Pushing Back the Pushback

OEM Chief Swann defends virtual EOC amid pushback on ice storm response.

From Megan Podsiedlik

There's a simple rule of thumb about disclaimers: if you have to preface a statement with one, chances are it'll land exactly the opposite way you intended. Office of Emergency Management Chief William Swann (who also oversees the fire department) didn’t get the memo before last week’s Winter Storm Response Commission meeting.

During the review process, the OEM drew direct criticism from several departments for activating a virtual Emergency Operations Center instead of coordinating in person. Last week, Chief Swann dismissed suggestions that its initial virtual response wasn’t optimal or appropriate during the height of the ice storm. 

“Most departments are only concerned about their departments,” said Swann. “And that's not an insult; I understand that completely. Most departments only understand things from their perspective, but what we didn't get was any pushback.”

“Everybody worked well together,” continued Swann. “And we're open. By no means, I don't come across like…my way is the best way and the only way; that is not what I'm saying here. What I am saying is that we have prepared, and we've been working through these types of events—nothing to this scale—but we've been working on these types of organizational functions for many years. And the thing about it, when you look at the research and look at the end result, I mean, it came out to be very successful.”

It seems appropriate to include the entire quote simply because this is the person in charge of coordinating all communication between departments during a major emergency in one of America’s largest cities. The ratio of substance compared to Swann’s attempts to do damage control left much to be desired. Especially given Chair Phil Bredesen’s own disclaimer right before the Commission heard from OEM:

“We're trying to get information and not to assign blame,” said Bredesen, asking departments to be as open and honest as possible. “We're just trying to figure out what recommendations we might make to better coordinate as we sort of move forward.”

The mayor’s Winter Storm Response Commission will hear from the Nashville Electric Service during its meeting this Thursday. 

✹ 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)

✹ OPINION: How Esports Are Reshaping College Life

What used to be a basement hobby now comes with national stages, scholarship money, and professional skills

From Landon Willett

When most people think about college life, they picture lecture halls, campus quads, parties and maybe a football game on Saturday afternoon. What they probably don't picture is a team of students in a dedicated gaming arena, competing for scholarships, representing their university on a national stage and building the kind of community that defines their college experience.

But that's exactly what's happening and it's happening at schools across the country, and right across the state line at Murray State, where I attend college. I went to college knowing I loved gaming. What I didn't expect was to find an entire ecosystem built around it.

HEADLINES

• 🎤 Vanderbilt names Nate Bargatze to athletics committee. Vanderbilt University appointed Nashville native and comedian Nate Bargatze, a longtime Commodores supporter, as a community member to its Athletics Committee. The move adds a prominent local figure known for his comedy career to the Board of Trust body. (Post)
• 💰 Yes on 2 announces leadership team representing all 95 counties. Yes on 2, the campaign to constitutionally ban a state property tax in Tennessee, named Governor Bill Lee as statewide chairman. Appointed regional chairs include House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, and Representative Tandy Darby. The campaign also announced that it will have local chairmen representing it in all of Tennessee’s 95 counties, made up of a bipartisan slate of state legislators, local elected officials, business, and community leaders. (Yes on 2)
• 💊 Woman charged with drugging men in downtown Nashville. Erica Williams faces charges after allegedly drugging a man in downtown Nashville, stealing his phone and wallet, and making fraudulent transactions. Police linked her via surveillance after the victim from an incident reported in 2024 tracked his phone. Reports indicate that she has targeted multiple men downtown using the same vehicle. (WKRN)
• 👟 Fastest white man ever: Sam Blaskowski runs 9.89 (+1.5 m/s) 100m in Nashville. Former NCAA DIII star Sam Blaskowski ran a 9.89 (+1.5 m/s) 100m at the Music City Track Carnival, becoming the fastest white man in history and the top American performer of 2026. The time, a massive personal best from his prior 10.05 collegiate record while training with Dennis Mitchell’s group, ties him for the 54th-fastest performance all-time. (LetsRun)

DEVELOPMENT

• Hotel near Opryland sells at $11 million discount (NBJ)
• Lost & Found in Inglewood Is Now Open for Lunch (Scene)
• Prince St. Pizza eyes early summer debut in downtown (Post)
• Music Row building listed for $3.49M (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

🎸 Jim Lauderdale @ Skinny Dennis, 7:30p, Free, 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.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan