@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.
“It’s fun in here tonight,” joked Councilmember Brandon Taylor. A chorus of nervous laughter echoed through the chambers.
(Author’s Note: It was not, in fact, fun.)
What in the Literal Hell
Something very dark and tortured has taken hold of the back row.
I don’t know who hurt freshman Councilmember David Benton, but someone needs to check on this man. Speaking against a resolution that would approve a grant application for $85,000 to end road deaths, Benton made one of the biggest on-the-floor faux pas since Councilmember Bob Nash’s “thugs” comment last term.
Eliminating road deaths “sounds grand,” said Benton, but simply isn’t a realistic goal. And besides, he argued, when people are killed on our roadways, “it’s usually something that they’re doing. They’re drunk, high, lotta homeless staggering into traffic.”
This is the first time this term Benton has spoken on the floor of the council. Hell of a way to introduce yourself.
Benton went on to state that until the Nashville Department of Transportation can take care of its “basic functions,” like filling potholes and clearing snow, we don’t have time for “pie-in-the-sky” projects.
Last I checked, the government’s primary function is to protect the public welfare, not to make sure Benton can get to his mailbox during a damn snowstorm. Unless and until we can take care of the basic task of making sure people don’t get mowed down while crossing the street, I would kindly request that Benton keep these kinds of thoughts to himself.
Fellow back-row freshman Councilmember Tasha Ellis demonstrated a similar misunderstanding of governmental functions on Tuesday night.
Councilmembers file bills aimed at encouraging more types of housing
First-termer Rollin Horton had a resolution on the agenda requesting that Metro Planning and Codes work together to create a “pattern book” for missing middle housing. As Horton described it, this would provide a series of “pre-blessed” plans for developers looking to build medium-density housing, cutting down the time it takes to get plans approved by Metro.
Introducing his legislation, Horton basically begged his colleagues to be chill. “It doesn’t force anybody to use these plans,” Horton said, in an attempt to preempt some concerns he’d heard in committee earlier that evening. "It doesn’t rezone anything."
Ellis wasn’t interested in being chill. “I currently have 241 open requests for property violations,” Ellis complained. Any time taken away from investigating those property standards violations, she argued, was time poorly spent.
Have these people not heard of job descriptions? Does Benton think the folks at NDOT who work on road safety initiatives have a snowplow license? Does Ellis think planners and engineers are making the rounds on property standards violations in their free time?
I think I’m coming around to the idea that 40 councilmembers is a few too many.
Point of Disorder
All hell really broke loose when Councilmember At-Large Quin Evans-Segall moved to defer a proposed zoning reform bill to April, to allow for more work with staff and additional community engagement.
BL2024-185, which would create a new land use category — “residential-scale multifamily” — to allow for gentle density increases on many lots currently zoned for single-family use, is apparently the root of all evil and will inevitably lead to the downfall of our once-great nation.
A winding speech led to a point-of-order-off involving Councilmember Ellis, who I simply cannot believe I am talking about again.
Ellis seemed confused about even the most common elements of parliamentary procedure, like “What is a point of order?” and “Is heckling allowed?”
Several district councilmembers expressed horror and disgust with Evans-Segall’s proposal, claiming they’d been blindsided. She had no right to propose a de facto rezoning of their districts, they argued, as if each district is a little fiefdom under the sole power and control of the district councilmember.
What they seem to have forgotten is that Evans-Segall was elected countywide. While most district councilmembers win with a couple thousand votes — sometimes fewer — Evans-Segall earned nearly 48,000. She and the other at-large councilmembers represent the entire county. Every district is her district.
A nearly critical mass of councilmembers whose districts would be either unaffected or affected very little by the proposal — which only affects lots in certain parts of the county — banded together to try to kill it. They failed, and Evans-Segall got her deferral.
Practicing Gratitude
Tuesday night was a shitshow, y’all. It was honestly one of the most embarrassing displays of legislative malpractice I’ve seen in my four years covering the Metro Council.
I could write a dissertation on everything about it that pissed me off. Instead, I would like to thank a few people for helping me maintain a modicum of faith in what this council might accomplish.
Councilmember Jeff Preptit, who countered an egregious display of bigotry with a plea that his colleagues remember the humanity of all Nashvillians, regardless of their housing status.
Councilmember Jordan Huffman, whose signature drawl brought me comfort as he reminded his colleagues that they were elected to be leaders and solve problems.
Vice Mayor Angie Henderson, who led the council through some very tense moments with grace, but didn’t allow nonsense to go unchecked.
And finally, the people of Nashville, who showed up to share their vision during the pre-budget public comment period. From teacher pay to libraries, from arts funding to youth programs, from dog parks to housing, the future y’all want to build is a bright one. Keep pressing forward.
