An Authority with Authority
💸 Bob Mendes' pricey "seat at the table" · Election update · General Robertson's founding of Nashville · Illegal offender of the day · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Does the East Bank authority have authority... Updated on the D5, D6, and D7 congressional races... Our illegal offender all-star of the day... The founding of Nashville... And much more!
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How Bob Mendes Created A $220,000 “Seat At The Table”
From Megan Podsiedlik
Once again, Speaker Cameron Sexton, who serves on the East Bank Development Authority Board, is raising questions about whether the Authority actually has any authority. At last night’s meeting, the body approved Mayor O’Connell’s appointment of Ben York as the CEO of the East Bank Authority, though not without some pushback.
During discussions, it was made clear that the power to negotiate current land contracts still lies with Metro government, not the Authority. Sexton explained how the mayor’s Chief Development Officer, Bob Mendes, negotiated that agreement, which “has tied the hands of this board so we have no funds.”
The agreement between Metro and the Fallon Company, the contractor in charge of the first stage of development on the East Bank, stipulates that it doesn’t have to pay rent until the project is complete. Not only is that condition unusual, but it also prevents the Authority from collecting any funds until everything in the first phase of the development is finished. That is significant because the Authority has no authority until it’s able to fill its coffers and operate independently.
Ironically, though the Authority does not have any funds, land, or authority over negotiations, it was revealed during the meeting that even though Metro is dishing out the $220,000 a year to employ Ben York as the Authority’s CEO – which the Authority will have to pay back once they’re able to collect revenue – the Authority does have the authority to give York the boot at any time for any reason.
That said, Sexton was not convinced that York would have any real power in the role as CEO, given the current conditions, and questioned whether it was worth paying to have a powerless suit at the table during negotiations.
“We need to change this to the East Bank Oversight Committee, because that's really what this is,” said Sexton, before asking York if Mendes has ever invited him to any of the meetings with the Fallon Company. Proving Sexton’s point, York admitted that he hadn’t. That said, the board ultimately agreed to York’s appointment: a $220,000 seat at the table.
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🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🤖 Online Grooming & The Plague Of AI Yesterday, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a bipartisan coalition of 44 state attorney generals in warning major artificial intelligence companies to stop the harm and exploitation of children through their platforms. The coalition sent a letter to a number of major companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, Open Al, XAI, and others, addressing reports of Al chatbots engaging in sexually inappropriate conversations with kids. The letter also cites cases where chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior in teenagers, including suicide and murder.
"It's one thing for an algorithm to go astray—that can be fixed—but it's another for people running a company to adopt guidelines that affirmatively authorize grooming," said Skrmetti in a press release. "Al tools can radically reshape our world for the better, but they can also present threats to kids that are more immediate, more personal, and more dangerous than any prior technology. If we can't steer innovation away from hurting kids, that's not progress–it's a plague."
🗳️ D5, 6, & 7 Update Though the special election for Mark Green’s vacated Congressional seat in District 7 is right around the corner, the itch to hit the ground running has bled over to next year’s election cycle as well. Aside from Congressman Andy Ogles already getting targeted by the Democratic National Committee in its efforts to flip District 5, the field in District 6 is widening.
On Monday, Brad Gaines, the father of decorated NCAA swimmer and popular female athlete activist Riley Gaines, filed paperwork to run for Tennessee’s 6th District Congressional seat that will be vacated by Congressman and gubernatorial candidate John Rose. So far, Gaines will face off against Tennessee House Majority Whip Johnny Garret, former U.S. congressman and Chief of Staff for Rose, Van Hilleary, U.S. Army veteran Dale Braden, and businessman Joe Reid in next year’s republican primaries.
Lastly, a recent poll conducted by Spry Strategies for Americans for Prosperity Tennessee and WTN shows that the top four candidates in the District 7 race are neck and neck. The frontrunners included Representatives Lee Reeves, Gino Bulso, and Jody Barrett, as well as former state General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps. That said, 58 percent of the 500 participants surveyed were still undecided.
DEVELOPMENT
- Knoxville-based Xul Beer Company eyes deal to run Nashville brewery (NBJ)
- River North hotel project developer lands $67M loan (Post)
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✹ ILLEGAL OFFENDER ALL-STAR OF THE DAY
Honduran illegal Julio Cesar Herrera Gonzalez drunk drove his Maserati into oncoming traffic and collided with a car, killing one passenger and seriously injuring the other. He has been charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, DUI, and driving without a license. He's currently being held in the Downtown Detention Center on an ICE detainer, which means he'll soon be deported. (More Info)
✹ THE ADVANCED GUARD OF CIVILIZATION
General Robertson and the founding of Nashville
From Warren Steury
The next time you are visiting Centennial Park, while standing on the eastern portico of the temple, look out onto Lake Watauga and you will find a fifty-foot granite shaft towering over the scenery. This monument, raised 122 years ago, was erected in honor of the man I would like to introduce you to today. He was a farmer born in Virginia who put it all on the line to move his family to the frontier.
A companion of Daniel Boone, an honoree of Washington, a man who lost two sons to Indian slaughter on the frontier. “He had winning ways and made no fuss,” was the language Cherokee Warrior Oconnostota used to describe him. His life and deeds are forever carved into the history of our great state. He was a great soldier and diplomat, the founder of Nashville, and his name was General James Robertson.
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and for more recs, click 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
🪕 The Chuck Wagon Gang @ The Station Inn, 8p, $25, Info
🎸 Gary Nicholson @ Analog at Hutton Hotel, 8p, $35, 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.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).