Battle on to turn Ben West's seat red

The citizens of state House District 60, which stretches out to the east of downtown Nashville through parts of Hermitage, Donelson and south to the county line in Antioch, have eagerly re-elected Rep. Ben West in the last 13 elections. But as the 26-year veteran of the legislature prepares to step aside for some personal time, a full buffet of candidates — five Democrats and one Republican — has materialized in his absence.

In West’s own party, the two Democrats with the highest name recognition and, most likely, better chances to win their party’s Aug. 5 primary election are Tommy Bradley, the Criminal Court Clerk’s chief administrative officer, and District 32 Metro Councilman Sam Coleman.

“There’s a bevy of good people running to take my place, and they’re going to be faced with several things that are going to come up,” West said.

At the state level, legislation regarding the death penalty and condoning Arizona’s immigration law, and a return of the income tax discussion loom on the horizon for his successor, along with district issues such as the completion and improvement of state roads and renovations of historical homes (The Hermitage, McCampbell House and Cloverbottom Mansion).

When it comes to the state issues, the next District 60 representative “better know what his constituents want,” West said.

Bradley said just showing up is the top priority.

“In my opinion, that’s the right issue,” he said of being accessible to voters. “If we don’t discuss [the issues], then we can’t come to an understanding of what the district needs.”

Bradley said he expressed his desire for the District 60 job to West 10 years ago but promised the incumbent he wouldn’t run against him out of respect.

Bradley, who resigned from a Metro Council seat in March 2006 to take the position at the Criminal Court Clerk’s office, said his own daily interaction with the public through his Metro jobs would make for a smooth transition to working for the public at the state level.

“But I don’t look at it as a transition,” Bradley said. “It’s just basically a different level of community service for me.”

Coleman said his top priorities would be to re-establish jobs lost throughout the district and support small businesses to boost the economic base in the district.

He called West a “tremendous leader” who will leave a big void. If he wins, Coleman would look to pick up some of those projects West said he didn’t get to see through.

And Coleman said the race won’t come down to political party but which candidate can best step in and pick up the reins.

“I don’t think we’re going to lose anything because we’re going to have a person that has a lot of energy,” Coleman said. “I’m an attorney — I know the law — and so it’s just going to be real easy for me to pick up where [West] left off.”

Rounding out the Democrats are Larry Crim, Chris Tobe and Charles Hager, while the lone Republican in the race, District 12 Metro Councilman Jim Gotto, looks to face the Democratic primary winner in the general election on Nov. 2.

Crim, CEO of Southeast Realty Group, ran for Davidson County tax assessor as a Republican in 1988 before he determined that Republicans don’t mesh well with Davidson County’s local politics and changed teams.

Getting Donelson, Hermitage and Antioch back to the status quo after May’s flood should be a top priority for the district, Crim said.

Tobe threw his hat in the ring as what he called a well-known “community person” who’s been active for many years. Through his work on the Donelson-Hermitage evening and morning Exchange Clubs, as the president of the Hermitage Peninsula Community Association and on other boards in the community, he said, he has been a facilitator between state and local leaders and the district.

Knocking on doors, he’s found that employment and the state budget are two pressing issues.

Tobe said he knows he’s fighting an uphill battle when it comes to name recognition.

“The bad news is I’m a fresh face,” he said. “But the good news is I’m a fresh face.”

Hager didn’t answer requests for interviews prior to the deadline for this article.

Turning red?

Though Gotto has the advantage of an uncontested primary, he said he continues to knock on doors and talk to people in the district in preparation for the general election.

“This isn’t about liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat,” Gotto said. “It’s about who that’s running will go down there and represent the people the way the majority of the people want to be represented.”

If the general election comes down to Gotto and Bradley, the margin could prove tight. If Coleman wins in the primary and takes on his fellow councilman, however, District 60 constituents can perhaps compare recent council votes to stack up the two.

Reflecting on West’s record of what Gotto called voting “very conservatively” and playing himself as a middleman between the two parties when he believed Democrats leaned too liberal, Gotto said he likes his chances.

“I think that’s a factor you have to take into account, and even then if you look at the breakdown — Republicans to Democrats — in the 60th District, it’s pretty close,” Gotto said.

“I think I’ve got a shot,” he said. “We’ve teed it up, and we’re going to see.”