Thanks

Thanks to all the well-known and not-so-well-known people who worked and voted to defeat two proposed amendments our Metro Nashville Charter did not need.

Jim Hester and his colleagues at Nashville For All of Us did an excellent job of organizing wide-spread opposition that helped to soundly defeat these proposals.

Mayor Karl Dean and Governor Phil Bredesen stepped up and put their political clout on the line for this vote. I'm thankful to them too.

And a story from The Tennessean about what my former boss Howard Gentry did after returning from Barack Obama's inauguration reminds me - though no reminder is needed - of why he has inspired me for many years. I don't expect or demand that everyone agree with either of us on this issue. But his work to keep us mindful of what we can achieve when our better natures rule the day is commendable.

I know those who supported English-Only want newcomers from other countries to learn our language. I do too - my Russian-born daughter has been doing that since she arrived here in 2007. But this was not the way to go about it. Let's work together to find constructive ways to welcome folks to Nashville and make them part of this wonderful community.

I hope Jim Roberts will reconsider his apparent desire to bring up Amendment 2 again. We don't need to have more amendment votes than we've historically had over the past 45 years.

He had a fair shot to get his case out and we had an "up-or-down" vote on the matter that clearly went against him. Eric Crafton apparently understands that the people have spoken and it's time to go on. I hope Mr. Roberts will make that wise choice too. There are other far more important matters for our city to focus on in these challenging times.