Seventeen Metro councilmembers wrote a letter to Mayor John Cooper's office Thursday expressing concern over a tweet sent by administration spokesperson T.J. Ducklo after a pivotal vote at Tuesday's council meeting.
Ducklo’s tweet read, “Tough night for the loudest voices in the room,” and was taken by councilmembers as a dismissal of members’ dissenting concerns about the city’s prospective deal with the Tennessee Titans, which council passed Tuesday at the request of the mayor’s office.
“We expect better from your administration in terms of public attitude and outlook,” reads the letter. "As long as Mr. Ducklo's statement remains published, we can only assume the administration seeks to antagonize dissenting voices rather than work together for the good of the city." It was signed by members Delishia Porterfield, Colby Sledge, Brandon Taylor, Sharon Hurt, John Rutherford, Russ Bradford, Zulfat Suara, Kyonzte Toombs, Ginny Welsch, Sandra Sepulveda, Antoinette Lee, Tanaka Vercher, Emily Benedict, Joy Styles, Erin Evans, Tom Cash and Sean Parker.
Mike Jameson, another top adviser in the mayor’s office, responded to the letter almost immediately. Jameson drew comparisons to similar statements from Presidents Obama and Biden and defended Ducklo, who deleted his tweet after receiving the letter from council. Jameson also referenced “vitriolic, divisive rhetoric” from councilmembers aimed at the mayor’s office in the past few months.
“As we approach the new year, we would like to work together with you so we all might elevate our discourse,” wrote Jameson.
Ducklo's tweet was "ratioed" — a form of hostile engagement when a tweet gets more quoted replies and comments than likes or retweets.
Ducklo left the White House press office after reportedly threatening a reporter. In a tweet sharing councilmembers’ letter on Thursday evening, District 13 Councilmember Russ Bradford included a link to an NPR article on Ducklo’s resignation from Biden’s team.
