@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 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 Twitter here.
“I’m tired of thoughts and prayers,” said Councilmember Sandy Ewing Tuesday night.
It’s been a year since a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Ewing’s district left three children and three staff members dead. Discussing a resolution marking the anniversary of the tragedy, Ewing held back tears as she voiced frustration with inaction at the state and federal levels on common-sense gun control measures.
Her colleagues joined in with their own impassioned speeches calling for change, but we all know their pleas will fall on deaf ears.
It was a heartbreaking reminder that we live in a state where the legislature’s only real response to this devastation was to “harden” our schools with bulletproof glass and an ever-increasing number of cops patrolling the halls — creating prisons of learning instead of doing anything to stop the violence before it starts.
I’m tired of thoughts and prayers, too.
A Laaht in the Darkness
Councilmember Jordan Huffman was the subject of some good-natured ribbing on a resolution requesting that the city establish a wildflower planting program. Speaking with a strong East Tennessee accent — Huffman hails from Greeneville — he explained that the purpose of the program is “to bring a little bit of light into some darkness.”
“Mr. Huffman ... did you say ‘laaht?’” Vice Mayor Angie Henderson playfully interrupted.
“That’s correct," Huffman retorted. "My resolution to expand the Appalachian dialect will come later, ma’am."
Huffman stopped short of calling for a point of order when Henderson asked for the “aahs” (ayes), but he would’ve been well within his rights to do so, in maah opinion.
Landlord-Tenant Dispute Resolution
“We’re actually very empathetic to the birds,” said Nashville Symphony CEO Alan Valentine.
He was speaking to the Metro Council’s Public Arts, Facilities and Culture Committee about the purple martins that have, over the past few years, become a nuisance for the symphony. The martins have taken to annually roosting in nearby trees, creating a public health hazard.
“The droppings were so massive, they clogged the street drains,” Valentine explained. Efforts to clean up the excrement created a “soup of Lord knows what,” which even washed into the symphony’s building. “It was in the fountains, it was everywhere,” he added.
In their quest to evict the martins, the symphony plans to cut down 10 trees in the public right-of-way by the end of March, in advance of the martins’ yearly scouting expedition. The trees in question are Chinese elms, which are apparently an invasive tree species. The symphony will replace the elms with native species with a branch structure less attractive to the martins.
“By the end of each season, when they were here,” said Valentine, “the trees were completely denuded, and, you know, they were broken, and had dying limbs. It was a real mess.” It’s very on-brand for a landlord to blame their tenants for poor living conditions.
The city hopes to attract the martins to a piece of land in Germantown. If you would like to become a purple martin landlord, here are some tools to get you started.
The purple martins could not be reached for comment, but it should be noted that they are songbirds. Maybe they're in Music City because they just want a chance to perform!
Mind Your Business
The council on Tuesday passed a resolution recognizing March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility. While they’ve passed similar resolutions in prior years, this year’s resolution held special significance for one councilmember.
Councilmember At-Large Olivia Hill, who is serving her first year in office, became the first openly transgender elected official in Tennessee last year.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” said Hill, who sponsored the resolution. Taking a deep breath, she shared her story. “Anybody that knows me, five years ago, I was not very passable at all,” she said. “I’ve come so far, and I want to recognize every single trans person in this county — I stand with you.”
Councilmembers followed suit, expressing their support for the trans community and, more specifically, for Hill herself, who’s been the subject of vicious attacks by people who really need to get a hobby.
In his remarks, Councilmember Huffman spoke directly to that hateful group: “If you’ve got a problem with someone who goes through this,” he said, “I suggest you just mind your business.”
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Huffman says his deep-seated belief in the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution compelled him to speak out. “The thing that frustrates me the most about those that have an issue with transgender folks is that it’s typically the same people that preach individual liberty and individual rights," he says. "And they can’t have it both ways." Individual liberty, says Huffman, “should apply to everyone — no exceptions, not even when you don’t agree with it. That’s not how it works.”
Hill says that, while she was touched by her colleagues’ support, “it is more remarkable to be a part of a body that recognizes humans for their values and talents, while not focusing on the gender that any of us happen to be.”
The resolution passed unanimously. Councilmember Jeff Eslick was conveniently absent at the time of the vote, though, having “taken a walk” — the colloquial term for when a councilmember leaves the floor to avoid having to vote on a piece of legislation. Apparently Eslick doesn’t quite have the courage of his convictions that it would take to vote no.
By contrast, Councilmember Courtney Johnston, who’s currently mulling a Republican primary challenge to Congressman Andy Ogles, stayed and voted in favor of the resolution — a vote that could conceivably be used against her in a culture-war-heavy political environment.
I vehemently disagree with most everything Johnston believes, but I have to give credit where credit is due. It’s easy to take a walk. Johnston stayed put.
