Metro refusing to release donor list in English-only campaign

Tennessean The group that campaigned to make English the official language of Nashville filed its overdue lists of donors and expenditures today, but Metro attorneys refused to release the information. The exact reason for the delay was unclear. Davidson County Election Administrator Ray Barrett said the Metro Law Department had instructed him not to release Nashville English First’s campaign financial disclosure forms to The Tennessean and other media outlets that requested them. Barrett said attorneys had cited a letter Nashville English First President Jon Crisp sent the election commission on Jan. 15, the day the disclosure was due. Crisp asked for an extension, saying his group’s donors could be subjected to threats if their names were released before the election. Metro Law Director Sue Cain could not be reached for comment Monday evening. The proposed Metro Charter amendment would have required the city to do business in English only. Voters rejected the idea by a 9,000-vote margin Thursday. Contact Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.