Vice Mayor Angie Henderson on Monday named new committee chairs for the first year of the new four-year Metro Council term — among the most substantial of the council president's powers.
Henderson named Delishia Porterfield, a former district councilmember who earlier this month won an at-large seat, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, a powerful post on the 40-member council. Porterfield was vice chair of the committee last term under then-Vice Mayor Jim Shulman, who passed her over for the following year's chairmanship.
"We worked really hard to make sure that working people and minorities had a fair share of that budget," Porterfield said of her vice chair term. "That work would have continued. Unfortunately I was not given that opportunity."
Other appointments:
- Transportation and Infrastructure: Sean Parker
- Charter Revision: Sheri Weiner
- Public Facilities, Arts and Culture: Joy Styles
- Public Health and Safety: Erin Evans
- Rules, Confirmations and Public Elections: Sandra Sepulveda
- Government Operations and Regulations: Russ Bradford
Henderson is recommending consolidating the affordable housing, education and human services committees into existing standing committees. She also said that she is establishing an ad hoc committee focused on ongoing redevelopment of the East Bank. The chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee will be elected by the council next month.
Parker, Sepulveda, Bradford and Evans all endorsed new Mayor Freddie O'Connell's campaign when he was still one of several viable candidates.
Styles, Bradford, Parker and Sepulveda all backed Henderson in her run against Shulman. Weiner, meanwhile, endorsed Shulman.
The council, led by Henderson, conducted a three-day orientation last week, and the body's first meeting is scheduled for next week.
This article was first published via our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
