Ana Escobar nominated to be Metropolitan Clerk

Ana Escobar

Update July 6, 2011: The Metro Council has approved Escobar's nomination.  She will take the job of Metropolitan Clerk effective August 1.

Mayor Karl Dean has nominated Nashville attorney Ana Escobar to succeed Marilyn Swing as Metropolitan Clerk. If confirmed by the Metro Council, Escobar would become "the first Hispanic woman to head a department of the Metropolitan government," according to the press release. Escobar, raised in Nashville, was born in Colombia, South America.

In his announcement, Dean mentioned Escobar's fifteen years of experience as a criminal defense attorney in private practice, her law degree from George Washington University Law School, and her undergrad degree from Vanderbilt University. Dean also quoted a few people for their opinion of Escobar, such as Division II Criminal Court Judge J. Randall Wyatt...

Ana has appeared in my court as both a prosecutor and a public defender, and she has always impressed me with her professionalism and her courtesy. She is a great attorney and a wonderful person.

... and Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors:

Ana really impressed me during her interview. Her desire to serve our city was evident, and I look forward to working with her in the future.

The press release also touched on the significance of the nomination of a Hispanic woman to the post and included this comment from Conexion Americas Executive Director Renata Soto:

Today is a significant milestone for diversity in Nashville. Census numbers show that 10% of Nashville’s population is Hispanic, and Ana’s appointment to this important role speaks to the Hispanic community’s many contributions to our city. It is also a testament to Ana’s professionalism and to her outstanding reputation as a lawyer.

Escobar started her career defending indigent citizens in the Office of the Public Defender and later became a prosecutor in the Office of the District Attorney, where she prosecuted mid-level drug organizations.

Escobar has been running her own law firm - the Escobar Law Group - and is held in high regard by the local bar. In 2003, Escobar ranked second in a Nashville Bar Association rating of candidates for Davidson County General Sessions Judge.

Apart from her recent nomination to the 2012 presidency of the Davidson County Democratic Women, Escobar has also held the following past and present community service roles:

Present:
• Planning Commission for Davidson County, Tennessee, Commissioner
• Tennessee Judicial Nominating Commission, Commission
• Nashville Bar Association, Board of Directors
• Nashville Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Nashville Prevention Partnership, Board of Directors
• Junior League of Nashville, Sustainer

Past:
• Davidson County Election Commission, Commissioner
• Nashville Bar Association, Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee
• Hands on Nashville, Board of Directors
• Advisory Council, El Protector

Moving into the Clerk's job, Escobar would assume responsibility for the city's records, according to this description of the position from the city web site:

The Metropolitan Clerk’s Office is the official recordkeeping agency of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

The recorded legislative history of the city, along with all other official city documents, are managed and preserved in this office for safekeeping, archival, and research purposes.

The Tennessean's Michael Cass, in announcing the retirement of the current Clerk Marilyn Swing, described certain other specific Clerk duties - related to council meetings, referendum and recall petitions, and the revenue-generating business of alarm permit registrations.