Riding the Gravy Train to Oblivion
🥶 Grant freeze could slow Freddie’s roll · DCRP reorganization · Bridge too far · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone.
Over the weekend I saw a wonderful movie at the Belcourt titled Vermiglio. It’s playing until Thursday this week, and if you can find the time to make it to the unemployed time at which it plays, 2:35 p.m., it’ll be well worth your time.
You often hear about the lack of “conservative” movies with positive, life-affirming Christian messages. Vermiglio, the second movie from Italian filmmaker Maura Delpero, is reassurance that filmmakers operating in this vein are still alive.
Delpero’s story of a family in the remote Italian mountain village of Vermiglio during World War II and how the sudden appearance of an army deserter disrupts the quiet peace of the community is pregnant with meaning and a feast for your eyes—one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.
Onward.
Could the cost of implementing Choose How You Move go up for Nashvillians if the Trump administration axes certain federal transit grants? “In some cases, it may just mean patience,” Mayor O'Connell said during Friday’s media roundtable. “It means that we would probably have to adjust some timelines. And yes, we would probably be looking for whatever similar replacement sources were there.” Though the mayor reassured taxpayers they wouldn't have to foot the bill should federal dollars fail to materialize, his vision still hinges on the funds.
Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz indicated that legal action is not off the table. “It's our position, and the courts have ruled, that the president cannot impound those funds,” he said. “It's unclear to us exactly where transit fits on the spectrum of whether it's on their list to flow forward as normal or not. They frankly need to make a decision about that, and then we'll respond.”
This isn’t the first snag the mayor’s Choose How You Move program has run into since it was approved in November. Despite an ongoing lawsuit threatening to overturn the transit referendum, Metro intends to start implementing the sales tax that creates a dedicated funding source for transit this month. “In April, roughly two months after the surcharge goes into place, Metro will begin receiving revenue for the program, and these initial steps will be an important foundation for a successful and efficient launch,” said O’Connell. “We're excited for Nashvillians to start to see their half penny at work later this year.”
Meanwhile, as the rollout continues as planned, the new transit infrastructure outlined in Choose How You Move may be in jeopardy. Not only did the financial plan laid out in the mayor’s Transit Improvement Program assume “that Nashville will continue to receive federal formula funds for bus program improvements and vehicle replacements,” it also established the sales tax surcharge in order to compete for federal discretionary grants.
“One key program is the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant program, a highly competitive program that would serve as a major potential source of funding for the All-Access Corridors,” reads the plan. “In total, the financial plan assumes that federal funding would account for an estimated $1.4 billion or 20 percent of total program revenue during the construction period (2025-2039).”
The new administration has criticized the CIG program as wasteful given Americans’ preference for the personal automobile and the fact that transit ridership across the country has yet to recover pre-pandemic levels, preferring that Washington invest in improving and maintaining existing infrastructure instead. During his first term, Trump urged Congress to eliminate the program.
“We've said all along, the 15-year program of Choose How You Move does have some expectations about federal funding,” said O’Connell. “If programs evaporate from a federal level, it means some of the implementation of those programs—through scenarios like New Starts, Small Starts, other things that we've seen from the FTA in recent years—would have to be reimagined on the ground.”
Despite the potential setback, the mayor remains optimistic based on the history of bipartisan support for transit infrastructure and plans to deliver on the core elements of his program. “We expect, fully, that we can still do scenarios like sidewalk delivery, signal modernization, and basic transit service,” he said. “So those things would still be intact.”
On Friday afternoon, the mayor’s procurement team also held an information session in the Music City Center for businesses interested in working on Choose How You Move projects. “We're going to start to see some private sector involvement,” said O’Connell, who also anticipates that the Council will start to make appointments to the program's oversight committee in the coming months. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK
Note from the Editor: an earlier version of this story stated incorrectly that Mayor O'Connell indicated there may be a cost increase for people in Nashville if federal funds do not materialize.
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🗳️ Nashville Republican Reorg On Saturday, the Davidson County Republicans held its 2025 Reorganization meeting. Several local and regional leaders showed up for the affair, including US Congressman John Rose, State Senator Mark Pody, and Councilmembers Jennifer Frensley Webb and David Benton.
Rose all but announced his plans to run for Governor in 2026:
“I went to Washington as a farmer and a businessman, and I went to serve for a season because I think that the founders wanted a citizen legislature…At the end of my third term, I'm going to come home, and in the days ahead, you'll hear a little bit about what I'm going to try to do next.”
Nashville’s 2023 Republican mayoral candidate, Alice Rolli, also took the stage to express her gratitude for the support she received on the campaign trail. Given the recent spike in car break-ins and arrests across the city, it was no surprise that public safety was top-of-mind during her speech. “Casey Newcomer, my campaign manager from that race, he texted me this morning,” she said. “He's not here because his car was broken into last night. That is happening across the city, and it's not a wild idea to say that police need resources.”
Local, certified Republicans voted to replace the current GOP Nashville Executive Committee in a slew of uncontested bids. Jason Weakley will be replacing Lonnie Spivak as Chairman, securing the nomination from his predecessor; Annalisa Young and Spencer Anastasio were named 1st and 2nd Vice Chair; Johnny Ellis was named Treasurer; Wendy Rampy secured the position of Vice Treasurer; and Diana DeVille will be the new Communication Secretary.
🌉 A Bridge Too Far? On Friday, Mayor O’Connell stated that he was “a little confused” about a new state law that makes it a Class E felony for government officials to support sanctuary city policies. “The legislature had already taken steps to prevent communities across Tennessee from even considering being a sanctuary city,” he said in reference to a 2018 bill. “So in a way, they had already preempted themselves.”
Metro Law Director Wally Dietz had stronger words. “To say it's just an expansion of what they had done in the past is not accurate. This is a gross escalation,” Dietz said at the roundtable on Friday. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee announced shortly after the passage of the law that it would be preparing a legal challenge to the legislation. “This authoritarian legislation is incompatible with the bedrock American values of democracy and the rule of law, and we have no choice but to challenge it in court,” Legal Director Stella Yarbrough wrote in a release on Thursday.
DEVELOPMENT
- New renderings revealed for massive redevelopment of Rivergate Mall (NBJ)
- Vanderbilt University to demolish multiple Music Row buildings (NBJ)
- Lower Broadway's Legends Corner eyes expansion (NBJ)
- East Nashville commercial properties listed for sale (Post)
- Local development company buys in Edgehill (Post)
- River North hotel project plan progresses (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
🎸 Old Dominion @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p & 9:30p, $149+, Info
🎸 Molchat Doma @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 8p, $30, Info
🎸 Timbo & Lonesome Country @ Jane's Hideaway, 8p, Info
+ modern take on classic country, bluegrass & hillbilly Jazz
🪕 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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