Newest Metro Council Member Wins By 25 Votes

The Metro Council has its newest member from District 29, chosen Tuesday night by a narrow margin.

Delishia Porterfield, a special education coach with Metro Schools, won the seat by 25 votes over Nick La Mattina. The pair went to a runoff this month as part of a special election to fill the seat vacated last year by Karen Johnson, who was elected register of deeds.

Porterfield said that reaching full funding for the school district is a top priority, along with supporting first responders and working on neighborhood infrastructure — which she heard often from constituents while campaigning.

“People are concerned with the traffic, people are concerned with speeding, and people are concerned with potholes, stormwater, and sidewalks,” she said.

Porterfield is also a minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. She was endorsed by several other elected officials and three local labor unions, including for Metro teachers.

Turnout was low, inching just above a thousand ballots. That’s about half the votes cast in prior District 29 contests.