The Metro Council has named five nominees for two positions on the East Bank Development Authority.
District 19 Councilmember Jacob Kupin, who serves the area in which the East Bank sits, nominated Cumberland River Compact executive director Mekayle Houghton.
District 4 Councilmember Mike Cortese nominated Kerry Garner. District 2 Councilmember Kyonzté Toombs nominated Nathaniel Carter. District 5 Councilmember Sean Parker nominated Scott Tift. District 10 Councilmember Jennifer Frensley Webb nominated Bob Braswell.
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Nominees will meet with the council's Rules, Confirmations, and Public Elections Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 15. If a nominee does not appear at the meeting, she or he will be withdrawn from the nomination. The council will vote on Nov. 7 to officially elect its two members to the authority.
There are two terms — one expiring June 30, 2026, and one expiring June 30, 2027. The person elected with the most votes from council will fill the longer term and the second person elected will fill the shorter term.
The authority, a board of directors consisting of nine members, will be allowed to enter into contracts, own and manage property, issue bonds and exercise the power of an industrial development board, housing authority, parking authority and port authority.
Mayor Freddie O'Connell will appoint five members to supplement the Metro Council's two. The mayor is working on his selections, but no announcements have been made.
The speakers of the state Senate and House of Representatives, or someone else of their choosing, will serve as the final two members.
The Metro Council officially created the authority after passing an ordinance on Aug. 20 adopting the state's private act that lays out how the authority will be governed.
The ordinance that adopts the state's East Bank Development Authority legislation notes that future development of the area will require coordination of public and private projects and management of the design and construction of substantial infrastructure improvements.
In addition to Metro's agreement with The Fallon Company for 30 acres of initial development and the future Nissan Stadium, the authority will oversee the land that will become a campus for tech giant Oracle.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
