Day: May 6, 2018

Andy Martin Analysis: Why They Lost the May 1st Nashville Transit Plan Referendum

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by Andy Martin   The May 1st County Primary vote on the $8.9 billion transit tax referendum is one for the record books. 123,963 votes: 44,636 FOR and 79,327 AGAINST. For reference, the last County Primary May 6, 2014 had 38,804 total votes. What happened? In a rush to scoop the story every major Nashville news organization has opined on the results with little reflection. Here are the real reasons why the referendum failed in a landslide. We already have transit This will come as a shock to out of state meddlers like StreetsBlog USA, CityLab, and the National League of Cities, but Nashville has transit. Likewise, based on the convulsions from the mayor (Nashville “will fail” if the referendum does not pass), metro council, and local media, you would think even locals don’t know this. The Nashville Metro Transit Authority budget is $80 million. We have buses, shuttles (AccessRide and airport shuttles), private/public partnerships, ride sharing, car and van pooling, BRT lite (non-dedicated lanes), the Music City Star, and bike paths. According to MTA there are roughly 10 million riders (or rides) per year. One wonders what MTA CEO Steve Bland thinks when Nashville leaders say we “do nothing.”…

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Low Turnout in Early Voting for Nashville’s Special Mayoral Election

Tennessee Star Staff

Turnout on the first day of early voting for Nashville’s special mayoral election on Friday was low, a stark contrast to the heavy early voting seen in the just completed May 1 transit plan referendum and the August 2015 mayoral election. Only 277 residents of Nashville/Davidson County early voted on Friday, less than one-third of the 900 who early voted during the first day of the early voting period leading up to the August 2015 mayoral election, which saw the top two vote getters, Megan Barry and David Fox, qualify for the runoff election the following month that Barry won. Metro Council member Dave Rosenberg, who also runs Harpeth Strategies, the polling and political communications firm, tweeted the details of the low first day turnout: 277 people voted today. On one hand, it’s a Howard School-only day that doesn’t draw like countywide early voting. On the other hand, about 900 people voted on the first Howard-only day in the August 2015 race. — Dave Rosenberg (@DaveRosenbergTN) May 4, 2018 Early voting in advance of the May 1 transit plan referendum, which extended over a 16 day period beginning April 11 and ending April 26, was far more robust. A total of…

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Trump Initiative Protects Religious Rights, Faith Groups’ Equal Access to Federal Dollars

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday focusing on protecting freedom of religion and exploring new ways faith-based agencies can partner with government to effectively provide services. “We condemn all crimes against people of faith, and today we are launching another historic action to promote religious freedom,” Trump said at a National Day of Prayer ceremony in the Rose Garden before signing the executive order to create a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. “The faith initiative will help design new policies that recognize the vital role of faith in our families, our communities, and our great country,” the president said. “This office will also help ensure that faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and the equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] “We take this step because we know that, in solving the many, many problems and our great challenges, faith is more powerful than government, and nothing is more powerful than God,” Trump continued. The White House initiative will be made up of faith leaders and experts…

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Acting Mayor David Briley Echoes Megan Barry in His New TV Ad ‘Moving Forward’

Tennessee Star Staff

Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley is echoing the themes and policies of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry in his new television ad, titled “Moving Forward.” The ad began airing Thursday on both local broadcast networks and cable outlets. With a bank roll in excess of $400,000, Briley is expected to keep his ad campaign on both broadcast and cable outlets until election day, May 24. Two of his rivals in the mayoral race–State Rep. Harold Love (R-Nashville) and former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain–are currently running television ads on the local cable system. You can watch Briley’s ad here: .   Here is the trancript of the ad, which features the voice of Briley only: These days, it seems like everyone is on the move. As Nashville’s new mayor, it’s my job to get us all moving in the same direction: forward. We’ve worked hard to build our economy. Now let’s work on what’s important to families. By building stronger and safer schools. Working for more affordable housing. And finding new traffic solutions we all can agree on. Because when we’re all moving forward, no one gets left behind. In 2015, when he was running for vice mayor, Briley ran…

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Commentary: The GOP’s Secret Weapon in November Just Could Be the Deranged Democrats

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by Jeffery Rendall   It’s no big secret in media circles how many conservatives and Republicans are upset (to put it mildly) with the party’s congressional leadership. With a healthy House majority and a slim but viable senate preponderance going into the first term of President Donald Trump last year, it’s safe to say most right-leaning folks expected the GOP to churn out bills like consumer goods on a Chinese assembly line. It hasn’t happened this way. To date Trump is seen as an effective if atypical chief executive having slashed regulations by the boatload, appointed an impressive number of conservative jurists to the nation’s federal courts and fast-tracked foreign policy achievements that have many, including foreign leaders, suggesting the New York celebrity/real estate developer turned first-time politician is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize. Needless to say, when comparisons are made between Trump’s seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm for Making America Great Again to the lethargic and moribund GOP congressional leadership, most suggest the party could do (much) better on Capitol Hill. But what about the “loyal opposition” (the Democrats)? Is everyone on the left side of the aisle happy with their leaders? Recent signs indicate apparently not. Clinton pollster Douglas…

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Commentary: Here’s What Small Business Owners Like Me Need in Tax Reform 2.0

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by Mark J. Bollman   What’s even better than one federal tax cut bill? Two rounds of tax cuts. It just might happen this summer, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan. Tax Reform 2.0, as it’s being called, would aim to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s individual tax cuts permanent, extending them past their 2025 expiration date. But just as importantly, this second set of tax cuts may focus on America’s economic backbone: small business. Small business tax cuts are the key to expanding a growing economy. When job creators spend less of their hard-earned money on taxes, they in turn invest it in hiring additional staff, expanding operations, and rewarding employees with bonuses. We’ve seen all of the above since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed. Over 500 job creators around the country have announced raises, bonuses, and enhanced employee benefits for current staff, which in total benefited over 4 million hardworking Americans. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more. ] Just look to MB Financial in my home state of Illinois. MB Financial’s president said that “it is only natural that we share the benefits of tax reform.” He raised the base wage for hourly employees to $15 per hour, in addition to giving…

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Erica Gilmore Blasts Acting Mayor David Briley’s Metro Nashville Budget Proposal for 2019

Tennessee Star Staff
Erica Gilmore runs for Nashville Mayor

At-large Metro Council Member Erica Gilmore took the gloves off Friday and blasted Acting Mayor David Briley’s Metro Nashville budget proposal for 2019. Gilmore, who is among the top tier of candidates challenging Briley in the May 24 special election in which voters will select a permanent mayor to serve out the one year and three months in the term of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry, said Briley has proposed a “Promises Made, Promises Broken Budget” to the residents of Nashville/Davidson County. “The budget proposed by Acting Mayor Briley is a Promises Made, Promises Broken Budget. Nashvillians have been told we need ‘continuity’ in this month’s election. But this budget reflects continuity for some, and broken promises for everyone else,” Gilmore said in a statement released by her campaign on Friday. “This morning, Acting Mayor Briley insisted ‘most citizens will not notice any difference at all.’ I could not disagree more,” Gilmore continued. “Our employees nearing retirement will notice,” the At-large Council Member said. “Young workers trying to save to buy their first home will notice,” she added. “Parents trying to put their kids through college will notice,” Gimore noted. “And our Metro Public School students and teachers–who will not…

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