The Words Are Getting Stronger Now
Good afternoon, everyone. Still monitoring Winter Storm Fern... Fuming Freddie turns up the heat late in the game... FEMA expedites emergency funding to TN... The storm has claimed 23 souls and counting... Governor Lee will give his final State of the State tonight... And much more!
Things That Never Happen But Should Join us Thursday, February 19th for an evening with Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist. This is the third installment of the Pamphleteer's new monthly event series. Paying Bard-level subscribers receive free access to this and future events. (Buy Tickets)
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Day Eight: Politicians and city leaders alike employ stronger and stronger language with each passing day.
From Davis Hunt
⚡️ Power Levels As of this writing, the NES power outage map shows 25,890 customers without power. That’s 25,965 fewer customers than Saturday. MNPS remains closed. Metro government slowly returns to action with a council meeting on the calendar for tomorrow.
At the behest of just about everyone, NES published a chart showing when the utility expects full power restoration, broken down by zip code. Full restoration in some areas isn’t expected until Monday, February 9th.
Information on warming shelters and aid programs can be found here.
🗣️ The Mayor’s Strong Words This whole debacle has been marked by “strongly worded statements.” Just about everyone from the state on down has made one by this point, as everyone plays grab ass to distract from the fact that it took them four or five days to take the storm seriously.
Mayor O’Connell continues to distance himself from NES. In a release yesterday, O’Connell proclaimed, “What I learned today is that NES is unequipped to communicate about a crisis” before promising that “Nashvillians and I are going to hold them accountable.” He’s lucky it was typed, else he might’ve needed an oxygen tank to recover after mustering that kind of strength.
On the more proactive front, O’Connell extended the State of Emergency by seven more days and issued Executive Order 58 which will create a commission tasked with reviewing the preparation and response to the storm.
The commission, for which O’Connell will select the members, has a six month deadline to reveal their initial findings. Wonder if they’ll find him guilty of anything…
🧑⚖️ Should the State Take Over NES? Currently, all five members of the Electric Power Board, which oversees NES, are appointed by the mayor. The board has the power to appoint a CEO.
In the search for a new CEO in 2022, the two finalists for the job were current CEO then CFO Teresa Broyles-Aplin and Sidney Jackson, the then COO of Austin Power Company in Texas.
Broyles-Aplin, an accountant by training, had served as CFO for fifteen years before her promotion. Jackson, by comparison, has an engineering background and his resume shows extensive experience as a utility executive.
It seems obvious in retrospect that a man with an engineering background and extensive utility experience would be more prepared to deal with what’s happening right now.
One attempt towards reform that’s bubbled to the surface during all of this is the state taking away the city’s control of the NES board as NES doesn’t just serve Davidson County.
For example, the mayor of LaVergne, which is in Rutherford County, has complained that he’s not been able to reach the mayor or NES on an expected timeline for restoration in his area.
🌲 Tree Trimming As many commentators have pointed out, NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin cut the tree trimming budget as soon as she took over the utility. NES cut its annual tree trimming budget from $21.3 million in 2023 to $13.9 million in 2024.
NES spends $30 per customer annually on tree trimming. Memphis Light Gas and Water, by comparison, spends $83 per customer each year on tree trimming.
To further confuse the matter, Tree Line USA has awarded NES a Tree Line USA Utility distinction for sixteen consecutive years. “This honor is given to utilities that demonstrate their commitment to providing safe, efficient service while protecting and preserving community trees,” reads an NES release on the award.
✹ THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN BUT SHOULD
Welcome to America in 2026. You're sitting at the End of History. Nothing will ever happen again.
The steady march toward the impossible vision of a borderless world governed by rooms full of perfectly rational leaders incapable of committing evil in thought word or deed continues apace.
Will anything–can anything happen–that shakes us from our stupor? Is "Nothing Ever Happens" the law of the land? What should happen that hasn't happened?
Join us Thursday, February 19th as we sit down with Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, to discuss whether anything will ever happen again and more. (Buy Ticket)
This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer and free for paying, Bard-level subscribers.
HEADLINES
- 🚑 FEMA approved more than $11 million in expedited emergency funds for Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Due to the Winter Storm Fern’s severity, the money will be sent upfront instead of through the usual process to expedite response efforts. The funding supports temporary heat for critical facilities, debris removal, and other local emergency response efforts. The Trump administration is allowing FEMA to take a faster, more flexible approach as part of his efforts to create a faster, leaner FEMA. (Lookout)
- 🧊 Tennessee death toll in the wake of the winter storm rises to 23. According to the Office of Emergency Management, five people in Davidson County are believed to have died for various reasons, including low temperatures and carbon monoxide poisoning. (Metro Government)
- 🏛 Governor Lee to deliver his final State of the State tonight. Titled “Tennessee: The Original Frontier,” the address will take place at 6 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol. Tennesseans are invited to view a preview video that highlights the state’s incredible success and bright future. (Preview of Governor Lee’s final SoS)
- 📊 Beacon Center’s first quarter poll is in, and 90 percent of voters agree that there should be a limit on property tax increases with voter approval for any increase. If passed, a bill filed in the General Assembly would do just that. Nashville property owners are sure to welcome the legislation, given the mayor’s recent property tax increase significantly amplified by recent property value assessments.
The poll also revealed 52 percent of likely voters are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States and 72 percent believe local governments should not be able to hire contract lobbyists.Senator Marsha Blackburn did well in the poll, with 56 percent of Tennessee Republican primary voters expressing that they’d support her in the Republican primary for governor.
As for the Pork of the Year award, Tennesseans crowned the $10 million taxpayer-funded incentive that brought the TV show 9-1-1: Nashville to town as king. Voters chose the $900 million given to Ford for Blue Oval City as the runner-up. Ford recently announced its fourth delay and is completely scrapping their plans for electric vehicle production. (January Beacon Poll)
DEVELOPMENT
- Audrey team opens East Nashville bar with $5 menu (NBJ)
- Red Bicycle Coffee reopening Germantown location (NBJ)
- Used musical instrument retail, repair business set for Melrose (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
🪕 Bluegrass Monday 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.