@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 an oddly tense meeting on Tuesday, Council approved the new Metro Council and school board district maps, tiptoed toward a surveillance state, and quibbled over charter school leases.
Vibe Check
I don’t know if it was the long weekend, the recent bouts of unusual winter weather or something in the Council water cooler, but the vibes at the Jan. 18 meeting were decidedly unpleasant. If I thought watching the meeting from home would protect me, I was sorely mistaken. Anybody know where I can get a good sage wand? My place is in need of a spiritual cleansing.
Councilmembers were frankly fed up and not afraid to show it. CM Sean Parker was fed up with redistricting. CM Dave Rosenberg was fed up with charter schools. CM Brett Withers was fed up with people being fed up with charter schools. And CM At-Large Sharon Hurt closed out the evening with a mic-drop-worthy rebuke of CM Bob Nash’s insensitive use of the racially charged word “thug” during an earlier discussion of license plate readers.
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!
Redistricting is all the rage these days, but the GOP-controlled state legislature’s attempts to carve Davidson County up into bite-sized pieces have pulled focus from what’s happening here at the local level. On Tuesday night, after multiple proposals from Planning and extensive public input, Metro Council gave final approval for the new Council and school board district maps.
Now, most CMs know the redistricting process is not immune to the whims of politics or lobbying from power players. And most CMs choose not to shine a light on these machinations, preferring to allow the man to stay safely hidden behind his curtain. CM Sean Parker is not most CMs. Parker represents Council District 5, where much of the East Bank is currently situated. After months of Parker and his constituents trying — and failing — to convince Planning that the East Bank belongs in East Nashville, Parker decided to burn the curtain to the ground, revealing his impression that no amount of public input was ever going to change Planning’s decision to move the East Bank to District 19. In his words, “That cake was sort of baked before the party started.” I mean, that is technically the appropriate time to bake the cake, but you get the idea.
Don’t Surveil Me, Bro
A yearlong battle over license plate readers (LPRs) may be nearing the final countdown, as Council approved on second reading a bill that would allow for the proliferation of LPRs across Davidson County. It’s a controversial technology that has caused considerable strife on the Council floor. Suffice to say, people have big opinions and even bigger feelings on the matter.
Unfortunately for the bill’s sponsors, they can’t seem to stop pissing off their colleagues. A couple of months ago, sparks flew in and out of the chamber as CM Courtney Johnston, the bill’s prime sponsor, gauchely complained about councilmanic courtesy. And now CM Bob Nash, a retired MNPD commander who’s co-captained the legislation, is on a virtual apology tour following a racially insensitive comment on the floor. For future reference, if you’ve reached “my wife looked it up on Urban Dictionary” territory, it’s probably time to put away your phone.
We’ll see if these missteps peel off enough supporters to kill the bill on final reading at the Feb. 1 meeting.
Council Un-Leased
After a month of debate and multiple deferrals, Council finally voted on leases for two charter schools: Liberty Collegiate Academy and Nashville Prep. The Liberty lease barely squeaked through with 22 votes in favor. But the lease for Nashville Prep, described by CM Rosenberg as “basically a prison for kids,” only garnered 18 votes — a majority, but not enough to pass, despite what some may say.
Here’s my armchair psychoanalysis of the situation: Council rarely gets to air their grievances on the charter school issue, since the school board and the state are responsible for all things charter. So this narrow topic — approval of a lease agreement — turned into a proxy referendum on charter schools writ large, allowing CMs an outlet for years of pent-up angst. I’m not sure where that leaves Nashville Prep. Presumably, MNPS will try to renegotiate the lease amount, wait until CM Rosenberg is out sick or on vacation, and bring it back to Council.
On Tuesday, we got a COVID update from Metro Public Health. Apparently, “It’s not good.” So I’ve indefinitely deferred my return to the Council chamber. Seriously, folks, GET VACCINATED, GET YOUR BOOSTER SHOT, AND GET. ME. OFF. THIS. COUCH.
