Art Allen
Art Allen ran for election to the Nashville Metro Council to represent District 22 in Tennessee. Allen lost in the general election on August 1, 2019.
Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Nashville, Tennessee (2019)
General election
General election for Nashville Metro Council District 22
Gloria Hausser defeated Todd Sneed and Art Allen in the general election for Nashville Metro Council District 22 on August 1, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gloria Hausser (Nonpartisan) | 51.0 | 1,672 |
 | Todd Sneed (Nonpartisan) | 30.6 | 1,004 | |
| Art Allen (Nonpartisan)  | 18.0 | 591 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 3,277 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Art Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Allen's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Public education, enhancing public safety and honoring our commitments.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
As a former case officer in the Metro court system, I am well versed in the issues surrounding public safety. I spent a decade working with people from all walks of life and have been in pretty much every neighborhood and corner of the city. This diverse experience and working alongside numerous other Metro departments gives me the advanced knowledge that other candidates do not have. Our first responders are not staffed or funded to accommodate the growth Nashville is seeing. This has led to massive amounts of overtime due to a lack of bodies, burnout and employee attrition. If the needs of first responders are not met, it is all of us that will suffer. When seconds matter, corners should not be cut to pinch pennies. I will work to address funding and equipment to help those who serve us do their job safely and efficiently as possible.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
Both of my grandfathers were men of unquestioned integrity and respected by everyone they came in contact with. Both were veterans of World War II and had long, successful careers in the private sector after returning home. My dad's father was a B-17 gunner in the Army Air Corp and following the war was an FBI agent and involved in solving the Black Dahlia case. Later he returned home and had a long career in banking where he helped countless people, even some his bank said not to. My mom's father was a Sea Bee (combat engineer) and saw extensive action in the Pacific island hoping campaigns, notably Iwo Jima. He was president of a local civil engineering firm that built numerous projects in Nashville, the mid-south region and even built Dulles Airport in D.C. I want to live up to their expectations and honor their memory by leading a similar life of doing what is right and helping people.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Critical and analytical thinking, moral and ethical leadership, the ability to listen to all sides and transparency
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I believe I have all of the traits listed above and others that would serve me well as a member of Metro Council.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Transparency, ethical leadership, being accountable and available to everyone, including those with opposing views as my own.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Working to set up Bellevue and Nashville for long term success by bringing strategic thinking to problems and issues that will be in front of the city in the coming years.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I was 5 years old when the Challenger exploded. I remember the TV being brought into class and watching the shuttle liftoff and then the tragic events that unfolded.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I worked as manual labor at my uncle's river terminal on the Cumberland in high school. I did everything from cutting grass, painting barges, cutting metal sheets and using heavy equipment to move materials around the terminal yards. That work taught me what it really meant to put a hard day of work in.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Thanksgiving is my favorite, being around family and celebrating all that we are blessed with and have is a moving time for myself.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. The stories and events he was involved in would be amazing to be a part of, and being an early investor in Apple wouldn't hurt either.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My 8 year old rescue, Ally. She loves me no matter what happened and is my best friend. Last year she beat cancer, I take her for a car ride every Sunday.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
"Samurai Cop" by Dave Matthews Band
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?
I do think previous experience in government sets one apart. It lessens the learning curve and offers insight that is otherwise not available. The easy part is reading about matters that may be covered in media reports, it is another to have firsthand experience dealing with matters that need to be addressed and I have that experience.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| |||||||||
