Nashville, Tenn. (Feb. 8, 2011)-- Nashville Mayor Karl Dean today announced his top campaign staff in preparation for his upcoming re-election campaign.

Dean has spent the last three-and-a-half years fulfilling his commitment to Nashville voters to make progress in the areas of education, public safety and economic development, while at the same time managing the city through a national economic recession and a 1,000-year flood. Although a strong base of support is evident from fundraising totals released a week ago in the financial disclosure, Dean says he’s taking nothing for granted this election cycle.

”While its been known that I intend to seek re-election, I am pleased to announce I have assembled a campaign team representing highly-experienced professionals in their respective fields. The caliber of this team demonstrates Anne and my deep commitment to this election and the future of Nashville. We intend to earn every vote, and I look forward to a campaign that tells Nashvillians where we want to take this city over the next four years,” Dean said.

“At the same time, while work on organizing the campaign begins, my first term as mayor lasts another six months and I intend to stay focused on the business of the city. We are just beginning the budget process for this year, and that is where the majority of my personal energy and attention will be for the time being.”

To manage the re-election campaign, Dean has hired Courtney Wheeler, who served as the deputy campaign manager for his first mayoral election in 2007. After the general election in August, Wheeler left Nashville to attend Texas Tech School of Law where she received a law degree in 2010. For the last part of 2010, Wheeler worked at the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. as the director of special projects.

In prior elections, Wheeler has served as the political director for Congressman Jim Davis's bid for Governor of Florida in 2006, as the field director for the John Kerry for President campaign in Tennessee and Maryland in 2004 and field staff during the 2004 Iowa caucus, and she managed the legislative campaigns for Rep. Jim Hackworth and Rep. Dennis Ferguson's Tennessee State House in 2002. Wheeler also served as political director for the Tennessee Democratic Party in 2005.

Tom Hayden has been hired as deputy campaign manager and director of communications. Hayden served the past eight years as the director of communications for U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis. Prior to joining the Congressman's office, Hayden directed communications for two years at the Tennessee Democratic Party.

Fred Yang has been tapped to be Dean’s pollster. Yang is a partner with the Washington, D.C.-based Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group, which is one of the most respected and successful political polling firms in the country. Yang has an extensive background in Nashville and Tennessee campaigns, including Phil Bredesen’s two campaigns for Nashville Mayor and his 2002 and 2006 Gubernatorial campaigns, the 2009 campaign to defeat the English-Only Amendment, and most recently, Congressman Jim Cooper’s re-election in 2010.

In addition to hiring a top notch political polling firm, Dean is bringing on one of the best national media consultants. Mark Putnam, founding partner at Putnam Partners, wrote and produced the advertising for Dean in 2007. He also produced advertising for Phil Bredesen's successful bid for Governor in 2002 and re-election in 2006.

Kim Kaegi will continue to serve Dean as finance consultant. Kaegi has long been a successful fundraiser in Tennessee. Kaegi also works as a finance consultant to U.S. Senator Bob Corker and Governor Bill Haslam.

Leigh Walton will again serve as the campaign's treasurer. Walton is an attorney with the Nashville law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims, serving as head of the firm's health law practice group.