REX AND THE CITY: High-end house hunter

Senator Bob Corker Matthew Williams/File/The City Paper

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker is house hunting in Nashville.

Corker was spotted recently touring Belle Meade streets with a local real estate agent. If recent reports in Washington, D.C. of Corker’s net worth taking a nosedive in the wake of his 2006 partially self-funded Senate bid are correct, his taste in real estate isn’t showing it.

Corker said he was in fact looking for a “second home” in Nashville given that he and his wife, Elizabeth, spend so much time in Music City. However, Corker said the couple’s “primary residence” would remain in Chattanooga, where Corker was mayor before winning his Senate seat.

Corker is no stranger to Nashville, having lived here during his time as part of the Sundquist administration.

The Kurita conundrum

Sen. Rosalind Kurita, an ideologically driven Democrat from Clarksville who increasingly votes with the Republicans, became even a larger burr under the collective saddle of her fellow Democrats at the end of the legislative session this year.

As a result, Democrats will likely go after Kurita pretty hard in the party’s primary this year, perhaps more so than they originally would have. What will be interesting to see is if Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey covertly or overtly helps her.

Kurita first became well known for voting with the Republicans when she crossed party lines in 2007 to cast a deciding vote to elect Ramsey speaker of the Senate and lieutenant governor, besting John Wilder.

Otherwise than that though, Kurita mainly voted with the Democrats, becoming one of the 17, for example, who tripled the state’s cigarette tax in 2007.

This year was a different story. Kurita voted with the Republicans on the contentious lottery scholarship issue and took one more swipe at former Lt. Gov. Wilder by siding with the GOP to prevent the 86-year-old Tennessee political legend from resurrecting his judicial selection legacy.

Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle has stoked the anti-Kurita fire, routinely publicly complaining about her and alienating her from their caucus. That certainly hasn’t helped move Kurita consistently back into the Democrats’ voting column, but Democratic voters in Kurita’s district could feel alienated by her ever-growing maverick style.

Gentry Board election a twofer?

Granted, it’s still early in the campaign. Perhaps that is why, with all the public and political focus currently directed toward Metro Nashville Public Schools, Rex is hearing about one very personal school board election issue more than any other: The fact that District 1 school board candidate Sharon Gentry is pregnant.

Gentry is the wife of Howard Gentry — yes, that Howard Gentry — and has amassed her share of successes. She works full-time at HCA. She is the parent of a young daughter in MNPS. And she’s very involved in her community.

In some quarters of the city, the Gentry name strikes fear in the political hearts of Metro watchers. Howard Gentry nearly pulled off a mayoral upset. He was only a few hundred votes from meeting Mayor Karl Dean in the run-off election instead of Dean facing former Congressman Bob Clement.

If that had been the match-up, who knows what would have happened.

Gentry loyalists say this and a fear of Howard Gentry’s ties to organizations like the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and associated cliques has manifested itself in an unfair line of attack against Sharon Gentry concerning her pregnancy — namely that public office would be taking on too much to truly serve.

Observers say this is a very risky approach that has great potential to backfire. We have to ask, would these concerns apply to the same degree to a candidate wedded to an expecting wife? Obviously not. Chauvinists beware.

True blue Tiger

Former Martin Luther King star Gerald Robinson Jr. lived up to the hype in his freshman season at Tennessee State, averaging 15 points a game and making the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer team.

It was validation for the Nashville native, who came to TSU with enormous expectations. Robinson was a late-bloomer as a prep standout at MLK, who didn’t become a top prospect until before his senior season when he had already committed to TSU.

But Robinson’s outstanding senior season and play on the summer circuit earned him the attention of several SEC schools.

Flash forward to this off-season and all of a sudden rumors were swirling that Robinson would transfer, possibly across town to Vanderbilt.

Not so fast, Rex hears. Robinson’s dad is a TSU alum and the school’s current women’s tennis coach and apparently the hype hasn’t gone to Junior’s head just yet. He’s committed to staying at TSU.

MTA budget cut scrutinized

As Metro Council readies itself to wholeheartedly rubberstamp Mayor Karl Dean’s budget proposal, there is one area where there might some tinkering — Metro Transit Authority’s $400,000 cut.

The budget reduction, combined with escalating diesel fuel costs, played a part in MTA imposing another fare increase up to $1.60. MTA also eliminated seven routes and the night owl service.

Council views the $400,000 cut as one spot where a remedy is easily found and would go a long way for MTA’s loyal customers.