David Glasgow, 44, has confirmed to Out & About Newspaper that he is considering running for the newly opened Metro Council seat that will soon be vacated by Keith Durbin.
Durbin, who won the seat just over a year ago, will step down in January 2009 to become Metro’s Chief Information Officer. Durbin is Middle Tennessee’s first openly gay elected official.
Another potential GLBT candidate for the seat, Maria Salas, has notified Out & About Newspaper that she will not be running for the position.
"I've weighed the commitment necessary to run a winning short-term campaign and to doing an effective job if elected," Salas wrote in an e-mail to O&AN. "I've decided that I can't justify taking the time away from my daughter and law practice."
Glasgow and his partner of almost eight years, Van Pond, have lived in the 18th District since they converted an aging duplex into a single-family residence about three years ago when Glasgow returned from a stint working for a federal agency in Washington. Prior to that they had maintained the duplex and a condo on West End.
Glasgow is state communications director for Rural Development and formerly worked for Vanderbilt University as a public affairs officer. He is active in Nashville’s GLBT community, serves on the board of Artrageous Inc, and serves as an assistant coach with the Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club.
“I’m talking with friends, neighbors and some of the other potential candidates. Serving the district is a big commitment,” said Glasgow.
Glasgow acknowledged the special election, which could be held as early as March, will likely garner several more candidates for the seat.
“There are many good people in our neighborhood with an interest in serving our community,” he said. "But, I know how much time Keith has devoted to working on issues that affect the day-to-day lives of people in the district. He set a very high standard of accessibility. I know that I am willing, and able to make that same commitment.”
“I am able and willing to devote the amount of time necessary to properly represent the district,” he added.
The district, which includes Belmont-Hillsboro and Hillsboro-West End, has a diverse population including members of the GLBT community.
“District 18 priorities include preserving and improving the residential quality of the neighborhoods and viability of commercial districts; public safety; active community involvement in our schools; fostering neighborhood identity and a sense of community; sensitive business and job development in the district; and progressive, business-friendly urban development in the downtown core, including a convention center that meets the city’s growing needs,” said Glasgow. “Of course, the biggest challenge for the council will always being improving Metro services without breaking the bank.”
Should he win, he’ll be the only “out” elected official in Middle Tennessee and on the Metro Council. While the significance of that is not lost on him, Glasgow said if he ran, he would run to represent the neighborhood first.
“One of the great things that Keith Durbin accomplished was to prove that this district votes for the best person for the job,” he said.
Glasgow said that while Nashville had a notable and significant gay population, it was diverse in many ways and spread throughout the city.“It's one of the things I love about Nashville,” he said. “I feel comfortable wherever we go.”