Campaign signs for Jeff Eslick, who is running for Metro Nashville Council to represent District 11, were vandalized Wednesday night, according to his campaign.
The signs were vandalized with the words “The Homeless Matter” and “Homeless Matter,” an apparent reference to the homeless encampment in Hermitage, located right off Old Hickory Boulevard near Andrew Jackson Parkway and Andrew Jackson Way.
“The homeless encampment in Hermitage is one of the top issues for the community and the candidate,” Eslick’s campaign said in an emailed statement.
It’s estimated between 30 to 45 people live at the encampment, according to NewsChannel 5, which adds that personnel from both the Metro Nashville Office of Homeless Services and the Metro Nashville Police Department have “boots on the ground in that location daily.”
On his website, Eslick lists the “growing number of encampments” as one of his top three issues his campaign is focused on.
As I get deeper into my campaign for Metro Council, I hear a big concern for residents are the encampments that are forming. I have been to meetings about them recently and the timeline to having the one in hermitage closed is 18 months. That's 2025! We can do better. pic.twitter.com/3PlnfuVNu9
— Jeff Eslick (@jeff_eslick) June 4, 2023
In a short campaign video released earlier this month, Eslick addressed the formation of homeless encampments, saying, “It seems new encampments open every day. Continuing to let them grow isn’t healthy for the people in it – or the residents that live near it. I will work to take swifter action to close them.”
“I am running because District 11 needs a neighbor. Metro Council doesn’t need another political activist, but someone who will focus on the basics that go into making safe, flourishing neighborhoods. I want to bring a neighborly approach and will stick to a to-do list for the district and the city…This is already a nice area to live. I want to help take it to the next level,” Eslick further states on his website.
On August 3, Nashville will hold general elections for mayor, vice mayor, and city council. If necessary, the runoff election will be on September 14.
For more information on the 2023 Metropolitan General Election, click here.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
