but he told the Nashville Business Journal in October it was too soon to say definitively.
- But he did hold fundraisers last year in advance of his likely 2027 bid. His campaign raised about $450,000 in the last fundraising period and has $430,000 on hand.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Styles and O'Connell's fundraising information.