What Do The Slogans Used By Nashville’s Mayoral Candidates Mean To Them?

The two candidates remaining in Nashville’s mayoral contest are leaning heavily on slogans that can be difficult to interpret.

”
Keep Nashville Moving Forward” has become at-large Metro Council member Megan Barry’s tagline. Like any good slogan, the meaning depends on who is listening. Broadly, she says it’s about progress — economic, social and otherwise. She’s careful to say she’s not suggesting all change is good.

“I think that anybody that’s not moving forward is taking a step backwards, and I don’t think that Nashville wants to stand still,” she tells WPLN.

The slogan of former school board chairman David Fox could come off as backward-looking — ”
The Nashville Way.” Fox has said he wants to preserve what he sees as the city’s friendliness, the kind of place where strangers say “hello” on the sidewalk. But he says it’s not about turning back the clock and becoming protectionist.

“I’m not talking about returning to the past,” he says. “I’m talking about building on the inherent kindness of Nashvillians so we can have a more exciting and more prosperous future.”

WPLN asked both candidates for mayor to give their take on their opponent’s slogan. Neither would go there.

Hear the candidates, uncut: