The Metro Council filled its two positions on the East Bank Development Authority Thursday night with attorney Scott Tift and workforce organizer Nathaniel Carter.
Appointments from the mayor and the state are yet to be decided.
The East Bank Development Authority will oversee Metro’s 30-acre initial development area with the future Titans stadium as well as the new Oracle campus.
Two of five nominees will be selected by Metro Council vote on Nov. 7
Councilmembers considered five nominees. The body's Rules, Confirmations and Public Elections Committee interviewed Mekayle Houghton, Kerry Garner, Bob Braswell, Carter and Tift in October. Houghton, who could not appear at her originally scheduled interview due to a funeral, was interviewed before the Metro Council meeting on Thursday.
Tift and Carter received 24 and 21 votes, respectively. To be elected, each candidate had to get at least 21 votes. Narrowly missing an appointment, Houghton, the executive director of local nonprofit Cumberland River Compact, received 20 votes.
The room erupted in applause and the sounds of congratulations at the announcement of the positions, which are the first officially named to the nine-member board of directors that will manage the East Bank’s future growth.
“We appreciate everyone willing to serve and [council]members who put forward Mrs. Houghton, Mr. Braswell and Mr. Garner," said Vice Mayor Angie Henderson. "Thank you to you all, and congratulations again to Mr. Tift and Mr. Carter."
A lawyer who focuses his practice on labor cases, Tift said in his nomination interview that he understands the issues workers face, and furthermore brings experience involving the type of complex contracts often involved in similar projects.
“I think it’s nice when you have some lawyers in the mix,” said Tift, who practices at Nashville's Barrett, Johnston, Martin & Garrison.
Carter's background is in workforce development and works with local nonprofit Stand Up Nashville. The organization, according to its website, "addresses racial and economic inequality through strategic research, popular education, and organizing."
"I have actively been trying to change the narrative in Nashville every day that I wake up," Carter said.
Councilmember Kyzonté Toombs said Carter's work involving construction and community engagement efforts for individuals’ career opportunities suggest he will keep Nashville’s working-class population in mind.
During Carter's interview, multiple councilmembers praised his work positively impacting the city.
Tift will fill a term that expires June 30, 2027, while Carter will serve until June 30, 2026.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
