most of which had been included to overcome the objections which had led to the defeat of an earlier Metropolitan Charter proposed during the 1950s, it was agreed that the second group of office holders elected under the charter would serve for five years rather than the usual four in order to take the metropolitan offices out of the election cycle for statewide offices such as governor and state legislature and holdover county offices such as property assessor, court clerk, and the like. Ostensibly this was in the interest of a shorter ballot and to give these offices the weight of importance that they deserved; to critics this provision meant to move the offices to being elected at a time when only persons with a strong interest in the local government — most notably municipal employees and their families and friends — were likely to vote. Atkinson's primary role as vice mayor (other than to serve as the mayor's successor in the event of his death, resignation, removal from office, or excessive absence from the city) was to serve as speaker of the Metropolitan Council. Atkinson's low-key leadership style and his desire for everyone, council member and member of the public alike, to be heard on any issue on which they desired to speak, was commended by some, but was harshly condemned by others, particularly some of the council members. Members of the Metropolitan Council, one of the largest U.S. municipal legislative bodies, composed of 40 part-time members, most of whom had other jobs, often found themselves getting home after meetings in the early hours of morning after any meeting involving contentious issues, which were fairly frequent. Nonetheless, Atkinson was encouraged by some to run for mayor in 1971, even after it became apparent that incumbent mayor Beverly Briley was going to seek a third term, permissible under the term limit provision then in the Metropolitan Charter, making him the second consecutive vice mayor to challenge Briley for the top spot. Unlike his previous races, Atkinson now faced several better-known and better-financed opponents. A total of nine candidates finally entered the race. Besides Briley and Atkinson, two other well-known Nashville political figures, Trustee Glenn Ferguson and Assessor of Property Clifford Allen were in the race. A surprise opponent was movie projectionist Casey Jenkins, who ran a campaign based on the idea of "massive resistance" to forced busing, which had just