@startleseasily is a fervent observer of the Metro government's comings and goings. In this column, "On First Reading," she'll recap the bimonthly Metro Council meetings and provide her opinions and analysis. You can find her in the pew in the corner by the mic, ready to give public comment on whichever items stir her passions. Follow her on Bluesky here.
We need to talk about Jason Spain.
The freshman councilmember from Bellevue isn’t one for speeches. He rarely rises from his seat on the council floor. When he does speak, it’s because he feels he has something unique to add to the council’s deliberations. Frankly, more councilmembers should take this approach.
But I digress.
My point is, Spain is often seen, but rarely heard. At Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting, Spain became an improbable main character. He didn’t say a single word, but his memeable reactions to colleague Courtney Johnston were perfectly on point for an April Fool’s Day meeting.
The first reaction came when Johnston moved for approval of a small rezoning in her district, which she framed as an attempt to right a wrong done last term. Apparently, the owner of the property had asked to be excepted from a large downzoning from two-family to single-family. The owner received confirmation that his property would, in fact, be removed from the list of properties to be downzoned. That didn’t happen. So this person essentially had their property rights diminished without his consent.
Though Johnston appeared to believe that correcting this error was the right thing to do, she unexpectedly said she would be voting against the bill that she, herself, sponsored and brought to the council floor. Her constituents were vehemently opposed to the rezoning, said Johnston, who joked about not wanting to have a “hit” put out on her in Crieve Hall.
Naturally, councilmembers were confused. And because Spain sits behind Johnston, we were treated to some hilarious reaction shots. I just want to know how I put in a request for more moments like this. Is that something I can submit on hubNashville?
Show Me the Money
Later in the meeting, a proposed settlement agreement with former Nashville General Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Webb caused quite a bit of consternation. Johnston was one of the chief opponents of the nearly $900,000 settlement. Concerned that her vehement opposition might have swayed too many councilmembers to her side — and consequently might have opened up Metro to even more liability in the form of a lengthy trial and uncertain outcome — Johnston changed course.
“I know that I’ve swayed some people to a no," said Johnston. "I’m going to change my vote to a yes, actually.” More memeable content from Spain ensued.
At issue in the settlement agreement was a promise made to Dr. Webb by the Hospital Authority Board in 2020. According to Webb, the board granted him a generous supplement retirement benefit, which it back-dated to his start date in 2015. But the board never actually paid him what he says he was owed. The proposed settlement amount reflected that principal amount plus compounding interest of 5 percent annually. Metro legal director Wally Dietz supported the reasoning behind the “conservative” interest estimate.
In her latest recap, @startleseasily weighs in on the Metro Council's squabbles over police surveillance and Historic Zoning
Dietz also explained that, while the minutes of the board meeting were unclear as to the intended start date for the benefit, Webb had several board members willing to testify under oath on his behalf. Because Webb’s position was so defensible, and he had the very people who took that vote willing to back him in court, Dietz recommended that the council accept the proposed settlement.
A recent investigation by Metro’s Office of Internal Audit, which revealed evidence of malfeasance by Dr. Webb during his time leading the city’s safety-net hospital, gave some councilmembers heartburn. Councilmember Russ Bradford decried the settlement. “I don’t believe we should be giving bad employees $1 million,” he said, accusing Webb of “doing absolutely nothing to help our city or help the hospital.”
Councilmember At-Large Delishia Porterfield pushed back, urging colleagues to “be mindful” of how they speak about “the people’s hospital.” “If you do not want Dr. Webb to get $890,000,” said Porterfield, “please believe, if we vote this down, we are looking at giving Dr. Webb a lot more than $890,000.”
Ultimately, the council approved the settlement, with a single “no” vote from Councilmember Erin Evans.
A Not-So-Happy Meal
Last summer, a Metro employee attempted to drive a trash truck through a McDonald’s drive-thru. As you might expect, this did not end well for the drive-thru, which sustained $28,000 worth of damage. The council approved a settlement with McDonald’s to cover the costs of repairing the decimated canopy.
I often use my girlfriend, Elizabeth, as a type of “woman on the street,” to gauge the reactions of people who are not so entrenched in this whole Metro Council thing. Upon hearing of this wackadoodle mistake, Elizabeth became dismayed.
In an official statement to the Scene, Elizabeth says she is “sick of it” and claims that she will not be paying any more taxes until the government “stops paying for people’s stupid mistakes out of judgments and losses.” In response to a question about how she became aware of the judgments and losses fund, which Metro uses to settle lawsuits like this, Elizabeth says, “You always talk about judgments and losses. Of course I know about judgments and losses. I know things! You think I don’t listen. I listen!”
Note to self: Stop talking about judgments and losses.
