Friends, 

Tonight, in the waning days of the 4 years that has marked this Barry-Briley administration a lady named Nancy came to tell me I was wrong about John Cooper's support of Ft. Negley. 

She was rabid in her belief, in spite of a complete lack of facts.

In spite of not knowing of this petition and of the work of we - thousands - we citizen army of activists who came together to do the hard work of standing up against the machine.

If Nancy and her ilk find you, and accost you, as she did to me tonight - I want to arm you with the truth. 

This petition was begun in July 2017 when I read an article which quoted John Cooper. That was my first email to him, ever. I asked him how I could help. 

And he told me how to help. And we stood shoulder to shoulder, in church basements, at park board hearings, at community events, around my kitchen table - in late nights and early mornings. 

In my plea for each of you to sign on - in every update -- I came to know and respect John Cooper. In his work to assemble the historians, the at-large council members - anyone and everyone who would stand up for Nashville.

He inspired us. Because he wasn't going to give up. Because he, at every turn, took the harder right - instead of the easier wrong. 

Tonight Nancy tried the same threats that T-Bone Burnett tried on me. The kind of threats that say "it is better for your career to be with us than against us"  - the kind of threats that are fueled by those who are more concerned with clinging to their own power - than with telling the truth. 

So for all of us -- who go to work each day at a job that we found through answering an ad online -- and not through a favor from someone we know - let's stand up for John Cooper.

If you have questions about rumors like this that you hear - you may email me at aliceanna@gmail.com. I'll do my best to respond. 

Let's elect John Cooper to Mayor of Nashville -- for Nancy. 

Sincerely, 

Alice Rolli 
#MusicRowMamma