NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A group working to collect signatures needed to recall Nashville Mayor John Cooper and city council members has fallen short of its goal.
Members of No Tax 4 Nash said they are disappointed to not reach their goal of 68,000 signatures but they are not giving up.
The group has been collecting signatures over the last several weeks to recall Mayor Cooper and Metro Council members after the 34% property tax increase was approved.
On Sunday, they held a protest at Nissan Stadium in a last-minute push to get more supporters.
In a statement on Facebook, the group said this is only the beginning and will be re-launching the petition campaign in the coming days.
They are confident they will be able to collect the number of signatures required during the second round. Group leaders also said not only have their supporters been harassed, but they have reason to believe many petitions were tampered with or not delivered to their P.O. Box address in the final days.
No Tax 4 Nash vowed to investigate.
A class action lawsuit was filed against the grassroots group on Friday by a Metro School Board member and two Nashville attorneys — alleging that No Tax 4 Nash and its organizers violated federal law by robocalling Nashville voters and playing a recorded message.
The lawsuit alleges thousands of people in Nashville had their cell phones bombarded last Thursday on the eve of the election. No Tax 4 Nash has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Not only are they pushing back on the property tax hike, so is Metro Council member Robert Swope.
A resolution on the agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting requests Mayor Cooper and the Metro Finance Department submit a revised tax levy ordinance for consideration by next month.
Swope said it is the Council’s job to set the tax rate no higher than is necessary — especially in light of the March 3rd tornadoes and COVID-19 pandemic.
No Tax 4 Nash will re-launch its petition campaign in the coming days and are confident it will be able to collect the number of signatures.
