Freddie O’Connell is officially the mayor of Nashville, thanks to a minutes-long swearing-in Monday morning from former Mayor David Briley, who is currently serving as a Circuit Court judge.
O’Connell briefly addressed reporters in Briley’s fifth-floor courtroom before heading downstairs to his new office, the mayor’s suite on the first floor. He told reporters that the tense city-state relationship is a top priority and promised a good working relationship with the Metro Council, the mayor’s lawmaking counterpart where O’Connell served for eight years as a district councilmember representing District 19 downtown.
“I have several former colleagues returning to a body that I work very well with,” O’Connell told reporters about his relationship to the city’s legislative body. “I have spent good time over the course of the summer campaigning with several of those members. A lot of the council understands the important priorities of the city that range from safety to affordable housing to how we move around the city.”
Over the past four years, the Metro Council frequently clashed with the mayor’s office under John Cooper. Late-filed legislation and compressed policy timelines often frustrated the 40-person body. In Nashville’s strong-mayor system of government, the chief executive sets major city priorities, specifically the annual budget. The large, often fractured chamber must act in complete concert to match the power of the mayor’s office. During brief remarks before 8 a.m. on Monday, O’Connell promised philosophical alignment with the council on policy areas and a mutually respectful working relationship.
O'Connell told reporters that Gov. Bill Lee already reached out personally on election night. A positive working relationship between the city and state could save both governments massive legal headaches, as several efforts by the state to intervene in city politics have or will be ruled on by the courts. State overreach became a key campaign issue during the mayor’s race, as candidates promised they had the relationships and temperament to stand up to aggressive policymaking by state Republicans. While Lee technically heads the party (and was overwhelmingly reelected in November), he’s demonstrated limited influence among leaders in the state House and Senate.
O’Connell confirmed that Wally Dietz will continue as Metro legal director. Dietz has helped shape the city’s legal response to state preemption. Metro finance director Kelly Flannery is out after three years, paving the way for a new chief deputy for one of the office’s most important departments. Alex Apple, O’Connell’s campaign spokesperson, will serve as deputy communications director. Former Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes, an O'Connell campaign surrogate, has been tapped as a special adviser, Axios reported.
