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# Last Night at Metro Council
- URL: https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/last-night-at-metro-council-4/
- Published: 2026-11-06T20:33:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-06T20:33:30.000Z
- Description: 🏛 Last night at Metro Council: cha-ching, buzz, bang · Source says Hegseth won't replace Blackburn in Senate · Metro opens applications for small business incentives · Much more!
- Author: The Pamphleteer
- Tags: Newsletter

****Good afternoon, everyone.** Last night at Metro Council: members approved the mayor’s capital spending plan, fielded airport noise complaints, and faced a major shake-up as the council prepares to lose half its seats... Source says Hegseth's not being considered for Blackburn’s Senate seat... Applications open for mayor’s small businesses incentive programs... And much more!  
  
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#### Cha-ching, buzz, bang: the sounds of last night’s Metro Council meeting as members approved the mayor’s capital spending plan, fielded airport noise complaints, and faced a major shake-up as the council prepares to lose half its seats.

*From [Megan Podsiedlik](https://pamphleteer.co/author/megan/)*

**Capital Spending Plan** The council approved the mayor’s $544.72 million [capital spending plan](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2305?ref=pamphleteer.co) (CSP) with one minor adjustment. The body tacked on Councilmember Zulfat Suara’s [amendment](https://nashville.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=16108282&GUID=1353AC27-283E-431F-BD47-7E968E7C416E&ref=pamphleteer.co) requiring that the new jail’s design include space for on-site mental health evaluations. During the meeting, the council boxed out any additional amendments to the CSP by backing Councilmember Emily Benedict’s motion to end discussion before further amendments could be heard.

**Shrinking Council** Nothing on the agenda addressed Monday’s state Supreme Court ruling that will cut the council in half. The council did, however, [officially hire](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2355?ref=pamphleteer.co) Tom Lee as its new special counsel and legislative services division director. Lee’s role as council attorney will be critical as the body works to comply with the new state law, which requires reducing and redrawing county council districts.  
  
“We didn't know the news was coming on Monday, but I think that it's good to actually have a director that has very good knowledge of our charter,” Councilmember Zulfat Suara said of Lee. 

Lee previously chaired the Metropolitan Convention Center Commission and lobbied the state legislature on Metro’s behalf. The council’s Charter Revision Commission will hold a special called meeting about the council reduction at 4 p.m. next Friday, November 13, in the council chamber.

**Remembering Phil Ponder** The council paused to [honor](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2379?ref=pamphleteer.co) [Phil Ponder](https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/phil-ponder-dies-at-93/?ref=pamphleteer.co) who passed away in September at age 93\. A Navy veteran, Ponder served two terms on the Metro Council (1995–2003), spent 12 years on the Metro Planning Commission, and worked a decade on former Congressman Jim Cooper’s staff.  
  
Beyond his public service, many Nashvillians knew Ponder for his art. Starting in 1982, he redrew the city’s skyline every four years, chronicling the growth that has reshaped Nashville over the past four decades.

**The Rest** The night’s longest floor debate came over a [resolution](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2324?ref=pamphleteer.co) from Councilmember Mike Cortese about airport noise, which ultimately passed. Cortese said some residents have gone from “roughly a dozen flights per day to over 150.” The council has no control over flight paths, which the FAA sets, and Cortese acknowledged that “we do not have any authority over the FAA.” The non-binding resolution asks the Airport Authority to keep passing residents’ concerns and noise data along to federal regulators. 

The council also advanced a [bill](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/BL2026-1567?ref=pamphleteer.co) on second reading to extend the East Bank Redevelopment Plan by five years so the city has time to consider a transit-oriented redevelopment district. In addition, members approved two [cost-sharing agreements](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2375?ref=pamphleteer.co) with TDOT to rebuild Cowan Street, Marine Drive, and James Robertson Parkway, with a substitute from Councilmember Sean Parker endorsing NDOT’s study and preliminary design of a pedestrian and bike connection between the East Bank and the Ellington Parkway pedestrian bridge.

Rounding it out, the council approved a homelessness package that includes [$2.7 million](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2364?ref=pamphleteer.co) for Hospitality Hub to keep running the South Nashville motel used as transitional housing, [$500,000](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2363?ref=pamphleteer.co) for supportive services and case management, and the city’s [application](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/RS2026-2365?ref=pamphleteer.co) for federal HUD homelessness funding on consent. Councilmember Jordan Huffman’s [crackdown](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/legislation/BL2026-1566?ref=pamphleteer.co) on door-to-door salespeople who ignore the city’s no-knock registry—a list residents can join to keep solicitors away—passed its second of three readings. As amended, it lets Metro Codes and police enforce the rules alongside the Metro Clerk’s office and sets a four-step penalty schedule for violators.

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#### ✹ TENNESSEE MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS

[![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/image-1793821649046.png)](https://pamphleteer.co/tn-election-2026/)

Tennessee stayed red last night, but Marsha Blackburn won the governor’s race by the slimmest margin in 130 years. Democrats also flipped six seats in the state House.

- **Governor:** Blackburn (R) beats Green (D) by 2.5 points. Lee won by 32 in 2022.
- **Senate:** Hagerty (R) is re-elected over Bradshaw (D), 55–43.
- **U.S. House:** The 4th and 9th districts are still too close to call.
- **Legislature:** Democrats flip six state House seats. The GOP keeps its supermajorities.
- **Amendments:** All three pass. Davidson was the only county to vote no on two of them.

See every race, a county-by-county map and how the governor’s race stacks up against 2022 and 2018\. ([View all races](https://pamphleteer.co/tn-election-2026/))

✰ ✰ ✰

#### ✹ WAYMO THAN I BARGAINED FOR

![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/wearethemoney_Whimsical_semi-abstract_illustration_a_tiny_smu_a2ec82bd-0d28-460c-9ebb-3ad38bc79c39_2-1.png)

*The eighteenth installment in Tales from the Westside*

*From [Rachel Gladstone](https://pamphleteer.co/author/rachel/)*

For months I’ve watched Nashville’s Waymo fleet multiply like rabbits in springtime. Many of my friends have used them and the reviews have been favorable. However, unlike these brave souls, I still had my doubts about getting into a driverless car; the thought kind of scared the crap out of me. But then, last night, I was forced to face my fears.

It was about 10:30 and I’d just exited TPAC with a friend. We’d taken a Lyft from the West Side to downtown so naturally she opened the app once more and requested a ride home. She looked aghast as she read the screen. “This says our Waymo will be here in one minute.” I wasn’t sure if the fear in her eyes was of her own making or merely a reflection of mine. 

“Waymo? Really? Now?” Evidently the thought of climbing into a car sans driver had disabled my ability to speak in full sentences. 

“This must be ours,” she pointed at the square, blue model that had just stopped at our feet. But before we could get near the thing to see if it was ours, it pulled away and disappeared. 

“Should I cancel this ride? Maybe get a real driver?” My friend asked, deleting the original request. But no sooner had I said, “Yes!” than the app showed another Waymo arriving in, you guessed it, one minute. 

“I suppose we’re gonna have to go with it,” I grimaced.

[Continue reading...](https://pamphleteer.co/post/waymo-than-i-bargained-for/)

✰ ✰ ✰

#### HEADLINES 

🗳️ **Hegseth not being considered for Blackburn’s Senate seat, source says**  
A source close to Marsha Blackburn says the governor-elect isn’t considering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for her Senate seat .The source said Republican officeholders and donors pushed back on the idea and called the talk “baseless speculation from Washington.” Representative Tim Burchett and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs are seen as strong contenders for the appointment, and whoever Blackburn picks will serve until an election in November 2028\. ([USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/11/06/pete-hegseth-marsha-blackburn-senate-seat/92634868007/?ref=pamphleteer.co))

🏪 **Applications open for mayor’s small businesses incentive programs** Nashville is now taking applications for its Legacy Business pilot, which has $300,000+ available in its first year. Grants are capped at $10,000 each and open to businesses that have operated in Nashville for at least 10 years. These applications close in 30 days. A second new program, Workforce Advancement grants, reimburses employee training and certification costs at $1,000 per worker, up to $10,000 per business, on a first-come, first-served basis. The city also expanded its Property Investment Incentive, which now reimburses half the cost of interior or exterior improvements, up to $50,000, for commercial and industrial buildings worth up to $2 million in lower-income census tracts. Davidson County businesses with fewer than 100 employees can apply [here](https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor/economic-opportunity/small-business?ref=pamphleteer.co). ([Mayor’s Office](https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor/news/application-opens-new-legacy-business-program-workforce-advancement-incentive?ref=pamphleteer.co))

🚗 **TDOT sets community meetings on I-24 Choice Lanes, introducing developer DriveTN**  
TDOT will hold community meetings on the I-24 Choice Lanes project on November 17 at Trevecca Nazarene University and November 18 at the Smyrna Event Center, both from 3 to 7 p.m., and will introduce the developer, DriveTN. The project adds two toll lanes along 26 miles of I-24 between Nashville and Murfreesboro. DriveTN is offering the state $24.8 billion in concession payments over 50 years. ([WSMV](https://www.wsmv.com/2026/11/03/state-announces-more-community-meetings-about-i-24-choice-lanes-project/?ref=pamphleteer.co))

✰ ✰ ✰

#### ✹ PAMPHLETEER TOOLS

![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/09/Metro-in-english.png)

**Pamphleteer Tools** [Council Watch](https://councilwatch.pamphleteer.co/?ref=pamphleteer.co) tells you who funds your councilmember and how they vote. The [Property Tax Calculator](https://tax.pamphleteer.co/?ref=pamphleteer.co) tells you what that cost you.

✰ ✰ ✰

#### DEVELOPMENT

![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/fallon.webp)

****Via City Now Next:** Fallon submitted concept plans for a 37-story, 600-room hotel on East Bank Parcel C at[ 201 Shelby Ave](https://www.google.com/maps/search/201+Shelby+Ave?entry=gmail&source=g)., aiming for late 2030 and a Dec. 10 Planning Commission hearing. ([More info](https://citynownext.com/2026/11/05/fallon-reveals-its-37-story-600-room-east-bank-hotel-in-nashville/?ref=pamphleteer.co))

- North Point Hospitality's Courtyard by Marriott plan for the former Jackalope/Marble Fox brewery site at[ 701 Eighth Ave. S](https://www.google.com/maps/search/701+Eighth+Ave.+S?entry=gmail&source=g). advances to Downtown Code Design Review. ([Post](https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/gulch-hotel-plan-progresses/article%5Ff84803c8-15dc-4136-94e2-d64915cb74c4.html?ref=pamphleteer.co))
- Lyft plans to significantly expand its Waymo robotaxi fleet in Nashville by year-end, with airport rides coming soon on the Lyft app. ([Reuters](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/lyft-to-expand-waymo-robotaxi-fleet-in-nashville-by-yearend-5005599?ref=pamphleteer.co))
- Andrew and Molly Sohr are partnering with Strategic Hospitality on Carousel Club, an 86,000-square-foot family-focused private members club planned for[ 3040 Sidco Drive](https://www.google.com/maps/search/3040+Sidco+Drive?entry=gmail&source=g) in Berry Hill with an early 2028 opening. ([NBJ](https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2026/11/05/carousel-club-berry-hill-launch-strategic-group.html?ref=pamphleteer.co))
- Noko Yaki, an Asian-inspired steakhouse from the Noko/Kase x Noko team led by chef Dung "Junior" Vo, opens today at[ 3201 West End Ave](https://www.google.com/maps/search/3201+West+End+Ave?entry=gmail&source=g). in the former Tin Angel space. ([Tennessean](https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/dining/2026/11/05/noko-yaki-first-look-inside-the-new-nashville-restaurant-on-west-end/92443309007/?ref=pamphleteer.co))
- The Great Escape is relocating its main Nashville store to a Church Street building in Midtown for an early 2027 opening, ending an 18-year run in The Nations. ([Post](https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/great-escape-to-relocate-to-midtown/article%5F067e618c-e71f-492d-a154-6596aa374c1c.html?ref=pamphleteer.co))

![Entertainment](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2022/01/Group-27.png) 

#### THINGS TO DO

*View our calendar for the week* [*here*](https://pamphleteer.co/calendar/events-for-the-week-of-november-2nd/)*.* 

📅 Visit our [On The Radar](https://pamphleteer.co/post/on-the-radar/) list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: [Pamphleteer's Picks](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/46Yds4VbS47NzRa4blrWUY?si=2040311a7d7f403f&ref=pamphleteer.co), a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville [farmer's market guide](https://pamphleteer.co/post/nashville-farmers-market-guide/). 

#### TONIGHT

🎸 Dave Matthews Band @ Bridgestone Arena, 7:30p, [Info](https://www.ticketmaster.com/dave-matthews-band-nashville-tennessee-11-06-2026/event/1B0064F02AF6E6B7?ref=pamphleteer.co) 

🎸 Jo Dee Messina @ The Truth, 7:30p, $52, [Info](https://www.ticketmaster.com/jo-dee-messina-nashville-tennessee-11-06-2026/event/1B00646AD5D46719?ref=pamphleteer.co)

🪄 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Concert with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $74, [Info](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/tickets/concert/2026-2027-season/harry-potter-prisoner-of-azkaban/?ref=pamphleteer.co)

🎸 First Friday @ The Underdog, 7p,$10, [Info](https://tunehatch.com/shows/e148532f-6f74-43ca-a805-904008a2f47c?ref=pamphleteer.co) 

🎸 Country Club Day ft. The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12:30p, Free, [Info](https://www.acmefeedandseed.com/calendar1?%5Fgl=1%2Abf6r9a%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzU1Mjc0MjExLjE3ODM4NzA2MTc.%2A%5Fga%5FBCZPTYVEEB%2AczE3ODM4NzA2MTckbzEkZzAkdDE3ODM4NzA2MTckajYwJGwwJGgxOTA4NTUwMjc4&ref=pamphleteer.co) 

🎸 Kelley's Heroes @ Robert's Western World, 6:30p, Free, [Info](https://www.robertswesternworld.com/band-schedule?ref=pamphleteer.co)

#### SATURDAY

🎸 Oscar Lindsey @ The Blue Room, 7p, $22.79, [Info](https://dice.fm/event/v3lmv7-oscar-lindsey-sunshine-album-release-show-7th-nov-the-blue-room-nashville-tickets?pid=40f76e7c&%5Fbranch%5Fmatch%5Fid=1645569239362548739&utm%5Fmedium=partners%5Fapi&%5Fbranch%5Freferrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz8nMy9ZLyUxO1UvL1fdLNTG3NDYzSDU1TrQvyEyxNTFIMzdLNU9WqytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUAxGipYkgAAAA%3D&ref=pamphleteer.co)

🪄 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Concert with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $74, [Info](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/tickets/concert/2026-2027-season/harry-potter-prisoner-of-azkaban/?ref=pamphleteer.co)

🎸 Dead Gowns @ DRKMTTR, 8p, $15.77, [Info](https://app.opendate.io/e/dead-gowns-november-07-2026-749856?utm%5Fsource=drkmttr) 

🪕 Volume 5 @ Station Inn, 9p, $25, [Info](https://stationinn.com/event/volume-5-25/?ref=pamphleteer.co)

🎸 Kelley's Heroes @ Robert's Western World, 6:30p, Free, [Info](https://www.robertswesternworld.com/band-schedule?ref=pamphleteer.co)

#### SUNDAY

🪄 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Concert with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 2p, $74, [Info](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/tickets/concert/2026-2027-season/harry-potter-prisoner-of-azkaban/?ref=pamphleteer.co)

🪕 Bluegrass Jam @ Station Inn, 7p, Free, [Info](https://stationinn.com/events/?ref=pamphleteer.co)   
*\+ a night for musicians and singers from all over the world to gather and enjoy making music together*  
  
🪕 Sundays Between with Easy Green @ Tennessee Brew Works, 1p, [Info](https://www.tnbrew.com/livemusic?ref=pamphleteer.co)  
\+ *a fusion of two beloved musical genres – Bluegrass and the iconic sounds of the Grateful Dead!*

![In case you missed it...](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2023/01/Group-20.png) 

📰 *Check out the full newsletter archive [here](https://pamphleteer.co/tag/newsletter/)*. 

[Capital Plan, My Boy🏛 Council takes on CSP · Blackburn taps McWhorter for transition & promises “DOGE”-style cuts · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/icon/square-ico-a153c0df-dc02-427f-9ecc-b8fb81bc35ed.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/fountain.jpg)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/capital-plan-my-boy/)

[Jagged Little Pill💊 Election recap · TN's first female governor · Nashville vet fraud · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/icon/square-ico-a153c0df-dc02-427f-9ecc-b8fb81bc35ed.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/Glossy-Crimson-and-Navy-Capsule.png)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/jagged-little-pill/)

[The Big Slice🔪 State cap takes a slice out of Metro Council · Judge blocks state on immigrant licenses · Nashville’s ultra-luxury home boom · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/icon/square-ico-a153c0df-dc02-427f-9ecc-b8fb81bc35ed.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/image-12-.jpg)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/the-big-slice/)

[Anatomy of a Scandal🏛️ The Council Halvening · Brent Taylor weathers a scandal · TIRRC files another lawsuit · Much more!![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/icon/square-ico-a153c0df-dc02-427f-9ecc-b8fb81bc35ed.png)The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer![](https://pamphleteer.co/content/images/2026/11/wearethemoney_impressionist_abstraction_a_cars_windshield_at__2b593c41-4daf-4663-b209-487ddfdd8b28_0.png)](https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/anatomy-of-a-scandal/)

*Today's newsletter is brought to you by* [*Davis Hunt*](https://pamphleteer.co/author/davis/)*,* [*Megan Podsiedlik*](https://pamphleteer.co/author/megan/)*, and* [*Camelia Brennan*](https://pamphleteer.co/author/camelia/)*.*