@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.
At a marathon meeting on Tuesday, the Metro Council held a public hearing on redistricting and deferred a second vote on the Titans stadium deal.
It’s OK to Not Be OK
Tuesday night’s meeting was dripping with “What the fuck are we doing here?” vibes. Just over a week after a shooter armed with weapons of war gunned down three 9-year-olds and three adults at the Covenant School in Green Hills, we all showed up to a standing-room-only council chamber to debate the forced council reduction and a $2.1 billion new home for the Titans. I was in tears halfway through the first invocation, delivered by Shun Ahmed, the volunteer youth coordinator for the American Muslim Advisory Council.
Re: Re: Re-Redistricting
The meeting began with a public hearing on a resolution directing the Metro Planning Department as to the desired ratio of district councilmembers to at-large members for the map — or maps — the department will be presenting for the council’s approval later this month. Emotions ran high as speaker after speaker urged the council to stand its ground against the state’s bullying and not to rush this massive overhaul of our legislative structure.
Dr. Paulette Coleman, a social justice activist and commissioner for the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, assured the council that Nashvillians will back them if they fight back against state overreach. “We all stand committed that Nashville will not become a colony of the General Assembly,” Coleman said, to thunderous applause from the gallery.
When a stay-at-home mom named Lisa called on the council to not let the state “whitewash” our city, a member of the audience yelled out, “Do you hear that, Tonya Hancock?” CM Hancock was widely rumored to be lobbying the state in favor of the council reduction bill, but she denies those rumors. “I have not been lobbying at the state level,” Hancock replied, adding, “I did not support the bill.” Hancock chalked the rumors up to people’s “preconceived notions” of her because of her self-described “independent, nonpartisan” voting record. “I think that if you’re not a registered Democrat,” she said, “people assume you’re a Republican.”
After about 90 minutes of public comment and some back-and-forth with colleagues over a potential deferral, sponsor CM Courtney Johnston abruptly withdrew the resolution, halting further consideration of the legislation. This does not stop the Planning Department’s process — they still have to produce a map for the council to vote on — but it does signal a willingness to take a more deliberate approach to redistricting.
Titans Stadium Deal (Taylor’s Version)
Debate on the proposal to build a new stadium for the Titans didn’t begin until 12:23 a.m., thanks in part to technical issues and a lengthy recess when Vice Mayor Jim Shulman asked security to remove Jeremiah Wooten from the council meeting. Wooten had attempted to use public hearings on zoning bills to obliquely comment on the stadium deal, which was not up for public debate.
The council was set to consider a series of amendments to the underlying legislation, most of them authored by CM At-Large Bob Mendes to put more power in the council’s hands and hedge against a possible Sports Authority takeover by the state. Amendments without the explicit blessing of the mayor’s administration and the team faced an uphill battle after being overwhelmingly rejected in committee.
I’m not sure whether it was the late hour, the presence of constituents in the gallery or the hand of God laid upon the hearts of our councilmembers, but somehow CM Brandon Taylor managed to get a non-administration-blessed amendment approved by a single vote. Taylor’s amendment will increase the user fee for non-NFL events — a ticket tax masquerading as “rent” to avoid a heightened 27-vote threshold for the deal — and funnel that additional revenue into the city’s general fund.
During discussion of one of CM Mendes’ amendments, CM Angie Henderson — who is looking to unseat Vice Mayor Shulman — made a motion to defer the bill and hold a public hearing at the next council meeting. The public hearing would have required support of two-thirds of the council. It failed by one vote. Henderson’s motion for deferral also failed. But 10 short minutes later, CM Brett Withers — one of the deal’s proponents who had literally just voted against deferral — moved for his own deferral. And wouldn’t you know it? Withers’ deferral motion passed on through like a hot knife through butter. Curious.
Our city showed up for one another in big and small ways on Tuesday. We shared snacks and hugs and shoulders to cry on during a meeting that lasted until nearly 2 a.m. And we bore witness, together, to a hugely important meeting that no local television station bothered to attend.
