NES Gets Zapped Over Fern Response
⚡️ NES gets the third degree · O'Connell catches heat regarding his budget · The people vs. data centers · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. NES goes before the Winter Storm Response Commission... O'Connell catches heat for setting aside tax dollars to fund pro-immigrant nonprofits in his budget... More people join petition against data center near the zoo... And much more!
The Rise of Spencer Pratt Join us June 18th for a conversation with filmmaker Gabriel Mann on his work with Spencer Pratt and what's gone into his wildly successful campaign. (Buy Ticket)
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Tensions about NES’ poor communication during Winter Storm Fern dominated last week’s commission hearing.
From Megan Podsiedlik
During last week’s Winter Storm Response Commission meeting, Nashville Electric Service (NES) leadership admitted that it didn’t have a point person in charge of customer communication during this year’s ice storm. Instead, two communication specialists were responsible for trying to patch up communication failures.
“Since the storm, we have announced that we were going to have a chief communications officer and restructure the whole organization,” said Brent Baker, VP and Chief Customer and Innovation Officer at NES. “For the last 10 years plus, we've depended a lot on those two specialists and outside agencies to help us with a lot of our communications.”
Though NES enacted its communications plan, Baker explained that the sheer number of outages overwhelmed its texting and phone systems. “It was reaching its limit, and so that issue and challenge for us just let down both what we provide for our customers and what we need to provide as a community,” he said.
During the shakedown, NES President and CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin denied accusations that crews provided preferential treatment to Senator Marsha Blackburn or any other person during the storm. Broyles-Aplin also defended NES’ new tree-trimming practices.
NES VP of Engineering Daniel Johnson explained that the coverage of complaints about aggressive tree trimming is outsized compared to the actual feedback customers are submitting to NES.
“For the month of June, we've had about 95,000 customer calls,” said Johnson. “Of those, about 800 were vegetation-related, and only about 86 were complaints. So, it’s 10 percent of 1 percent that have been complaints about our vegetation management.”
As for Metro Council’s request that NES disclose agreements it has with contractors and lobbyists, Broyles-Aplin says the company is looking into it.
“We are currently evaluating how we could potentially comply with that,” she said. “We have tens, probably hundreds of thousands of pages of contracts, which is what it requests to be uploaded to the portal. We're still talking about what we can do to comply without creating an administrative burden for anyone.”
✹ THE RISE OF SPENCER PRATT
The Rise of Spencer Pratt Filmmaker Gabriel Mann, a California native who fled to Nashville in 2021 and made his name with the wildfire documentary Hotshots, has been behind the scenes for Spencer Pratt's improbable rise from reality-star-turned-aggrieved-homeowner after the Palisades fire destroyed his home to a competitive candidate in LA's mayoral race.
Mann witnessed Pratt's transformation firsthand, starting in the aftermath of the fires, and has produced every one of the groundbreaking campaign ads that've captured the nation. Join us Thursday, June 18, at Bungalow Studios for the inside story.
This event benefits The Pamphleteer, Nashville and is priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.
💥 O'CONNELL CATCHES HEAT FOR BUDGET ITEMS
Mayor Freddie O’Connell's allocations for Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors in this year’s budget have landed him in hot water. His proposal includes $735,000 for the TIRRC and $718,000 for TNJFON, both pro-immigrant nonprofits that provide legal services and support to immigrants, including those who are undocumented or in removal/deportation proceedings.
The Metro Clerk’s office has confirmed it has no state-mandated records for either grant, which is required under Tennessee transparency law. TN House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senator Marsha Blackburn have also challenged the funding, calling it support for a pro-illegal immigration groups that may conflict with state sanctuary city laws.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)
HEADLINES
- 📛 Metro’s insurance company sues Nashville Downtown Partnership over garage fire. Metro’s insurance company, Travelers, has sued the Nashville Downtown Partnership and its contractor, Block by Block, alleging that the June 2025 fire at the downtown library parking garage started in a storage area containing improperly stored combustible chemicals. The lawsuit claims the fire caused more than $10 million in damages, shuttered the downtown library for 10 months, and left the garage closed indefinitely. (Axios)
- 🦒 More than 288,000 people sign petition against data center near the zoo. Launched by the Nashville Zoo, the petition is in opposition to the proposed 69,220-square-foot DC Blox data center planned for property directly adjacent to the zoo. Zoo officials argue the facility could pose risks to some of their rare and vulnerable animals and are urging community members and city leaders to stop the project. (WSMV)
- 🎸 Brad Paisley joins data center resistance. The country music star is joining the growing opposition to a proposed data center planned near the Nashville Zoo. Paisley took to social media to vocalize his concerns, saying the project was an “absolute nightmare scenario” for the area. (CountryRebel)
- 🤐 Trump stays mum on TN gubernatorial race. President Donald Trump reportedly told members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation that he won’t endorse either Marsha Blackburn or John Rose in the Republican primary to succeed Governor Bill Lee. (TNJ)
DEVELOPMENT
- Wedgewood-Houston recording studio sells (NBJ)
- Melissa's Sir Pizza on Charlotte Avenue seeks new location (Post)
- BNA to gain direct flight to Cosa Rica (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
🎸 rocknite @ Skinny Dennis, 8p, Free, Info
+ feat. Brandy Zoan, Common People, Massie99, Joiner
🎸 Ashley Monroe @ Station Inn, 7p, $30, Info
🎸 Volunteer Department / The Bakery Rat / Josh Halper @ The East Room, 8p, $13.36, Info
🎸 Yellowcard @ Ascend Amphitheater, 7p, $27+, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Mondays with Kyle Tuttle @ 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.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan