“Today, I have acknowledged publicly that I have engaged in an extramarital affair with the former head of my security detail."
With those words, Mayor Megan Barry on Wednesday afternoon confirmed rumors that had been flying around Metro political circles Wednesday following the abrupt retirement of Sergeant Rob Forrest Jr., the Metro police officer who headed up her security detail. Amid rampant speculation about her political future, however, the mayor says she is not resigning.
“I accept full responsibility for the pain I have caused my family and his," Barry said in a prepared statement. "I am so sorry to my husband Bruce, who has stood by me in my darkest moments and remains committed to our marriage, just as I am committed to repairing the damage I have done.
“I also must apologize to the people of Nashville who elected me to serve as your mayor. I knew my actions could cause damage to my office and the ones I loved, but I did it anyway," the statement continues. "I must hold myself to the highest standard of which the voters deserve to expect. Please know that I’m disappointed in myself but also understand that I’m a human and that I made a mistake."
Forrest had been on the Metro police force for more than 31 years and led security for two previous mayors. He informed the Metro Nashville Police Department on Jan. 17 that he planned to retire, effective today, but the mayor's office had declined to comment on his departure. The administration began informing Metro Council members just before 5 p.m. that she'd had an affair with Forrest but that she would not be resigning.
“I deeply regret that my professional relationship with Mayor Barry turned into a personal one,” Forrest said, in a statement released through his lawyer, David Raybin. “This has caused great pain for my wife, my family, friends and colleagues. At no time did I ever violate my oath as a police officer or engage in actions that would abuse the public trust.”
At a press conference Wednesday night, Barry said the affair began several months after her mayoral term began and would not say when it concluded, just that “it’s over.” She also answered questions about the public funds used to cover Forrest’s travel — tens of thousands of dollars over the past two-and-a-half years — by saying “every single one of them was a business-related trip.”
Barry also addressed questions about the jump in overtime pay for her security detail by saying that accurately reflected her “aggressive” public schedule. In response to a question about the propriety of a relationship with a subordinate, Barry said she did not want the revelations to “muddy the #metoo movement.”
“The #metoo movement is about women who have been sexually harassed and economically disadvantaged for hundreds of years,” she said. “This is about two middle-aged, consenting adults who had feelings for each other and were human.”
A number of Barry administration staffers and Metro Council members watched the evening’s proceedings from the back of the room along with a phalanx of reporters.
“This is a sad day for our city,” District 2 Councilmember DeCosta Hastings told reporters after the press conference.
