No. 683: Number by Number Initiatives

Good afternoon, everyone.

There seem to be a lot of different 30x30 initiatives floating around the federal, local, and state governments. Megan discusses one involving hiring female police officers undertaken by the Metro Nashville Police Department below, but there's also the so-called "30x30 land grab" which I wrote about two years ago. The goal of that particular plan is to reclaim 30 percent of America's land and waterways under a conservation easement by 2030.

Admittedly, 30x30 has a different ring than 40x40, which would seem to be next in the progression as they ratchet up these initiatives. The 30x30 conservation initiative is a prelude for a 50x50 movement seeking to reclaim 50 percent of America's land and waterways by 2050.

Do you think they started with the numbers they wanted to reach or the marketing slogan that sounded the catchiest? Did they wait to start until the last two digits of the final year matched up with the goal? I have questions.

Onward.

✿ SPRING HAPPY HOUR

✿ Come out and join us for a few beers on March 21st for our Spring Bar Hours with the fellas over at Ridge Runner (Register • More Info on RR)

✷ MORE 30 X 30: A LOOK AT MNPD’S HIRING PRACTICES

From Megan Podsiedlik

In light of International Women’s Day last Friday, Mayor O’Connell made sure to highlight MNPD’s commitment to 30x30, a national initiative with the goal of increasing female police recruits to 30 percent by 2030. Chief Drake signed the pledge three years ago, making him one of the first major city police chiefs to do so.

The initiative began in 2018 when Chief Ivonne Roman, a retired police officer in Newark, NJ, approached a researcher at the National Institute of Justice with concerns about the “underrepresentation of women in US policing” and its effects on public safety. In 2019, the institute released a report, which led to the development of the 30x30 goal.

“This 30% threshold is where change begins to happen, but it is not our end goal,” according to the project’s website. “30×30 is working with policing agencies to improve recruiting practices and establish community partnerships so that agencies become truly representative of the jurisdictions they serve.”

According to the available employment data, about 13 percent of MNPD’s active police force are women. This doesn’t include the 9 female trainees that make up almost 21 percent of incoming recruits.

STATE SOVEREIGNTY BILL SHOWDOWN

This week, the Senate State and Local Government Committee weighed in on a state sovereignty bill following a request for an AG opinion regarding its constitutionality.

Two separate bills addressing this issue popped up on this year’s docket. Though there are a few key differences, both pieces of legislation would establish a process in which the General Assembly may nullify unconstitutional federal overreach.

Last Wednesday, the AG’s office released its opinion, which stated that Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and Rep. Bud Hulsey’s (R-Kingsport) bill—reviewed in its original submission as Senate Bill 1092— was constitutionally infirm. Though the findings seemingly put the two state sovereignty bills at odds with one another, yesterday’s committee discussion revealed all sponsors involved are united in their goal to tackle the issue.

Towards the beginning of the meeting, Bowling invited Jeff Cobble, a lawyer and constitutional expert, to present to the committee. Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) asked Cobble about the attorney general’s findings.

“I’ll be the first to admit my view of the constitution, my view of federal power and state’s power, did not come from law school,” Cobble said. “We didn’t study this in law school. We just studied what judges said about the constitution, and so I don’t fault attorneys for not understanding it.” Cobble concluded that, in spite of the opinion, Bowling’s bill is constitutional thanks to protections put forth by the 9th and 10th amendments.

Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun), a sponsor of the other state sovereignty bill, championed the spirit of the coinciding initiatives: “If this bill were to pass, I would hope that we wouldn’t think that we were done with the process of establishing sovereignty in the state of Tennessee.”

In the end, the committee voted to send the bill to a summer study, which will be conducted in May or June. Bowling graciously accepted the motion. “I appreciate the discussion we heard, and I appreciate the fact that you’re willing to realize that maybe this is something that we do need to study,” she said. “Not only do we have the right and the power, we have the responsibility. We took the oath to uphold them. We can’t uphold what we don’t fully understand.”

HEADLINES

Emergency crews searching the Cumberland River for missing college student Riley Strain (Channel 5) Two new videos have been released showing missing 22-year-old Riley Strain stumbling down the sidewalk. According to MNPD, the University of Missouri senior was kicked out of Luke Bryan’s bar on Broadway Friday night. Police say friends reported him missing the following day.

For three years, Bloomberg-backed trio will help Metro spur a clean-energy workforce (NBJ) In a press release, Mayor Freddie O'Connell said Nashville's pitch centered on creating "a residential clean energy initiative that also trains and up-skills Nashville's Black communities for jobs and business ownership in the clean energy workforce." The city's grant application wasn't immediately available on Tuesday.

Rutherford County, the latest casualty in Tennessee’s lobbying quarrel over impact fees (Lookout) Joe Carr, a former state House Republican now serving his first term as mayor of Rutherford County, and Republican Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt spent the past two years lobbying for their local delegations to introduce bills for the authority to set an impact fee.

DEVELOPMENT

📸 Nashville International Airport's first on-site hotel is now open (NBJ)
NYC Mexican restaurant to open in former Josephine space in 12South (NBJ)
North Davidson site eyed for mixed-use project (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown 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

🎸 Jenny Lewis @ Ryman Auditorium, 7:30p,$35+, Info

🎸 Meg McRee @ The Basement, 9p, $12.85, Info
+ dreamy country

🎸 Tim O'Brien's 70th Birthday Celebration @ Station Inn, 8p, $30, Info
+ featuring Eamon Dillon, Nathaniel Smith, Shad Cobb, Jan Fabricius, Mike Bub, and Cory Walker, Shad Cobb, Jan Fabricius and a special mystery guest

🪕 Bluegrass & 2-4-1's Featuring Sheriff Scott & The Deputies @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Free, Info
+ bluegrass 6-8pm and 2-for-1 craft beer specials all day

🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info