Meet the candidates

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Name: Pascal Jouvence

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Hometown: Gallatin is my hometown now, not because I was born here, but because I picked it out of all the places I could have settled.

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Job: Airline Pilot

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Education: I was born in France, and beyond traditional education, I had 12 years at the French National Conservatory of Music. My college degree is in physical education, with specialization in equestrian—professional horse training. (I still ride my horse every day.) Later, I took a rigorous and intensive program of flight and pilot training which allows me to fly 20 different types of aircraft.

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Family: Family is important to me. I have been married to Michelle for 14 years. While my parents live in France, I speak with them on the phone every week. We moved to Gallatin to be near Michelle’s family; her parents live just down the road from us.

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         What is your background and what relevant experience can you bring to the table?

         I grew up in France. After college, I joined and served in one of the oldest armored combat units of the French army where I learned team work and discipline. I then moved to Africa. There, I managed more than 1200 people as head of the largest security company of West Africa. In 2000, I moved to the USA to pursue a career in aviation. My aviation experience includes working as director of operations, director of safety, chief pilot, and captain in the private sector. Flying all over the world let me experience a range of different communities and cities, helping me to better understand what type of development works and what does not. I am currently an airline pilot. I have spent my adult career serving and protecting people. I am proud to be an American citizen. I am a numbers guy and a problem solver, and I don’t quit until I get results.

 

        What is your position on future residential/commercial development for Gallatin?

        As a concerned citizen I attend nearly every Gallatin City Council meeting. For years I have spoken on the record in opposition to this council’s rubber stamp approval of apartments and high-density residential. The Council’s rezoning of land and commercial parcels to high density residential, adds a burden on our public services. The lack of commercial parcels kills opportunities for new businesses to come to our town. This deprives local citizens of nearby jobs and of a good commercial variety.  High density housing costs more than the tax revenue it raises, this will cause existing property owners to pay more in taxes for new schools, public safety services, clogged traffic disruptions, and new roads. We absolutely need to shift focus from high density residential to commercial to bring good high paying jobs to our community.  The council must stop being a rubber stamp for every developer that wants to make Gallatin a dormitory for Nashville.

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       Is there a particular issue that you would like to work on right away if elected?

       Honestly, there are a lot of issues that need to be worked on. For years the council has been telling us that everything is fine. But the citizens are telling me it’s not. They tell me they are unhappy about construction, apartments, traffic, stormwater drainage issues, road maintenance, potholes, speeding on small residential roads, lack of parking, lack of sidewalks. I want to get back to the basics and issues that people care about. I will come up with real solutions to help make people’s lives better in their neighborhoods. At every meeting I will engage in constructive discussion on any item impacting the life of our community, making sure that citizens input is taken into account. As a public servant I am here to serve the public, not to prioritize special interests.  I will do my best to be like Moe.