Consensus is growing among city leaders, Metro school officials and local employers that the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s mismanagement and unfocused attempts to undercut Nashville necessitate a change in chamber leadership.
The most recent problem with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s mismanagement involves the chamber’s attempt to short-circuit school boards with sponsored legislation that is roundly considered an attempt to reduce city school boards’ effectiveness. Recent news coverage has shown clearly that both the mayor’s office and the Metro Council were displeased with being shut out of the planning of this legislation, and were completely unaware of it prior to its appearance on the docket. By supporting such legislation, the chamber essentially declared war on local school boards by erasing their autonomy and instead placing oversight of troubled schools directly under the management of the city. Moves like these are clear indications that the chamber has more to gain by undercutting local school boards and cozying up to the state legislature than by supporting the will of the people in determining the focus and direction of their own public schools.
Under president and CEO Ralph Schulz’s leadership, did the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce either inadvertently or intentionally keep Metro Nashville’s elected leaders completely in the dark about their backroom dealings to cut school boards off at the knees? How can a leading economic driver such as a county chamber of commerce shut out both the mayor’s office and the Metro Council — shut them out of key legislation that will potentially very negatively impact the public education systems in its own capital city and across Tennessee? It raises a question: Why hasn’t the chamber yet received a major shakeup in its C suite? Such a change would have occurred long ago if the chamber were run like the large corporations whose favor the chamber so desperately curries.
Since the chamber doesn’t operate like a corporation but instead seemingly chooses to conduct its workings in backrooms, the Metro Council has seen fit to reduce the organization’s annual allowance in the upcoming fiscal budget to a mere $175,000 — the lowest allotment in more than 30 years. Frustrated by the chamber’s lack of communication with the Metro Council and the mayor’s office, the council voted in support of a reduction in financial support. Granted, this is largely a symbolic gesture, since the chamber relies largely on major corporate donations and hefty membership dues to cover its swollen multimillion-dollar annual budget. But membership being in decline over several years, plus the well-known fact that the chamber recently sought substantially smaller office space, certainly speaks to the group’s waning influence with businesses and residents, not to mention its alienation of Nashville’s leaders.
The action that speaks the loudest is the council’s own resolution staunchly disagreeing with the chamber-led legislation that popped up so abruptly in the General Assembly this past session. Metro Councilmember Dave Rosenberg, along with multiple co-sponsors, presented a resolution opposing the state legislature’s move against the autonomy of local school boards. With a resounding vote of 23-1, the council clearly showed its opposition to the mechanics of the legislation and their displeasure at being kept in the dark throughout the entire lifespan of that legislation. It can take months, if not years, to research, draft and execute legislation such as this item, which would decapitate local school boards. This legislation was clearly kept under wraps for its entire development, unveiled to the public and to impacted cities and school boards only when it was abruptly introduced for a vote by the state legislature. It simply cannot have been an accident that the mayor’s office and Metro Council were kept unaware of this legislation. There must have been an overt decision by the Schulz-led chamber to keep the city and council in the dark.
For this reason alone, it should be time for a dramatic change in the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s leadership. Add to this glaring mistake the decades-long efforts to enhance our region at the expense of Nashville’s own security and prosperity, and it is clear that the era of the chamber as we know it must end. I know I’m not alone in this conclusion. I simply hope the chamber’s board members feel the same way. It may finally be in their best interest to investigate a new direction in leadership. Declining memberships, shrinking office space, getting sideways with duly-elected city leaders, watching our surrounding counties thrive while Nashville struggles to cover the nut? I can’t think of a deeper hole that the chamber could dig for itself. What else will it take for the board to see that new life is needed in the chamber’s C suite? Quite simply, chamber CEO Ralph Schulz should resign.
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and Home Page Media Group in Williamson County.
