@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 was like a scene out of an old Western. Two old foes facing off on the public square — in this case, Committee Room 1, where the Rules, Confirmations and Public Elections Committee holds its meetings.
Councilmember Joy Styles took 10 (metaphorical) paces and turned swiftly to face her sworn nemesis, former Councilmember Jeff Syracuse.
Her weapon of choice? An email. Not exactly designed to inflict a fatal blow, but it would do for her purposes.
Dueling Interests
Syracuse, a 25-year employee of music industry giant BMI, was appearing before the committee to discuss his qualifications for service on the newly formed Music, Film and Entertainment Commission. Mayor Freddie O’Connell nominated Syracuse, who last term sparred with Styles over the creation of the commission.
Styles couldn’t be seen on camera, but she surely made her voice heard as she tore into Syracuse.
Syracuse sat expressionless in his chair, with his back toward the camera and Styles. He didn’t move a muscle during Styles’ recitation of an email from the current chair of the commission, Max Butler.
Butler strongly urged councilmembers to vote against Syracuse’s nomination. According to the email, Butler based his opposition on “objective measures regarding the makeup of the commission” — which already has one BMI employee on it — along with “subjective experiences with [Syracuse] over the past two years.”
Syracuse had to know this was coming. So did O’Connell, whose chief-of-staff, Marjorie Pomeroy-Wallace, was personally whipping votes for Syracuse in the days leading up to Tuesday’s meeting.
I’d be hard-pressed to find something Syracuse did for O’Connell during the campaign. Syracuse didn’t endorse him. Why O’Connell would waste precious political capital on appointing this particular man to a random commission is beyond me.
While Syracuse’s appointment was ultimately confirmed by the full council, the vote count was embarrassing. Eleven councilmembers — more than a quarter of the body — abstained, and Styles voted no.
BOGO
Most board and commission appointments are not controversial. Mayoral appointments generally receive unanimous approval. On Tuesday night, O’Connell performed the rare feat of having not one, but two non-unanimous appointment votes.
By pledging to fill empty seats on the Metro Arts Commission at this week’s council meeting, O’Connell backed himself into a corner. Caught in a trap of his own making, he had a choice to make: betray his pledge by failing to fill any seats before year’s end, or show progress toward the goal by appointing at least one new commissioner.
He chose the latter, offering up one new commissioner, John Nefflen, as a treat.
Unfortunately, that new commissioner is a lawyer — because what we definitely need on the Arts Commission is more lawyers — who also happens to be a dear friend of O’Connell’s chief-of-staff.
Not an ideal first pick.
If you’re going to choose one person for a commission that’s currently receiving intense public scrutiny, perhaps your chief-of-staff’s good friend isn’t the best place to start. Better yet, just wait until January and offer a complete slate of appointments!
This is the type of own goal I would’ve found amusing under former Mayor John Cooper, because I am a notoriously petty bitch who found Cooper’s policy choices fundamentally offensive. Now, coming from the guy I voted for — someone I would truly like to see succeed in this role — it’s disappointing.
In the Rules Committee meeting, Nefflen indicated that one of his strengths would be ensuring that decisions are made in accordance with “any rules and regulations set out not only by the Arts Commission, but also by Metro Legal.”
There aren’t enough red flags in the world to convey how problematic this statement is. Metro Legal is a huge part of the reason we are in this mess to begin with! Their overbroad interpretation of a case about affirmative action in higher education was the catalyst for a chain reaction that led to more than 100 grantees getting their promised grant funding slashed in half.
Arts Equity Nashville, a coalition of artists formed partly in response to the recent turmoil at Metro Arts, sent an open call to “artists and allies” on Monday, asking folks to contact their councilmembers to express opposition to Nefflen’s appointment.
Councilmember Ginny Welsch was one of three councilmembers to abstain on this appointment. She says her decision came down to questioning whether Nefflen would be “a real force toward increased minority representation,” adding that his focus on following rules “feels like he’ll be an impediment to the real change we need.”
Beware of Robot Dog
“Because Deputy Chief Gilder told me so,” whispered Councilmember Bob Nash, as he joined me on my favorite pew to discuss the debate over a grant application for, among other things, a robot dog for use by the MNPD.
He was responding to a tweet in which I questioned how he can be certain the robot dog will not be weaponized or used for surveillance purposes. As I attempted to explain why that might not be a satisfactory answer to a member of the general public, Nash bemoaned his colleagues’ incessant questioning of police-related legislation.
Personally, I think it’s fine to incessantly question a department authorized to use deadly force. We’re talking about government employees who can legally kill people. I know Nash and his Cop Caucus buddies aren’t accustomed to this level of scrutiny, but that doesn’t make it unreasonable.
A question about the battery life of the electronic canine really sent Nash careening over the edge. “They’re just trying to kill the bill with questions like that,” he said. Naturally, I assumed someone significantly to the left of Nash was responsible for the offensive inquiry.
Friends, that question came from Councilmember Jordan Huffman, who literally two weeks ago said to me, “I’m pretty pro-police, Nicole.” Huffman later voted to quash an attempt to defer the resolution. He went on to join his colleagues in approving it by an overwhelming margin.
While Nash and I don’t agree on much, we found common ground on one point: real dogs > robot dogs. But honestly, if we can program the robot dog to appoint board and commission members, I’ll pay for it myself.
