NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Voters in Nashville/Davidson County delivered a crushing defeat to the $9.2 billion transit plan proposed by disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry and supported by Acting Mayor David Briley, 64 percent to 36 percent on Tuesday.
A record turnout of 122,477 voters cast their ballots, with 100 percent of all precincts reporting. Sixty-four percent of voters, 78,710, voted against the plan, and only 36 percent, 43,767, voted for it.
A little more than 59,000 voters were cast during early voting, while about 63,000 were cast on Tuesday, election day.
The sentiment against the transit plan was virtually the same during each voting period. Sixty-five percent of early voters opposed the plan, while only 35 percent supported it. Among those who voted on election day, 63 percent opposed the plan, while 37 percent supported it.
The election day results were remarkably close to the results of a Tennessee Star Poll released on Monday April 16, which had 62 percent of voters opposing the plan with only 27 percent supporting it.
The Tennessee Star was the only media outlet in Tennessee that conducted a poll on the Nashville Transit Plan.
Transit for Nashville, the group that favored the plan, conceded the race at 8:20 pm, just one hour and 20 minutes after the polls closed at 7:00 pm, releasing this statement:
This is a disappointing night for the thousands of Nashvillians who stood up over the last five years and said they wanted a transit system that allows everyone to get around our city cheaply, safely and more reliably. Our coalition was formed by many groups throughout the city that saw this transit plan as key to our city’s future prosperity and inclusiveness. Unfortunately, there were many other Nashvillians who did not.
We certainly hope that everyone who voted against this plan because they wanted to see a better one will continue to make their voices heard moving forward.
The problems of our traffic and growing inequality will not go away. It will be up to all of us to once again come to the table and do the hard work of developing a plan that addresses them.
Acting Mayor David Briley, a big supporter of the plan, released the following statement:
We all can agree that we have to do something about traffic and transportation, but voters didn’t get behind this plan. My responsibility as Mayor is to get back to the drawing board and find the common ground to develop consensus on a new way forward. Our transportation problems are not going away; in fact, we know they’re only going to get more challenging as we continue to grow. I’ll get back to work tomorrow on finding a solution for Nashville that we all can agree on.
Opponents of the plan reacted enthusiastically to the referendum results.
“Tonight is a great victory for all of Nashville. A $9 billion transit boondoogle that benefited developers, construction companies, and engineering firms, and left the little guy out to dry has been defeated,” Nashville mayoral candidate Carol Swain said at the Victory Celebration for opponents of the transit plan hosted by her campaign.
“As mayor, I will work to implement immediate and long term solutions to regional traffic congestion,” she added.
“There is a short sprint to May 24, and I’m asking for your support in my bid for Mayor of Nashville. I pledge to create a government that works for you and not against you,” the former Vanderbilt professor concluded.
Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor who opposed the plan, released this statement:
“Tonight, the voters of Nashville made the right choice,” said Diane Black. “We need to solve the traffic problem in Middle Tennessee, but billion dollar liberal boondoggles are not the solution. This transit plan would have made Nashville the highest-taxed city in the country and risked the economic growth of our entire state. Now it’s time to get to work on a real, strategic regional plan to reduce congestion in downtown Nashville without raising taxes on working families. I look forward to releasing my vision in the coming days.”
No Tax for Trax, the PAC that led opposition to the plan, also celebrated the voters’ decision on Monday.
“No Tax 4 Tracks said their campaign efforts in the months leading to the vote have paid off and strongly believe the results reflect what voters feel — that they aren’t on-board with the plan,” WKRN reported:
Moving forward, organizers from the group said their work doesn’t end here because they still believe something has to be done about traffic.
The group’s senior advisor, Jeff Carr, said the group is going to look at what works in the current plan, what can be added, to maximize benefit to commuters and minimize the cost to taxpayers — cost, being one of the group’s biggest criticisms of the referendum.
This was an exceptional moment in Nashville history,” said Carr. “Now the hard work begins. We pledge to stay active in this debate and we pledge to be part of constructive conversation that advances the city.”
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[…] His first misstep came when he backed the $9 billion transit plan introduced by Barry before her March resignation. Voters in Nashville/Davidson County soundly rejected that Barry-Briley plan on Tuesday by a 64 percent 36 percent margin. […]
[…] Early voting in Nashville’s special mayoral election began today, just three days after residents of Nashville/Davidson County went to the polls and defeated the $9 billion Nashville transit plan, 64 percent to 36 percent. […]
[…] When the Committee Chairman Council Member Tanaka Vercher opened up discussion of a resolution to appropriate $2 million for the special mayoral election on May 24, Council Member Glover asked how it came to be that the city was spending an extra $2 million on a second election just three weeks and two days after more than 120,000 voters turned up to vote in the May 1 Nashville transit plan referendum, which was defeated by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin. […]
My councilperson ignored her constituents and supported the plan anyway. I am not kidding—public meetings were 80% opposed, but she just tried to ram it down our throats because it fit her liberal agenda.
That’s is why I hope Nancy Van Reece is not reelected. She is Megan Barry 2.
They’ll be asking for this again in 12 months because a liberal, if anything is guaranteed in life, a big baby that will bang its high chair until it gets is way regardless of what you want.
They’ll lob up a false choice: You want a perfect plan or nothing. Then, they knock down their strawman – our plan may not be perfect but its better than the status quo….
Bzzt. Wrong. Status quo and not $9B in debt is way better than ripping out the heart of your tourism district for a decade and $9B in debt not including the inevitable cost overruns.
Or they’ll trot out some insulting schoolyard taunt BS about how big cities will think we’re just hicks because we won’t buy them a $9B strap to hang onto and they won’t invest here.
Oh noes! Big city thinks we dumb. News at 11.
If the transit plan is so great let private investors pay for it. Like the French with the Suez Canal.
detroitbuscompany.com
Freedom 1, socialism 0.
It is disgraced crook ex Mayor Megan Barry #meganbarry who is the biggest loser in this transit plan overwhelming defeat. She was the one who came up and openly advocated ( even after she was caught sleeping with her married boy toy Sgt. Rob Forrest #robforrest while still married to husband Br at taxpayers expense). Indeed this is a setback for the ‘still in denial’ attention seeking corrupt ex mayor. So what’s the next bad consequences for her adulteress and corrupt actions – got caught sleeping with a married man , pleaded guilty for felon, disgraced, as a politician and an ethics expert sleeping with a married man,now this landslide defeat of what she calls ‘comorehrnsive’ Transit plan? Until the next chapter of Megan Barry’s continuing downfall. PS. Try to post an opposing comment or mention her felon plea and or sex scandal with Rob Forrest in her social media accounts and you will be blocked or banned . Talk about free speech suppression really. She is in big time denial and still thinks everything will be back to normal the way it was after her sex and thief plea-resignation scandal.
THE VOTERS HAVING THE CHOICE WAS THE END OF THE PLAN FROM THE START. NOT TOO SURE THAT WAS NOT THE POINT OF THE METRO COUNCIL PUTTING IT ON THE BALLOT INSTEAD OF JUST PASSING IT. EITHER WAY, THIS IS THE BEST THINK FOR NASHVILLE. COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT MAKES SENSE, ONE THAT THE SUPPORTERS CAN STAND BEHIND WITHOUT THE SAME OLD TIRED SLOGANS TO GET IT TO PASS. PEOPLE ARE BECOMING MORE INFORMED AND ARE TIRED OF THE SAME OLD REASONS TO DO SOMETHING WITH NO COMMON SENSE REASONS GIVEN.
Thank heavens common sense, good judgement and rational thought prevailed over this train-wreck tax increase misnamed as a “transportation plan.”
Where the plan’s supporters really went wrong was having the people vote on it.
Don’t think that is lost on these fascist crooks. The ones who bemoan the influence of Lee Beaman “dark money” trying to inflence the government to not rape taxpayers.
Nashville Scene soybois hardest hit.
[…] Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley’s aura of inevitability came to a sudden and devastating end Tuesday night when voters soundly rejected the $9 billion transit plan he championed to the bitter end by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin. […]
[…] of the transit plan swept to victory in the final vote count by a stunning 64 percent to 36 percent margin in record voter […]