A Rare, Breezy Council Meeting
🌬 Metro Council rundown · Kamala Harris comes to Nashville · AG takes on artificially-increased rent · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Metro Council appoints a new General Sessions Judge... Kamala Harris comes to town... TN AG takes on artificially-increased rent... And much more!
Early Voting! The special election to replace Mark Green in U.S. Congressional District 7 falls on December 2 (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving), so you might want to consider getting to the polls early. Find the early voting schedule (November 12-26) here. Find your election day voting location here.
Like what we do? Forward us to a friend!
Last Night At Metro Council
From Megan Podsiedlik
Last night’s Metro Council meeting was relatively uneventful, with all contentious bills deferred. That said, the lighter-than-usual quorum of council members passed a few interesting pieces of legislation, including a resolution allowing the city to apply for more state funding to place SRO officers in Metro schools and a long-awaited bill on its second reading that would create the Metro Animal Care and Control Commission.
The council shut down a rule change that would limit members to one nonbinding resolution per meeting and only allow honorary matters to be presented as proclamations instead of resolutions. The change intended to make meetings more efficient. Despite there being fifteen co-sponsors on the legislation, it was defeated.
“There are histories such as Hispanic History Month, Black History Month, and LGBTQ History Month, and I don't think that a couple of minutes longer in council meetings makes up for this rule change,” said Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda in opposition to the change.
As arguably one of the more outspoken members in the council, Sepulveda told her colleagues that if they want to save time, they simply shouldn’t speak so much. “Don't pull things from the agenda, don't be long-winded—you don't have to be on TV,” she said.
Jodie Bell’s appointment to General Sessions Court Judge took up the most significant portion of the hour-and-a-half-long meeting. It was clear that colleagues and council members alike hold the wife of former Nashville Mayor David Briley in high professional regard.
That said, the appointment procedure during the actual council meeting seemed more performative than productive, as is usually the case. Though all five candidates made their final pitch before the body, 20 out of the 31 members voted for Bell.
The most we heard from the celebrated Nashville defense attorney was during Bell’s Rules, Confirmations, and Public Elections Committee interview conducted on November 4—a reminder that the vetting process and politicking take place well before the final vote.
The entire appointment process, including filling positions on Metro's 81 boards, commissions, and advisory committees, is difficult to keep up with. In his first 15 months, Mayor Freddie O'Connell made a whopping 286 appointments. In an effort to improve Metro’s efficiency, O'Connell's Director of Legislative Affairs Dave Rosenberg has been working on an initiative aimed at trimming the fat and improving the operations of the city's boards and commissions.
Compared to last night's yawn fest, the next council meeting is sure to be more lively. The legislation that creates two additional zoning districts (RN & RL) and the bill to expand/simplify codes for Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) will both be heard on third reading. The legislation that simplifies the rules for building duplexes will have a public hearing on its second reading, and the Midtown Business Improvement District (MBID) bill will also be heard on its second reading.
HEADLINES
- 🗳 Harris visits Nashville to encourage D-7 voters, doesn’t endorse Aftyn Behn. Yesterday, former Vice President Kamala Harris attended a Democratic Party event at Hadley Park to encourage voter turnout in the Seventh Congressional District special election. Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn, who briefly spoke at the event, left before Harris arrived. (Banner)
- 💰AG protects Tennesseans from artificially-increased rent. Earlier today, Tennessee joined a multistate settlement with the nation's largest property management company to resolve allegations of anticompetitive practices that resulted in artificially-increased rents for Tennesseans. “Tennessee renters were stuck paying too much because property management companies shared information through the RealPage software to artificially inflate prices,” said Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. (TN AG Office)
- ⚡️ Trump’s TVA appointments to restore quorum on the TVA board. President Trump is working with Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty to reform the Tennessee Valley Authority. Trump’s TVA appointees are in the final vetting stages. Once confirmed, new board members are being urged to refocus the agency on power generation. (Knox News) (TN Star)
- ⚔️ Couple chased through Bicentennial Park by a man wielding two knives. According to court documents, 38-year-old Thomas Milam chased a couple through the park on Saturday. At one point, Milam dragged one of his knives along a brick wall, causing it to spark, while telling them, “You better run. I’m going to cut your throat.” (WKRN)
- 🏫 MNPS is conducting a survey regarding school start times. Nashville Public Schools is conducting a districtwide review of school start and end times to better align with student well-being, family needs, and transportation efficiency. Families, students, MNPS staff, and Nashville community members have until November 23rd to share feedback via an online survey. (MNPS Survey)
DEVELOPMENT
- Nashville burger chain Cledis coming to The Gulch (Axios)
- Investment giant pays $128.4M for airport-area property (Post)
- 12South site sells for $6M, eyed for redevelopment (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Nite Music @ The 5 Spot, 8p, $10, Info
🪕 Alex Williams w/ One For The Road @ The Basement, 7p, $19.78, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.