Despite Rhetoric, Mayor Confronts Crime
🚨 Pressure on O'Connell about crime works · Ascend gets an upgrade · Downtown bollards · Dispatch from D7 debate · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Mayor O'Connell seems more willing to to engage on criminal concerns despite his rhetoric... Ascend Ampitheater gets an upgrade... A dispatch from Friday's D7 Congressional debate at CabaRay... And much more!
Big Goal 2,000 new newsletter subscribers by September 30. Could you help us get there by forwarding this email to a friend (or five) who cares about independent journalism? Tell them to sign up here.
Like what we do? Forward us to a friend.
On Crime, Mayor O'Connell doth protest too much
From Megan Podsiedlik
The mayor’s office has created a new Crime Prevention and Violence Reduction Director position while defending itself against Congressman Andy Ogles’ claims that the city is suffering from out-of-control crime and gang activity.
As GOP leaders call on the White House for backup in blue cities, Mayor Freddie O’Connell has amplified MNPD’s efforts to reduce crime and rejected the sentiments of politicians like Ogles who, according to the mayor, “seems to be showing off for the president so he can get a pardon.”
During Friday’s media roundtable, O’Connell announced that his office is accepting applications to fill the new role, an administrative position that will oversee the Office of Violence Prevention and Reduction and implement “evidence-based, community-informed programs to prevent and reduce violence across Nashville-Davidson County.”
When asked whether the new job was created in response to the city’s crime rate and the recent requests for National Guard presence in Nashville, the mayor said the position has been in the works for quite some time.
O’Connell explained that the new role is an iteration of the old Director of Policy and Community Safety position John Buntin held in Mayor John Cooper’s administration. O’Connell also emphasized that the Crime Prevention and Violence Reduction Director will be working closely with the new Director of Youth Safety.
According to statistics shared by both the mayor’s office and MNPD, major violent crimes are down across the board when comparing the first 8 months of this year to last year. As we’ve previously covered, the incarceration rate in Nashville has significantly increased since bottoming out in the Spring of 2020, likely due to stricter sentencing. Additionally, pre-trial releases markedly decreased between 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, the number of arrests made by MNPD has not increased enough to warrant mention. All things considered, stricter sentencing is likely the largest contributing factor to Nashville’s progress in reducing crime.
Unfortunately, Music City has a long way to go. Though crime is trending in the right direction, the city has to dig itself out of a pretty deep hole. Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation came out with data that placed Nashville’s violent crime rate among the top 15 nationwide in 2024.
⧖⧗⧖ WHAT'S NEXT FOR BUSINESS? ⧗⧖⧗
Ask nine experts and you’ll get ten answers. Bull market, bear market, rates up, rates down—everyone’s guessing. No one’s got a crystal ball.
Meanwhile, over 42,000 businesses have done the obvious—future-proofed with NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 AI Cloud ERP, rolling accounting, inventory, HR, and financial management into one platform.
One suite, one source of truth. Real-time data and forecasting turn guesswork into strategy. Close the books in days, not weeks, and spend less time looking back, more time moving forward.
Whether you’re pulling in millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite helps you handle what’s now and seize what’s next.
Speaking of what’s next—grab the free CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning at NetSuite.com/pamphleteer
SUPPORTED BY
🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🎫 New Agreement Pending For Ascend On Friday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced a 10 year agreement with Opry Entertainment Group to become the new operator for Ascend Amphitheater. The group has agreed to invest at least $11 million in facility improvements and to fix access to the greenway during events.
“We're also keeping downtown residents in mind by mitigating sound from fully amplified events,” said O’Connell on Friday. According to the mayor, the agreement also includes commitments to “three fully amplified civic events and unlimited non-amplified civic events in addition to the annual CMA Fest and July 4th celebrations.”
For the last decade, Live Nation has managed the outdoor venue and has drawn ire due to recurring issues with greenway access during events. “In this case, there is a proposed design that would solve that facility problem,” explained O’Connell. The Metro Nashville Council will be voting on the agreement during their next meeting on September 16.
🛑 Downtown Bollards On The Block The Nashville Department of Transportation is launching a pilot program to install Raptor bollards downtown. The barriers, designed to enhance safety by blocking and controlling vehicle access on certain roads, will be installed near Fifth Avenue and Broadway this November. Metro has allocated $2.6 million to complete the project which is expected to be complete by 2026. If successful, requests to expand the program can be expected in the future.
You may recall that the topic of crowd protection via bollards became prevalent following the New Orleans attack that killed 14 people in January. Alongside police presence and sidewalk bollards, salt trucks and mobile Meridian barricades are the two lines of defense currently deployed to protect Nashvillians during special events downtown.
DEVELOPMENT-ish
Oklo Announces Fuel Recycling Facility as First Phase of up to $1.68 Billion Advanced Fuel Center in Tennessee (Oklo) Nation’s first privately funded facility to recycle used nuclear fuel will help reduce costs, create jobs, and establish a durable U.S. fuel supply
GM to cut output, delay work at Spring Hill assembly plant (WSMV) GM will stop production of two electric Cadillac SUVs at its assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, during the month of December.
Trevecca reports record enrollment numbers (Trevecca) Having enrolled and started the semester with more than 460 new freshmen and about 550 new undergraduate students overall, Trevecca has more than 1,600 traditional undergraduates enrolled for the first time in school history. That follows another year of record enrollment in 2024-2025.
⧖⧗⧖ GETTING BITCOIN FOMO? ⧗⧖⧗
|
The Bitcoin Adviser offers the safest and easiest way to securely buy bitcoin. Experts like Scott Porter talk you through the process from purchase to storage. Curious what owning bitcoin looks like? Sign up for a free consultation below. |
✹ DISTRICT 7 DEBATE ROUNDUP
A dispatch from Friday's District 7 debate put on by AFP and SuperTalk 99.7
From Jerod Hollyfield
Despite the infighting and accusations of falsified MAGA bona fides, the Republican candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep.Mark Green during November’s election have remained fairly interchangeable to Tennessee voters. Thus far, most polls show no candidate breaking away. However, if Friday night’s Republican candidate debate sponsored by The Americans for Prosperity Foundation and SuperTalk 99.7 was any indication, Rep. Jody Barrett may soon find himself the frontrunner.
Held at Nashville’s Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom with “top tier” candidates Barrrett, Gino Bulso, Matt Van Epps, and Lee Reeves front and center, the debate served as a breezy and efficient alternative to the national and local slogs that political junkies are so used to seeing. SuperTalk host Matt Murphy and Americans for Prosperity’s state deputy director Michael Lotfi crafted a list of compelling questions that sought to differentiate the candidates and spark discussions about a cogent America First platform.
Much of the event’s success was likely due to organizers’ decision to eliminate rebuttals and prohibit candidates from name checking each other, a rule that forced Bulso to sit out a question on AI and the economy when he called out Van Epps for proclaiming himself the race’s “number one supporter of Israel.”
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
🎸 Eric Clapton @ Bridgestone Arena, 7p, $125+, Info
🪕 Kyle Tuttle's Bluegrass Mondays @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik, Camelia Brennan, and Davis Hunt.