What Are Your Issues?

Yesterday the Nashville City Paper's Editorial Page posed a number of issues that they believe are important to this year's mayoral race. The City Paper's top issues included funding, funding, and funding - more specifically the funding of our education system, law enforcement, and proposed civic projects like the Music City Center. Other smaller issues included managing the Metro budget process and future funding of hospital operations.

Ultimately all these questions could be rolled into one:

"What do you plan to do with my money?"

Sure the property tax debacle of 2006 that forced a referendum on tax enforcement has also forced a more thorough investigation of local candidates fiscal policies, but must we lose the vision as well?

Maybe I'm still stuck in my idealistic youth, believing that people should take bold steps regardless of the cost. But if we elect leaders based simply on how they answer the question "How much will it cost?," we face stifling the growth of our city and ruining our "Athens."

As the Davidson County Young Democrats move forward, we want to be a force in the August elections. We want to make the candidates accountable to people other than the moneyed interests in Nashville, especially the younger generation who will be effected immensely by the decisions made at the Municipal level. So my questions to you are:

What issues are most important to you?
What questions do you want answered by this year's mayoral candidates?
What will it take to get the younger generation out to the polls in an off-year, off-month election?

Please, if you have thoughts or feelings, leave them in the comments below so that the DCYDs can better know how to approach the municipal elections, to boost both the electoral turnout, and increase the interest given by candidates to younger voters.