Freddie O'Connell | |
---|---|
![]() O'Connell in 2023 | |
10th Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville | |
Assumed office September 25, 2023 | |
Preceded by | John Cooper |
Member of the Nashville Metro Council from the 19th district | |
In office September 1,2015 –September 1,2023 | |
Preceded by | Erica Gilmore |
Succeeded by | Jacob Kupin |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Frederick O'Connell 1976or1977(age 47–48) Nashville,Tennessee,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Domestic partner | Whitney Boon |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Nashville,Tennessee,U.S. |
Education | Brown University (BA,BS) |
Thomas Frederick O'Connell (born 1976/1977) [1] [2] [3] is an American politician and currently serves as the 10th Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. [4] From 2015 to 2023,he served as a member of the Nashville Metro Council representing the 19th district.
O'Connell was born in Nashville,Tennessee,to Beatrice,a retired teacher,and Tim,a federal civil servant and part-time songwriter. [5] He graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1995,and earned two bachelor's degrees from Brown University in 2000,one in Music and the other in Computer Science. [5] [6] [7] He is of Jewish descent through one of his grandparents. [8]
O'Connell began his career in software and technology,working for startups and publicly traded companies. He was also president of the Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association. [4] From 2005 until 2010,he co-hosted a political talk show on WRVU,the Vanderbilt University student radio station. [9]
In 2002,O'Connell ran as an Independent against future Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell. [9]
O'Connell formerly served as a board member and chair of the board for the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority. [9] While municipal elections in Nashville are officially nonpartisan,O'Connell is a registered Democrat. [10]
In 2015,O'Connell ran for the Nashville Metro Council in the 19th district,receiving 54 percent of the vote during the August 6 election. [11] In 2019,he ran for reelection unopposed. [9]
In April 2022,O'Connell announced that he would run for mayor of Nashville in the 2023 Nashville mayoral election. [12] In the first round of voting,O'Connell led all candidates with 27.2% of the vote. [13] He defeated Alice Rolli in the runoff on September 14,2023,winning 64% of the vote. [14] He was sworn into office on September 25. [15]
O'Connell lives in the Salemtown neighborhood of Nashville with his partner,Dr. Whitney Boon,an attending child neurologist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt,and their two children. [5] [4] He has been known to occasionally DJ at events in the Nashville area. [16]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Beth Harwell | 17,424 | 66.9 | ||
Democratic | Shannon Wood | 7,152 | 27.5 | ||
Independent | Thomas F. O'Connell | 1,471 | 5.6 | ||
Total votes | 26,047 | 100.0 | |||
Republican hold |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Freddie O'Connell | 900 | 54.3 | |
Amanda Harrison | 322 | 19.4 | |
Keith Caldwell | 237 | 14.3 | |
Bill Shick | 190 | 11.5 | |
Write-in | 8 | 0.5 | |
Total votes | 1,657 | 100 |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Freddie O'Connell | 1,709 | 96.6 | |
Write-in | 61 | 3.4 | |
Total votes | 1,770 | 100 |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Freddie O'Connell | 27,503 | 27.14 | |
Alice Rolli | 20,472 | 20.20 | |
Matthew Wiltshire | 17,193 | 16.97 | |
Jeff Yarbro | 12,356 | 12.19 | |
Heidi Campbell | 8,337 | 8.23 | |
Sharon Hurt | 6,104 | 6.02 | |
Vivian Willhoite | 4,758 | 4.70 | |
Jim Gingrich | 1,668 | 1.65 | |
Natisha Brooks | 1,458 | 1.44 | |
Stephanie Johnson | 581 | 0.57 | |
Fran Bush | 503 | 0.50 | |
Bernie Cox | 322 | 0.32 | |
Write-in | 80 | 0.07 | |
Total votes | 101,335 | 100.00 |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Freddie O'Connell | 72,989 | 63.8 | |
Alice Rolli | 41,205 | 36.0 | |
Write-in | 123 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 114,317 | 100 |