A newly filed Metro Council resolution calls for the removal of the Nashville Electric Service CEO after a winter storm left nearly a quarter of a million customers without power.
The bill — filed by Metro Councilmembers Emily Benedict and Courtney Johnston — asks the NES Board to fire Teresa Broyles-Aplin, the public utility's top-ranking official. As written, the resolution is nonbinding.
Benedict spoke at a meeting of the NES Board earlier this week. Several homes in her East Nashville district were left in the dark for more than a week.
Special-called meeting brings up questions over utility's communications, tree trimming, critical care
“This isn’t about [the linemen’s] effort,” Benedict said during the Tuesday meeting. “This is about whether they were given the tools to succeed. When a third of a district is without power for two weeks, that’s not what residents call a good response.”
Full power restoration required 13 days.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced during a press conference last week that he does not have the unilateral authority to fire either the NES Board or CEO, with that responsibility falling to the Metro Council.
O’Connell previously said NES failed to “meet the moment” and was “unequipped to communicate” in a crisis. The mayor then issued Executive Order 58 — an order "establishing a Commission to Review Preparation and Response to the January 2026 Winter Storm."
O’Connell said the commission will hold hearings and request the assistance of the Metro auditor, and is expected to return its initial findings within six months. The mayor said this week he plans to name people to serve on that commission.
The council will take up the resolution concerning the NES CEO on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
