Howard Gentry, Jr.
| Howard Gentry, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Howard Gentry, Jr. February 4, 1952 |
| Alma mater | Tennessee State University |
| Occupation | CEO, Nashville Chamber Public Benefit Foundation |
| Spouse | Sharon Dixon Gentry |
Howard Gentry, Jr. (born 1952) is an American politician. He was the vice mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Tennessee, and Davidson County, and the President of the Metropolitan Council from 2002 to 2007. He is currently the CEO of the Nashville Chamber Public Benefit Foundation.
Howard Gentry obtained a Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Tennessee State University in 1974 and a master's degree in 1999. He began his professional career in banking, working for five years at Citizens Bank and First American Bank for three years. He then worked as Court Officer and Law Clerk with Metropolitan Criminal Court Division I from 1987 to 1990, in automobile sales, and as President and Operating Officer of Citizens Insurance Agency.
From 1990 until becoming vice mayor, he held various positions at Tennessee State University, including Director of Athletics and Associate V.P. for Technology and Administrative Services. He also served as CEO of Backfield in Motion, a non-profit organization that provides academic tutoring, leadership training, and athletic programs for inner-city youth.
In 1999, Gentry won election to an at-large seat on the Metropolitan Council, finishing fourth of the five winners.[1] When Ronnie Steine resigned as vice mayor in 2002, Gentry became vice mayor pro tempore. Gentry then won a special election for vice mayor on September 5, 2002, defeating Chris Ferrell in a runoff and becoming the first African-American to be elected to the post.[2] In 2003, Gentry was re-elected, running unopposed.
During his second term as vice mayor, Gentry cast a tie-breaking vote in the Metro Council that defeated an anti-discrimination bill that would have protected gay and lesbian employees of the Metro government, stating that there had not been enough complaints against the Metro government on behalf of Metro employees to justify passing the law.[3]
As an appointee to the Mayor's Taskforce to End Chronic Homelessness, he was known for his involvement in mayor Bill Purcell's strategic plan to reduce chronic homelessness in Nashville by 2015.
After Purcell announced he would not be running for re-election as mayor, Howard Gentry announced his candidacy for the 2007 mayoral election in October 2005. If elected, he would have been the first African-American to hold the post in the city's history; he conceded defeat in the race around 8:30 P.M. on August 2, 2007.
Gentry is also the host of the Howard Gentry, Jr. Sports Talk Show on WNSR Radio Sports56.
[edit] References
- ^ Yates, Jon (September 10, 1999). "2 At-Large Winners Savor Milestone". The Tennessean.
- ^ "Gentry sworn in as Metro vice mayor". The Tennessean. September 18, 2002.
- ^ Schrade, Brad (April 2, 2003). "Vice mayor's tie-breaking vote defeats gay rights bill". The Tennessean. http://tennessean.com/local/archives/03/04/31083938.shtml.
