Affordable housing and transportation are among the most pressing issues facing Metropolitan Nashville. The Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable will present a mayoral candidate forum in which the candidates will be asked to present their plans for tackling these issues. The forum will be on Thursday, June 1, from 7-9 p.m., at West End Synagogue. Co-sponsors include The Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee; the Social Justice Committees of Congregation Micah, The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom, Congregation Sherith Israel and West End Synagogue; The West Nashville Clergy Group; and AMAC (The American Muslim Advisory Committee).

The next mayor will have to address the gentrification of many Nashville neighborhoods, rising rental rates and home prices. In addition, the mayor will be called upon to create a plan to deal with the increasing public transportation crisis affecting every Nashville resident. Both of these issues have been met with resistance in some neighborhoods and with inadequate funding. Although Nashville has attempted through various means to encourage the development of affordable housing, actions by the state legislature have impeded those efforts.

All candidates will be invited to participate.