Author: Jason M. Reynolds

Cha-Ching! Metro Nashville Council Members Want to Hike Property Tax Rate by 16 Percent

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville property owners may be carrying lighter wallets soon as some members of the council want to raise property tax rates by 50 cents. Councilman Bob Mendes has proposed the tax hike as a way to pay for government employee cost-of-living raises and for schools and make up a budget shortfall, NewsChannel 5 reports. He wants the bill to come forward next week and pass before the Memorial Day weekend. Councilwoman Sharon Hurt and Councilman Bill Pridemore have backed Mendes’ plan, The Tennessean reports. The plan would raise the combined property tax rate in the Urban Services District from $3.155 to $3.655 per $100 of assessed value, a 15.9-percent hike, and the General Services rate by 49 cents from $2.755 to  $3.245. A home appraised at $250,000 in the Urban Services District would pay about $319 more per year in property taxes. Mendes’ justification is that last year Metro lowered the rate to a low of $3.15 following a reassessment, NewsChannel 5 said, and added Nashvillians would want to honor the city’s obligations. The council has made budget mistakes that have lead to the problem and will study across-the-board budget cuts next year. The budget must be approved before July 1. Mayor…

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Did Karl Dean Use Flood Relief Funds to Build Ascend Amphitheater?

Jason M. Reynolds

News4 I-Team has followed up with its stunning report that it says shows former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean used relief funds from the 2010 flood to build Ascend Ampitheater. Dean denied the accusation during a gubernatorial debate Tuesday night after opponent Craig Fitzhugh brought it up, WSMV said. Last week News4 I-Team reported that $7.4 million in HUD disaster relief money didn’t go to flood victims; it went to design and engineering work for riverfront development, including Ascend Amphitheater. Dean’s former communications director Janel Lacy tweeted, “strong rebuttal by Karl Dean in response to a false statement about the use of flood recovery funds.” Paige Hill, communications director for the Karl Dean for Governor campaign, gave a statement saying Dean went through a three-year period of working with Metro Council and other stakeholders to “repurpose” $7 million of Community Development Block Grant funds to build a seepage cut-off wall along the Riverfront Park where the ampitheater is located. “This infrastructure fix slows down the movement of underground water and helps decrease the impact of future floods. The city’s actual investment in flood mitigation totaled well over the $7 million that was repurposed.” The I-Team report cited invoices and other paperwork…

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Nashville Superintendent Could Face the Music For Playing Misogynistic Rap Song

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph’s love of explicit rap music is hitting a sour in the district. An attorney, Jamie Hollin, told NewsChannel 5 he represents “more than five” principals who attended a recent principals meeting in which Joseph played a portion of the song “Blow the Whistle” by rapper Too $hort. The song title refers to a sexual act in street lingo. According to Hollin and other principals who spoke to NewsChannel 5, Joseph told the group that, when dealing with a difficult board, he sometimes hears the song in his head. He played the following lyrics: I go on and on. Can’t understand how I last so long. I must have super powers. Rap two hundred twenty-five thousand hours. A school district spokesperson said Joseph cut off the song to avoid any explicit lyrics. However, the lyrics go on to use a word for women starting with the letter “B” several times. One female school board member has filed a complaint with the district’s civil rights coordinator. “I could not understand how this misogynistic song could be appropriate in ANY educational environment,” board Vice Chair Jill Speering said in the complaint. “What kind of example does this set for…

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Family of Waffle House Victim Sue Shooter’s Father Citing Negligence

Jason M. Reynolds

The father of the accused Waffle House mass shooter has been named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by one of the victim’s families, WKRN reports. News 2 reported it had court documents showing Jeffrey Reinking is facing a civil lawsuit filed by the family of victim Joe Perez. Travis Reinking is accused of killing four people and injuring four more at the Antioch Waffle House on April 22. The lawsuit claims Jeffery Reinking’s alleged negligent conduct caused Perez’s death, WSMV reports. Jeffrey Reinking is accused of returning his son’s weapons to him after they had been confiscated. One of the weapons is the gun police say was used in the shooting. The Perez family accused Jeffrey Reinking of “negligent entrustment,” Law & Crime reported, citing a story by the Pekin Daily Times. The family will argue that because Reinking failed to keep the weapons away from his son when he had reason to believe harm could happen he is liable for the death of Perez. Travis Reinking was known to the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois, allegedly having had delusions involving Taylor Swift, WKRN said. He allegedly showed up at a construction site with an AR-15, causing…

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Bird Scooter Company’s Efforts to Wing It Makes Metro Nashville Mad as a Wet Hen

Jason M. Reynolds

Some are saying that rental scooters in Nashville pose a safety concern following a hit and run crash Sunday. Metro Nashville Police were searching for a black Lexus sedan that allegedly hit and critically injured two Bird scooter riders Sunday at Fifth Avenue North and Union Street, a police press release said. The Lexus appears to be a mid-2000s model ES 330 or ES 300, police said. It sustained noticeable front end damage. Central Precinct officers responded to the crash at 5:25 p.m. Sunday, police said. The preliminary investigation shows that the scooters were traveling north on Fifth Avenue North while the Lexus was traveling west on Union Street. The car allegedly struck the scooters in the intersection and continued traveling west on Union Street. There are conflicting reports as to whether the Lexus or the scooters had the red light. The injured women are identified as Lindsey Cowan, 28, of Knoxville, and Rachel Johnson, 27, of Oak Ridge, police said. Neither rider was wearing a helmet. Both women were being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The Tennessean reported the women were riding Bird rental scooters. The company behind the scooters began offering them for rent following the defeat of the light rail transit…

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School Prayer Not OK, But Blocking Traffic Is, Socialist Protesters Say

Jason M. Reynolds

Dozens of protesters sat in the crosswalk Monday in front of the Tennessee Capitol as part of the national Poor People’s Campaign, The Tennessean reported. The protest blocked afternoon rush hour traffic on the Victory Memorial Bridge (James Robertson Parkway), News Channel 5 reported. According to the group’s press release, Monday’s rally kicked off a six-week season of nonviolent direct action in Nashville, demanding a massive overhaul of the nation’s voting rights laws, the TV station said. There were more than 30 such protests nationwide. More than a dozen protesters were arrested Monday afternoon after they blocked a busy downtown Indianapolis street during rush hour, Denver 7 reported. The socialist Poor People’s Campaign styles itself as a way to “challenge the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the nation’s distorted morality.” The group’s website further adds, “We aim to shift the distorted moral narrative often promoted by religious extremists in the nation from issues like prayer in school, abortion, and gun rights to one that is concerned with how our society treats the poor, those on the margins, the least of these, women, LGBTQIA folks, workers, immigrants, the disabled and the sick; equality and representation under the law; and the…

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Columbia Private School Mock Trial Team 3rd Best in Nation

Jason M. Reynolds
Agathos Mock Trial Team

A Columbia school has finished as third in the nation after appearing at a mock trial competition. Agathos Classical School’s Mock Trial Team finished its year ranking third in the nation after competing in the National Mock Trial Competition this weekend in Reno, Nevada, The Daily Herald reported. “They did all that could be asked of them,” Columbia attorney Jason Whatley, one of the team’s coaches, posted on Facebook. Cory Ricci was the other coach. The Columbia team and Washington state were the two undefeated teams, winning trials at the regional, state and national levels. Agathos Classical’s victories included defeating a two-time champion team from Georgia. Lead attorney Luke Worsham won Best Attorney, top 10 in the nation, Whatley said. Three of the teams Agathos Classical faced had top 10 attorneys, including North Carolina, which was the reigning champion. Teams from Washington and Minnesota finished first; Columbia’s team could not compete due to the program’s regulations. Agathos Classical team member students were: Worsham, Josiah Burns, Ella Seago, Luke Epley, Fern Greene, Samuel Whatley, Asher Black, Rebekah Epley, Levi Pettit, Matthew Whatley and Ethan Seago. Two of the 2018 team members were honored in the 2017 season: Worsham was awarded the…

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Tennessee Attorney General Sidesteps Harwell Campaign Finance Allegations

Jason M. Reynolds
Beth Harwell and Hebert Slatery

A hearing today could determine whether House Speaker Beth Harwell and her PAC will be found in violation of state campaign finance laws in the gubernatorial race. Meanwhile, the Tennessee attorney general has sidelined himself in the matter. The allegations against Harwell will be heard at the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance meeting at 10 a.m. CST. The registry is part of the state Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance. Attorney General Herbert Slatery declined to answer questions about Harwell’s campaign submitted by Drew Rawlins, the executive director of the bureau, reported The Tennessean. In refusing to answer the questions, Slatery’s office said the questions could become part of a potential lawsuit and the office might have to participate in the suit, The Tennessee Journal’s Humphrey on the Hill reported. Both The Tennessean and Humphrey on the Hill state that Slatery often provides opinions on topics that could become part of litigation. Rawlins asked the attorney general’s office five questions, mostly related to recent complaints filed against Harwell, according to The Tennessean. She is the subject of three complaints. One complaint challenges the validity of a $3.1 million loan Harwell made to her campaign, according to Humphrey on the Hill. The…

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President Trump to Headline Marsha Blackburn Fundraiser in Nashville May 29

Jason M. Reynolds
Marsha Blackburn, President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump will headline a fundraiser for Rep. Marsha Blackburn in her Senate bid, WSMV reported. A Blackburn Victory Fund invitation says Trump will be in Nashville for the May 29 event. Admission options include a private round-table with Trump for $44,300 a couple; a private photo reception with Trump for $10,800 per couple; or just the general reception, at $2,700 per couple. The president endorsed Blackburn in April, Politico reported at the time. He tweeted, “@MarshaBlackburn is a wonderful woman who has always been there when we have needed her.” Trump praised Blackburn after retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Corker suggested she could lose the Senate race to replace him in Tennessee and that her Democrat opponent former Gov. Phil Bredesen had “real appeal” in the race, Breitbart reported. Corker has repeatedly bashed Trump in the past. Though he did not use the formal term “endorsement,” Corker announced his support for Blackburn’s bid to replace him in the United States Senate, the Tennessee Star reported in April. Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate going into the 2018 midterm elections. Blackburn, who is unopposed in the August 2 GOP primary, will be running against former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen,…

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Relocation of AllianceBernstein to Nashville is ‘Rebuke’ of Wall Street

Jason M. Reynolds

AllianceBernstein Holding LP is moving its corporate headquarters and about 1,050 jobs to Nashville, in a move MSN/Bloomberg calls a “rebuke” of Wall Street. Some of AllianceBernstein’s functions like portfolio management will stay in New York, workers from legal, sales and marketing, and finance will begin moving to Music City this year. Chief Executive Officer Seth Bernstein will join them in Nashville in 2020. The company will invest more than $70 million to set up its Nashville headquarters, the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development said. AllianceBernstein considered 30 cities on factors like cost of living and weather, Bloomberg said. AllianceBernstein has a rating of 3.5 out of 5 on employee rating website glassdoor.com. Bloomberg reports that AllianceBernstein is not the only finance giant to sour on the Big Apple. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has built up operations in Salt Lake City, while Deutsche Bank AG has expanded in Jacksonville, Florida. The Wall Street Journal said the rush to leave New York started after the last financial crisis as finance companies looked to cut expenses and find lower tax rates. The tax plan Congress passed earlier this year is also a factor as many of these companies relied on…

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Disgraced NY AG Schneiderman Resigns Over Domestic Abuse Allegations

Jason M. Reynolds

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democratic women’s rights advocate, resigned Monday over allegations of physical violence against four women. “While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time,” Schneiderman said as reported by The New Yorker. “I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.” The publication’s Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow spoke to two accusers on the record: Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam. They allege that Schneiderman “repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent,” the story said. In response, Republican Attorneys General Association Chairman (RAGA) and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said, for RAGA, “The allegations against Eric Schneiderman are sickening. With devastating detail, the courageous women involved shared the horror and abuse they endured at the hands of a disturbed monster. I commend these strong women for standing up, speaking out and sharing their stories which will hopefully empower other victims to speak out against violence. These women will be the ones who are remembered, not this sick man. While Schneiderman has…

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WWE Wrestler Jacobs Wins Knox County Mayor Primary by 17 Votes

Jason M. Reynolds

WWE wrestler Glenn Jacobs has won the Republican primary for Knox County mayor by a margin of only 17 votes, WATE reported. The Knox County Election Commission says there are, however, a few provisional ballots, so the results won’t be official until next week. Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler aka “Kane,” and insurance agent, faced off against county commissioners Brad Anders and Bob Thomas. The election was not without issues, WKYT reported. Just before 10:15 p.m. on Election Day, the Knox County Election Commission website showed Jacobs with a 17-vote lead taking the candidacy over Anders in the primary election. While Jacobs called it a “WWE finish” to sister station WVLT, Anders said he was not conceding until the provisional ballots have been counted. According to Knox County officials, the county website failed Tuesday night, and election results were delayed as a result of a computer problem, WKYT said. Cliff Rodgers with the Knox County Election Commission said they experienced a “widespread denial of services attack.” The Knox County Election Commission told WVLT that they had recorded 43 provisional ballots for all races, according to WKYT. Of those 43 ballots, 38 were classified as “green,” meaning they were submitted by people who had…

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Nashville Draws $70 Million Corporate Finance Headquarters

Jason M. Reynolds

A global asset management firm will build a $70 million corporate headquarters in Nashville, the state announced in a press release Wednesday, May 2. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and AllianceBernstein L.P. (AB) officials made the announcement. The relocation of its company headquarters will create more than 1,000 corporate jobs, including positions in finance, IT, operations, legal, compliance, internal audit, human resources, sales and marketing, WSMV reported. “Tennessee is home to many world-renowned brands and we’re extremely proud to welcome AllianceBernstein, a global financial leader, to Nashville,” Haslam said in a press release. “Tennessee’s pro-growth policies continue to attract international companies to our state, providing fantastic job opportunities for our citizens. AB’s decision to bring 1,050 corporate office jobs to Nashville is an incredible win for our state and shows that Tennessee will lead in creating high quality jobs.” Rolfe said in the press release, “Since 2011, Tennessee’s financial industry has grown at the second fastest rate in the Southeast, creating approximately 24,500 jobs.” The year-long search for a new location started with 30 cities. In the end, Bernstein said Nashville was the clear choice, WSMV reported. AllianceBernstein’s headquarters are currently in New York…

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Final Push Begins to Defeat $9 Billion Nashville Transit Plan as Voters Go to the Polls Today

Jason M. Reynolds
skeptical transit plan man

NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that seeks alternatives to Metro Nashville’s $9 billion light rail plan, is making a final push to defeat the measure on today’s ballot. “From the beginning we knew that this transit plan had problems. We’ve been around government long enough to know that when you hide the price on page 55 of a plan, there is something fishy,” the group said in a newsletter Monday. NoTax4Tracks has previously pointed out that the light rail system would only serve 3 percent of Davidson County’s population and not cover most of the high-traffic areas. “The more we looked, the more we saw the fatal flaws, like it really doesn’t solve the congestion and hits those who can least afford it with one the biggest sales tax of any major city.” The group said a focus group in February provided three key messages for undecided voters: Does this really fix congestion and what areas does it cover? How much is this actually going to cost? How long will the streets be torn up to build this? NoTax4Tracks responded with fact-based commercials. “Online, if you can get 25% of the people to watch a thirty second commercial, you have a home run. Over…

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Transit Plan Early Voting Ends, Opponents Make Final Push For Election Day

Jason M. Reynolds

Early voting on Nashville’s light rail transit plan ended Thursday, April 26, but one group advocating for alternative transit planning is making a final push for Election Day. There is one more opportunity to vote on the transit plan as Election Day is Tuesday, May 1. In a newsletter Thursday, the NoTax4Tracks PAC said, “This plan is incredibly flawed and costly. What’s worse, it’s being forced onto Davidson County families and businesses before we have seen any alternatives. There are better, less expensive options than making families pay $43,000 in new taxes for a light rail system that won’t even reach them.” In a separate communication, NoTax4Tracks referred people to listen to an episode of the Nashville Sounding Board podcast discussing the light rail transit plan. Nashville Metro council members Freddie O’Connell and Angie Henderson were guests. O’Connell said, “I think that as a councilmember trying to do the best job of representing my constituents… I will say I think a mistake was made by the administration in preparing this plan was a lack of council engagement.” Henderson said, “Absolutely, I concur with that.” James Pratt wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in The Tennessean on Wednesday, April…

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Diane Black Challenges Memphis Regional Megasite

Jason M. Reynolds

Diane Black is taking on a sprawling West Tennessee industrial site that includes a 35-mile-long wastewater pipeline. The Republican gubernatorial candidate blasted the Memphis Regional Megasite in an op-ed that appeared in the April 25 Commercial Appeal. The state government has left West Tennessee “behind” through neglect, she wrote. “Infrastructure is a big part of that,” Black wrote. “It is hugely important both to Memphis and to rural West Tennessee. I’ve spoken with representatives from the Trump Administration and my congressional colleagues about finishing I-69 and I-22. These projects are almost complete, they simply require a governor committed to getting it done. “I will continue to work with the President and Vice President to make sure West Tennessee gets the federal infrastructure dollars it needs to complete road projects and bring broadband to rural counties.” The megasite consists of 4,100 acres of industrial real estate, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development website. Black calls the megasite a “boondoggle” 13 years in the making that has cost $140 million and needs an additional $100 million and still is a few years from having completed infrastructure. The wastewater pipeline will cost at least $75 million, she said, and some estimate the…

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Pastors Preach Against New Sunday Package Liquor Sale Law

Jason M. Reynolds
Pastor Dale Walker

A pastors coalition is condemning the Tennessee General Assembly’s approval of Sunday package liquor sales. The Tennessee Senate joined the Tennessee House Wednesday to pass a bill approving liquor sales in the state on Sundays. “The Bible Belt state of Tennessee had enjoyed a safe, sacred day of worship with liquor stores being closed on Sunday,” said Pastor Dale Walker, president of the Tennessee Pastors Network, in a press release. “This will now change radically. The Republican Super Majority in Tennessee has become the party of ‘Big Liquor,’ passing beer, wine and liquor sales in many new venues, including rural areas for the first time. “Families and church vans will be even in more peril on the roadways now on Sunday,” Walker continued. “I have never had a liquor lobbyist or a liquor-loving politician join me at the grave to help comfort a family of the deceased who died from alcoholism or another tragedy brought on by alcohol. Pastors deal with alcohol ‘after the bottle is empty.’ Now, faith-based addiction ministries will be placed under more pressure from this despicable bill that will increase the need to help the addicted.” Surprisingly, one Nashville liquor store owner told WSMV News 4…

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Pro-Life Group Endorses Diane Black For Governor

Jason M. Reynolds
Diane Black

National pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List announced its endorsement of Diane Black for governor of Tennessee. “We are thrilled to endorse a dear friend of SBA List, pro-life champion Diane Black for governor of Tennessee,” said former U.S. Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, SBA List’s vice president of government affairs. “Her heroic leadership in Congress has been a driving force for pro-life progress. From investigating America’s largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood, for its role in trafficking baby body parts, to stopping taxpayer funding of the abortion industry, to speaking out against late-term abortion, she is a tireless defender of unborn children and their mothers. Diane will make an outstanding governor. We urge all pro-life Tennesseans to support her.” The announcement made headlines on at least one pro-life website, LifeNews.com. Black accepted the endorsement, saying: “I’m honored to have the endorsement of Susan B. Anthony List. As a nurse, fighting for the unborn has always been an issue that is near and dear to my heart. In the state legislature, I sponsored SJR 127, which became Amendment 1 – the most important pro-life measure in the history of our state. And in Congress, I sponsored the bill to defund Planned Parenthood and…

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Dr. Rolando Toyos Drops Out Of GOP Senate Primary

Jason M. Reynolds

Dr. Rolando Toyos dropped out of the Tennessee Republican primary for U.S. Senate. The Tennessee GOP made the announcement Wednesday night. State party Chairman Scott Golden said, “I appreciate Dr. Toyos’ decision to suspend his campaign and look forward to working with him to support Republican candidates in the November elections. He has a bright future. Every Republican knows that we cannot allow liberal Phil Bredesen to go to Washington and destroy the progress of President Trump’s Administration. Bredesen’s support for Hillary Clinton alone disqualifies him from representing the values and interests of Tennesseans, which is why our Party must stand together and work to elect a Republican to the United States Senate.” WBBJ quoted Toyos as saying, in part, “My dear departed mother used to say, ‘when faced with obstacles do not complain but instead figure out a solution and work harder.’ I have exhausted every possibility to keep my name on the ballot that would not be distracting to the Republican Party and the truly important issues facing our country. I will not pursue other remedies.” The withdrawal of Toyos from the race leaves Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) an uncontested path to the Republican nomination on primary day…

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Early Voting Opens In Crucial Nashville Transit Referendum

Jason M. Reynolds

Early voting has begun in Nashville-Davidson County, and groups seeking an alternative to the $9 billion light rail transit plan are urging voters to head to the polls early. Election Day — and the transit referendum —are May 1, but early voting began April 10 and will run through April 26. Poll locations for early voting are posted on the NoTax4Tracks website. “We need as many people as possible to vote against this costly and fiscally irresponsible transit plan,” the group says in a newsletter. “Otherwise, Davidson County will have the highest sales tax of any major city and households will pay an extra $43,000 for a transit plan that does NOT solve the traffic congestion problem and does NOT serve the whole county. “The other side is making false claims so it is essential we fight back to provide residents with all the facts. Reaching out and communicating with potential voters is the most important thing we can do during this critical time.” NoTax4Tracks also reports that the neighborhoods with the worst traffic will see little relief from light rail. Better Transit For Nashville posted what it calls the Top 100 reasons to vote against the light rail plan.…

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Nashville’s High Traffic Neighborhoods Have Low Chance of Relief From Light Rail

Jason M. Reynolds

Dear Nashville resident: Does your neighborhood have bad traffic? If you answered yes, the city’s $9 billion light rail transit plan probably will not help you, one organization says. NoTax4Tracks says only 3 percent of Nashville’s population will be served by the proposed light rail transit plan. The group has posted a map that shows the haves and have-nots when it comes to service. The have-nots that have high traffic counts include Bordeaux, Whites Creek, W. Trinity, Haynes Area, Parkwood, Dickerson Pike, Metrocenter, Donelson, McGavock, Hermitage, Old Hickory, Mt. Juliet, Green Hills, Bellevue, Belmont, 12 South, West End, Antioch, Haywood Lane, Antioch Pike, Mt. View Road, Blue Hole Road, Cane Ridge and Priest Lake. NoTax4Tracks urges residents to share copies of the map with others. “We need everyone to see what they’d be getting and paying for if this passes May 1: Only 3% of the population will be served and families in Davidson County would have to pay $43,608 more in taxes. That is a huge amount for a light rail system that leaves out so many neighborhoods.” Better Transit For Nashville posted a top 100 list of why residents should vote against the plan on May 1. Reason…

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Feds Arrest Nearly 100 Illegal Immigrants at Tennessee Slaughterhouse

Jason M. Reynolds
ICE Arrest

A Grainger County meat-processing plant was the subject Thursday of what one media outlet calls the largest immigration raid in a decade. The Southeastern Provision plant in Bean Station was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), The Washington Post reports. Agents arrested 97 immigrants; 10 arrests were on federal immigration charges, one on state charges and 86 immigrants for being in the country illegally, the newspaper quoted an ICE spokeswoman as saying. Most of the immigrants reportedly were from Mexico. The raid was part of the Trump administration’s increased focus on immigration enforcement, the newspaper reports. WVLT Local 8 television news reports that the action began as a tax-related raid from the Internal Revenue Service. After the immigrants were detained, relatives and friends gathered outside a National Guard armory in Morristown where they were held. The Washington Post story also said the Tennessee Highway Patrol was involved. The newspaper referenced an IRS agent’s affidavit claiming the plant is being investigated for alleged evasion of taxes, filing false tax returns and hiring illegal immigrants. The agent’s affidavit claims the plant failed to report $8.4 million in wages and to pay at least $2.5 million in payroll taxes for dozens of workers.…

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University of Tennessee Students Major in Sex

Jason M. Reynolds

Many students at Tennessee’s flagship university are majoring in sex toy education this week in addition to fields like nursing and engineering. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s annual Sex Week began Friday, April 6 and runs through Thursday, April 12. The event is hosted by student organization Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee (SEAT). The group’s website says it “strives to foster a comprehensive and academically-informed conversation about sex, sexuality, and relationships with the purpose of educating the University of Tennessee student body and the Knoxville community.” The week’s activities are graphic in nature. However, SEAT seems to find the activities amusing. Take Sunday’s carnival for example: “Cum one, cum all, to the Sex Week Carnival! Join us to kick off the week that ‘makes Mardi Gras on Beale Street look like a Sunday School picnic,’* mingle with dazzling drag queens and fabulous circus performers, and be dazzled by our three-Nuva-ring circus. Show off your skills at sex trivia! Try your hand at the Condom Relay Races! Test your knowledge at the Lube Taste Test! Winning games gets you tickets, and tickets get you prizes like sex toys!” The week keeps rolling on with seminars titled “Your Vulva and You”…

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Is Push to Close Primaries Dead For the Year?

Jason M. Reynolds

The push to close primaries in Tennessee is dead for the year, a legislative source says. SB 0772 aims to require a voter to declare a statewide political party affiliation before voting in a primary. That bill was assigned March 20 to the Senate’s General Subcommittee of the State and Local Government Committee. However, Pamela McCary, legislative assistant to State Rep. Tim Wirgau, said on March 21 that it has not been moved onto the calendar in the House, so that chamber cannot take action on it this year. Wirgau, R-Buchanan, is chairman of the Local Government Committee in the House. There has been a lot of “buzz” on the topic for some reason, despite the status in the House, she said. The House bill number is HB 0887. Also on March 21, the main sponsor of the House bill changed from Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, to Rep. Tilman Goins, R-Morristown. Williams is still a co-sponsor. State Sen. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, is the Senate sponsor.

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Volunteers Presenting Alternatives To Nashville’s Proposed $9 Billion Transit Plan Build Strong Case

Jason M. Reynolds

A group that is opposed to the $9 billion light rail transit plan is making waves on social media. Better Transit for Nashville’s Facebook page like count reached nearly 2,900 last week compared to Transit for Nashville’s page total of just under 2,700, the former reports in an email newsletter. BTN calls itself an all-volunteer local group. BTN’s popularity may be due in part to its running the numbers on the light rail plan’s alleged drawbacks. Nor is Facebook the only social media platform BTN is using effectively. Its YouTube page has posted a number of videos laying out details such as this: “In 2.5 years, (ex-Mayor Megan) Barry spent $2.4 million on frills, bodyguards & her love affair. The video has all the data. Now she wants to spend $8.9 BILLION for a transit plan that directly serves the rich & only 2% or less of commuters. The plan will spend $568,000 per current transit rider.” The per rider number is garnered from an $8.9 billion cost divided current transit riders totaling 15,650. BTN cites these sources: MTA audits; apta.com BTN says light rail will serve parts of five roadways and 6 percent of downtown workers. The group contends…

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Briley Says Demolish Baseball Stadium to Redevelop Fort Negley Park

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor David Briley has made his first major announcement on the job — a proposal to demolish Greer Stadium and restore the land for reintegration into Fort Negley Park. The Tennessean reported the story Tuesday, adding the new mayor needs to ask Metro Council for $1 million to demolish the old stadium and begin restoring the property as a park. Briley’s predecessor, Megan Barry, had made a controversial push to redevelop Greer Stadium into a mixed-use project called Cloud Hill. Barry abandoned those plans in January amid strong resistance. The funds “would come from the city’s 4% reserve fund through a request to the Metro Council in April,” according to a statement on the city’s website. “Following the demolition, the property will be seeded with grass while the Metro Historical Commission produces a Cultural Landscape Report that will help inform decisions by the Metro Parks Board about how best to turn this space into an active park that honors the history of the site.” Learotha Williams, a professor of black history at Tennessee State University, hailed Briley’s move. On Twitter, he said, “this is, without doubt, a tremendous first step at honoring those Tennesseans who first tasted freedom here.”…

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Heavy Rainfalls Force Music City Irish Fest to Change Venues

Jason M. Reynolds

Heavy rainfalls in Nashville have caused the organizers of the fourth annual Music City Irish Fest on St. Patrick’s Day to move the venue. The new location on Saturday, March 17 will be Public Square Park on the steps of City Hall, organizers said in a press release. The previously announced location at Riverfront Park “has been deemed unusable as a venue for the staging and production,” the press release said. Weather Underground reports that Nashville International Airport received 10.91 inches of rainfall in February alone. Organizers made the move after consulting with  the City of Nashville, Metro Parks and the Army Corps of Engineers. “I believe the producers of this great not-for-profit event are making the right decision, albeit a tough one, given the existing water levels on the Cumberland River” Metro Councilman Robert Swope said in the organization’s press release. Sunday events have been canceled. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The fest is billed as Nashville’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration with Irish craft vendors, food and beverage, dancers, sports and a full day of Irish music. The festival is free to the public. The fest’s website says the event’s purpose is to educator people…

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Briley Promises More of the Same Support for ‘Progressive’ Politics, Including $9 Billion Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

Megan Barry, the public face of the proposed $9 billion light rail transit plan may be gone from office, but don’t expect the issue to die. The Metro Nashville Democratic mayor resigned in disgrace March 6 after pleading guilty to felony charges following the revelation of her extra-marital affair with her chief bodyguard, former police Sgt. Rob Forrest. The Tennessean reports that new Mayor David Briley has also been a staunch supporter of the light rail transit plan, which is set for a May 1 referendum. The newspaper calls him a progressive liberal Democrat who has long wanted to be mayor. The newspaper says, “In the weeks ahead, he will take the torch on Barry’s May 1 transit referendum on raising four taxes to pay for a $5.4 billion transit plan with light rail.” The Tennessean uses the $5.4 billion estimate, the figure transit supporters like to throw around. NewsChannel 5 reported that after Briley was sworn in, he said he plans to hold a series of town hall meetings to talk about a variety of issues — including transit, which he called his first priority. “It’s the most important thing that is confronting our city right now and I’m committed to working…

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States With Higher Taxes Lose Population While States With Lower Taxes, Like Tennessee, Gain Population

Jason M. Reynolds

News flash: People move out of states with high tax burdens, more regulations and fewer jobs to states with fewer taxes and regulations and more jobs. The former tend to be in Democratic-controlled states, while the latter tend to be in Republican-controlled states. That report comes last week from Mark J. Perry at AEIdeas, a public policy blog from American Enterprise Institute, a think tank. Perry is a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan’s Flint campus. He is known as the creator and editor of the economics blog Carpe Diem. Perry refers to a Carpe Diem post he made last month in which he studied household moving data from North American Moving Services’ US Migration Report for 2017. Measures included economic performance, business climate (right to work, for example), business climate and individual taxes. The top five outbound states (where people leave) are: Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, California and Michigan. Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey tied for the worst at 38 percent inbound but 62 percent outbound. The top five inbound states (which gain population) are: Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. For example, in 2017, Tennessee had an inbound rate of 58 percent…

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Newspaper: Tennessee Comptroller Joins Mayor Megan Barry Investigation

Jason M. Reynolds

State auditors are investigating Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s affair with her chief bodyguard, a media outlet reports. The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury is working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on looking into Barry’s and Sgt. Rob Forrest’s affair, according to a story published by The Tennessean. The newspaper did not disclose its sources. The office investigates potential instances of misconduct by public officials and government bodies. If true, the comptroller’s involvement would make it at least the fourth government agency to investigate the years-long affair, the newspaper reports. One other investigating agency includes a special Metro Council committee, the likes of which has not been seen since 1974 during a land rezoning bribery scandal involving former council members. Comptroller’s office spokesman John Dunn told The Tennessean “alleged or suspected misuse of public dollars is something that the Comptroller’s office has the authority to investigate” but did not give additional comment. Barry’s lawyer, Jerry Martin, has asked that District Attorney Glenn Funk recuse himself from the investigation, citing an alleged conflict of interest. In other news, NewsChannel 5 reported that a white SUV Forrest used to drive Barry around made numerous early morning visits to Nashville City Cemetery. The…

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Lights, Camera, Action: Transit Plan Opponents Air First Commercial

Jason M. Reynolds

NoTax4Tracks, a political action committee, announced it is starting a television campaign today, Feb. 20, to encourage Nashville-Davidson County voters to say no to Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan on the May 1 ballot. “We know people are concerned about paying one of the highest sales taxes in the country for a light rail system that does little to help congestion,” said Jeff Eller, spokesman for the campaign.  “We’re starting television advertising now, so voters fully understand how much it will cost and how little it will do. That’s why the commercial makes it clear, if this plan passes, Nashville will become Taxville.” The commercial can be viewed here. The commercial will air on Channels 2, 4, 5 and 17, with a heavy focus on news and “high information seekers,” the PAC said. This will be the first of several commercials NoTax4Tracks will air prior to the May 1 election.      

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Will Nashville Embrace 19th Or 21st Century Transit Technology?

Jason M. Reynolds

As debate on Nashville’s proposed $9 billion transit plan grows, some are asking if the system would have the flexibility to change as needed or even if light rail is relevant in the 21st century. “If voters approve Mayor Megan Barry‘s transit plan in a few months, how tied would Nashville be to the specific details of the multibillion-dollar plan? The answer is up for debate,” the Nashville Business Journal says. “Transit advocates argue there’s room to adapt and modify the plan after the vote, while opponents argue the referendum binds Nashville to Barry’s proposed changes,” the publication says. “During a transit-focused Metro Council meeting in January, Rich Riebeling, Metro’s chief operating officer, said there “would have to be some common-sense provisions going into the future if some technology we don’t know about today comes into play that says you shouldn’t do this, then we’d have to come back to the council, future legislators, and make the adjustments at that time.” One group says rail systems do nothing to relieve traffic congestion. Go Nashville! bills itself as “average people who support efficient, affordable, sustainable private/public transit.” The group posted on Twitter Feb. 9 that each of the Top 10 cities in…

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Planning Continues for Rebuilding Interstate 440 in Nashville

Jason M. Reynolds
traffic jam

Planning is underway for a major overhaul of Interstate 440 in Davidson County, a project that is expected to take three years. The Tennessee Department of Transportation began requesting bids in January for what is called “Design-Build,” sort of a streamlined turn-key project. Contractors bid for the project, which involves the design and construction of large projects. For roadways, that can include design, right-of-way acquisition, regulatory permit approvals, utility relocation, and construction. “This is not going to be a typical low-bid project,” said Kathryn Schulte, TDOT community relations officer for Region 3 (part of Middle Tennessee). “Proposals/plans are currently being developed by the competing design-build teams.” The winning contract will be announced in the summer of 2018, according to TDOT’s timeline. The timeline does not say when work would begin. The plan calls for “removing substandard pavement and widening portions of the 7.6-mile corridor to provide three travel lanes in each direction” between Interstate 40 and Interstate 24. The project is intended to address congestion and improve safety.” The design calls for replacement of deteriorated concrete pavement with asphalt and removal of the grassy elevated median. Other components include ramp widening, construction of new noise walls and replacement of light…

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Metro Nashville Finance Director: It Is Challenging To Spend More Money Than City Takes In

Jason M. Reynolds

“Cash is king.” That economic saying is something Metro Nashville may be learning as the finance director warns the city cannot keep spending money as if it is minting it. Metro Finance Director Talia Lomax-O’dneal has warned department heads that they cannot request new spending measures in the 2018-2019 budget, The Tennessean reports. The city’s current $2.2 billion operating budget was a $122 million, a 5.9 percent increase over the previous year. The 2016-17 operating budget was a $121 million, a 6.1 percent increase over the previous year. Mayor Megan Barry’s current budget took Metro Nashville over the $2 billion mark for the first time. “Prudent financial management requires a periodic look for efficiencies and savings opportunities, and there are several fiscal challenges for the 2018 fiscal year,” Lomax-O’dneal said in her letter to department heads. Those “challenges” include tax collections that have returned to normal levels, dwindling reserve balances and increased debt payment obligations. Lomax-O’dneal’s letter failed to mention two issues, one a current budget “challenge,” and the other a potential “challenge.” The former is the $17.1 million lifeline the Metro Council voted last month to give Nashville General Hospital. The latter is the proposed $9 billion light rail…

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Metro Nashville Begins Taxpayer Funded Propaganda Campaign in Favor of Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Metro wants to tell you all about the light rail transit plan ahead of the May 1 referendum — and wants the taxpayers to pick up the tab. The “Transit Talk” offers groups a speaker to answer any questions about “Let’s Move Nashville.” All you have to do is go to the city’s Let’s Move Nashville website, fill out a questionnaire with the time and date, and tell them how many attendees you expect, and the city will send a speaker. “If you are a part of a Neighborhood Association or other group that meets regularly and would like to learn more about the proposal, please fill out the form below. We will be in touch to schedule your transit talk,” the Let’s Move Nashville says. Erin Hafkenschiel, director of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Sustainability, said the talks will help voters make an informed vote at the polls, WKRN reports. Even though Metro Council voted last week to publish a more accurate cost estimate of $9 billion on the May 1 ballot, the Let’s Move Nashville website, which aims to “educate” voters, continues to claim the transit system will cost $5.2 billion. It is not known if…

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Metro Council To Investigate Mayor Megan Barry’s Affair With Chief Bodyguard

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Metro Council voted Tuesday to create a committee to investigate Mayor Megan Barry’s affair with her bodyguard Sgt. Rob Forrest, WSMV reported. Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher proposed the resolution. The council has not taken such action since 1974 during a land rezoning bribery scandal involving former council members Morris Haddox and Jack Clariday, The Tennessean reported. The 30-7 vote will create a committee of three to seven council members to oversee the probe, focusing on travel and overtime expenses of Barry and Forrest, the newspaper said. Barry does not have the power to veto the action. The council is turning to an authority under the Metro Charter to hold investigations and hearings, The Tennessean said. The power includes the ability to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers and records pertinent to the investigation. Testimony will be under oath. Barry admitted to the affair on Jan. 31. District Attorney Glenn Funk asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter to determine if there was any criminal wrongdoing in the form of overseas trips and overtime payments to Forrest.

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Nashville Metro Council Prepares Transparent Transit Plan Referendum For May 1

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Metro Council voted Tuesday to place both the $5.35 billion and $9 billion transit plan price tags on the May 1 referendum. An amendment showing the price range was approved on a 34-2-2 vote. The vote was part of the third and final reading of the referendum language. Debate during the council meeting likened the transportation plan to buying a car. When buying a car, one looks at the dealer’s price as the purchase price; expenses like tires and fuel are operating costs, council member Jeremy Elrod said. Council member Bob Mendes said “We’re not buying a car.” To buy an operating system, one pays not only the upfront costs but also debt and has to consider the debt terms and payback period. One must consider the bond debt payment. He said the $8.95 billion figure was good enough for the state comptroller. Jeff Eller, campaign spokesman for NoTax4Tracks, which has expressed concerns about the transit plan, said, “We believe the Council did the right thing by letting voters decide on the full cost of the $9-billion light rail plan. They will now have the opportunity to understand this plan will result in the highest sales tax in the country…

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Truth, Trust Are ‘Kryptonite’ To Barry, Metro Council In Promoting $9 Billion Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

In popular media, Superman fights for “truth, justice and the American way.” The superhero who is “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive” is vulnerable to a substance known as Kryptonite. Those who back Nashville’s $9 billion transit system are facing their own version of Kryptonite: Trust. Even one prominent supporter now says he has some doubts. The uncertainty comes nearly a week following news that Metro Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, the face of the Let’s Move Nashville Transit Improvement Plan, had an adulterous, years-long affair with veteran police Sgt. Rob Forrest who was in charge of her security. Barry dodged her responsibilities as an elected official having an affair with an employee who resigned, while she kept her job, and it was revealed her affair violated her office’s mission statement of transparency and her own executive order that employees should be ethical and avoid conflicts of interest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate any potential breaking of the law, including “misappropriation of public funds and official misconduct,” District Attorney Glenn Funk spokesman Steve Hayslip told The Tennessean. The Metro Council voted Jan. 23 on a second reading of the plan to hide the…

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Megan Barry First Nashville Mayor To Take Police Guard Outside of Mid-South and Travel Alone With Security Chief Lover

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry took her lover/police guard on far more trips, and on longer journeys, than her previous two predecessors, multiple media outlets report. NewsChannel 5 broke the story Wednesday of Barry’s years-long affair with the former head of her security detail, Metro Police Sgt. Rob Forrest, who abruptly announced his retirement after 31 years with the department. Forrest traveled with Barry across the U.S. as well as Greece and Paris. District Attorney Glenn Funk asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look for any potential criminal wrongdoing by Barry. NewsChannel 5 on Thursday interviewed former Mayor Bill Purcell. He said Forrest joined another officer on the mayoral security detail after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. One officer would drive with him to events “in the city of Nashville, primarily,” while the other would drive separately. Purcell was asked if Forrest traveled with him outside the city. Purcell said one or both would travel with him around the region, but he does not recall them accompanying him out of the state. Former Mayor Karl Dean told The Tennessean Thursday his security detail joined him when he drove to a location like Louisville or Little Rock, but not when he flew…

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$9 Billion Transit Backers Try New Poll To Fish For Support

Jason M. Reynolds

One citizens’ group says the city and its backers are conducting yet another poll to try to show support for the Let’s Move Nashville Transit Improvement Plan. NoTax4Tracks said in a press release that at least one of its people received a polling call regarding the $9 billion transit plan that includes light rail service. Questions include: Would this make you more or less likely to vote for the plan? 17 cents a day cost Comprehensive light rail, bus and other Neighborhood parking zones to get on and off Will run longer hours at night If seniors get a discount If out-of-towners pay for most of it through the hotel tax It would eliminate the need to go downtown to go to neighborhood to neighborhood Which are important to you when you consider your vote: would cost $5.4 billion that we would have the highest sales tax that sales tax is regressive and would hurt lower income communities Which people are meaningful to you in making this decision: David Fox Megan Barry Someone else News of the new poll broke hours before word came of Mayor Megan Barry’s extra-marital affair with the head of her security detail, so it is…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Dodges Responsibility As Elected Official on Affair, Denies ‘Giving Women’s Rights a Bad Smell’

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry dodged repeated questions at a televised press conference Wednesday night on whether her extra-marital affair with her chief bodyguard, a city employee, was hypocritical as a champion of women’s rights. She also seemed to acknowledge she only came out because the news was breaking. “I am embarrassed and I am sad and I am sorry for all the pain I caused my family and his family, and I know that God will forgive me, but I know Nashville doesn’t have to,” Barry said. She added she hopes she can earn back people’s trust. Earlier in the day, in an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, Barry insisted that she has not misused taxpayer funds as part of the relationship with Metro Police Sergeant Rob Forrest, NewsChannel 5’s Phill Williams reported on Wednesday. Forrest resigned — the term being used is retirement after 31 years with the police department. Barry said he gave notice on Jan. 17. During the press conference, Barry was asked more than once about the professional aspect of having an affair with a subordinate, especially in terms of women’s rights. The point was raised that if a man were in her position, he…

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Does State Of The Union Address Indicate Bad News For Nashville Transit Funding?

Jason M. Reynolds

President Donald Trump is expected to announce in tonight’s State of the Union address $200 billion in federal funding for infrastructure and other projects. But one PAC that opposes Nashville’s transit plan says that is not necessarily good news for Mayor Megan Barry. Politico reports the president had promised a $1 trillion, 10-year blueprint to rebuild American roads, railroads, bridges and airports. State, local and private investors would have to cough up more money than normally would be the case under the president’s proposal. “Instead of the grand, New Deal-style public works program that Trump’s eye-popping price tag implies, Democratic lawmakers and mayors fear the plan would set up a vicious, zero-sum scramble for a relatively meager amount of federal cash — while forcing cities and states to scrounge up more of their own money, bringing a surge of privately financed toll roads, and shredding regulations in the name of building projects faster,” Politico says. The administration says $200 billion is not a large amount for such a plan but adds it would draw state, local and private funds. In addition to land transportation infrastructure, identified possible projects include rural broadband service, veterans hospitals and commercial spaceflight. The White House is…

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Rail Line Could Make Nashville Budget Sick, Unable To Fund Retiree Insurance

Jason M. Reynolds

Retired Metro Nashville employees’ benefits are in jeopardy, one PAC says, even as Mayor Megan Barry’s supporters have no trouble raising funds from the business community to try to persuade voters to pay $9 billion for a transit system. NoTax4Tracks says in a press release that Metro Nashville has a health insurance funding shortfall for retirees to the tune of nearly $3 billion. “The good news is you are probably going to get whatever is in your pension. That part of the retirement plan is fairly well funded. The bad news is that health insurance coverage you were promised …. maybe not so much.” Health insurance, a part of “other post employment benefits (OPEB), are funded at 0 percent, the press release says, citing an October 2017 letter from Metro’s director of finance, Talia Lomax-O’dneal. The shortfall is nothing new. A Jan. 26, 2015 story from the Tennessean says the issue dates to 2002. Many of the retirement benefits are paid from the city’s budget and costs grew from 13 percent of the total property tax revenue to 25 percent in 2015. The story cites a report from The Pew Charitable Trusts that says the health care plan faces a long-term shortfall…

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Nashville Metro Council Buries True Cost of $9 Billion Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

A PAC opposed to a $9 billion transit plan calls Nashville Metro Council’s vote Tuesday a “shameful” effort to pull the wool over the voter’s (sic) eyes.” NoTax4Tracks made the statement in a press release in response to Metro Council voting 21-14 not to accept an amendment to the light rail transit plan that would have shown the $9 billion cost on the May 1 ballot. The Tennessee Star broke the latest story on Mayor Megan Barry’s plan Wednesday morning. Once the amendment failed, the council voted on the Barry administration’s favored language for the referendum, citing a price tag of just over $5.3 billion. The council voted 30-6, with three not voting, to create the ballot language. The third and final reading will be Feb. 6. NoTax4Tracks said, “We know the city and the pro-light rail groups leaned hard on council members today. They did so because their own polling and political advisors told them that if Cooper’s amendment passed, their entire plan was in big trouble. So, they laid the wood to the council. It’s clear, they’ll do just about anything to win.” Council member John Cooper proposed the ballot language for the city’s Transit Improvement Plan be open and transparent…

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Nashville Metro Council Plays Shell Game With Transit Costs

Jason M. Reynolds

The Metro Council voted Tuesday to not disclose the true cost of Mayor Megan Barry’s light rail transit plan to voters on the May 1 referendum. Metro Councilmembers John Cooper and Tanaka Vercher had asked that the May ballot language include the full $9-billion-dollar costs. They proposed the amendment that Metro Council voted on Tuesday night during the plan’s second reading. The amendment is available here. The council voted 21-14 not to accept the amendment, according to a spokesman for NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that opposes the transit plan. There will be one final reading, but it is not immediately clear if amendments will be allowed, the spokesman says. That vote could come in as early as two weeks. Once the amendment failed, the council voted on the Barry administration’s favored language for the referendum, citing a price tag of just over $5.3 billion. The council voted 30-6, with three not voting, to create the ballot language, according to Barry’s Twitter feed. NoTax4Tracks PAC on Tuesday had announced their support for the proposed amendment’s effort to let voters know the full cost of the city’s light rail transit plan. “The city does not want voters to know the full costs of the light rail…

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Nashville Would Tie For Highest Sales Tax In Nation Under Mayor Barry’s Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

From apparel to zip-up kitchen bags, merchandise sold in Nashville would bear some of the highest sales tax in the nation if the backers of the city’s proposed light rail system have their way, a PAC says. NoTax4Tracks is the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes.  The organization issued a press release over the weekend criticizing Mayor Megan Barry’s plan to raise the state-city sales tax to 10.25 percent to help finance the transit plan. The PAC says 10.25 percent would give Nashville the highest sales tax in the nation. According to the Tax Foundation, two cities currently are tied for the dubious honor of highest sales tax, and both have rates of 10.25 percent: Long Beach, California, and Chicago. Nashville would tie for the top spot in the nation’s most expensive cities in which to shop. Nashville is currently tied in ninth place on the Tax Foundation’s sales tax list. The city’s sales tax would increase by 0.5 percent from 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent, NoTax4Tracks says on its website. By 2023 the tax will have increased to 10.25 percent. “Whether it’s a senior living off of…

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NoTax4Tracks: There Is No Such Thing As $1.5 Billion In Free Transit Money for Nashville

Jason M. Reynolds

“There is no such thing as a free lunch” is an adage many students learn in an introductory economics course. Perhaps that adage could apply to Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan as well. NoTax4Tracks, the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes is making that point. “We’re talking about the $1.5-billion hole in the city’s $9-billion light rail plan,” the PAC said in a press release. “Why is it a big hole? Because the city has said their plan has $1.5-billion in funding they plan getting from the federal government. “Except they’re not.” The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) said its budget: “…includes no funding for new CIG (capital investment grant) projects, and thus project sponsors that do not yet have construction grant agreements acknowledge they are undertaking additional work at their own risk which may not receive CIG funding.” The FTA added it will accept new grant applications with the understanding no funding is guaranteed. So how will Barry fill a $1.5-billion dollar shortfall, NoTax4Tracks asks. WSMV reports the plan’s $9 billion estimate is buried deep within the “Let’s Move Nashville: Metro’s Transportation Solution” report of Dec. 13,…

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Nashville Transit Polls? What Polls? Opposing Sides United In Not Talking

Jason M. Reynolds

Both sides in the fight over the upcoming May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes to fund Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan are playing their cards close to the vest in terms of releasing information. NoTax4Tracks, the PAC opposing Mayor Barry’s plan, sends out frequent email communications to the public with the headline “The Morning Line.” They don’t always acknowledge the information in those email communications when talking to the media. One case in point deals with polls that have been conducted on both sides. The Tennessean reported Oct. 12, 2017 on a Megan Barry mayoral campaign committee-financed poll. The telephone poll found that 57 percent of respondents supported a plan for mass transit projects, including light rail, that would be funded by higher sales taxes, hotel taxes, car registration fees and business taxes. Thirty-seven percent were opposed. One NoTax4Tracks email communication reads, “You may remember in October of last year, The Tennessean touted getting their hands on an ‘internal’ poll that showed the transit plan had 57% support. Their pollster, John Anazalone, is very good at what he does and we don’t doubt that number. But they apparently did only registered voters,…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Light Rail Plan ‘Absurdly Expensive,’ David Fox Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan is “absurdly expensive,” says David Fox, one of the most recent Nashvillians to speak out on the topic. Fox’s concerns were briefly outlined by The Tennessee Star on Wednesday. Expanding on them, the former mayoral candidate said his concerns include the return on investment, the tax burden and the impact on the middle class and lower-income citizens. Fox was defeated by Barry in a September 2015 runoff election to become Mayor of Nashville by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin. He has stayed silent since then and not returned any reporters’ phone calls until now, but said he responded to a request for help from NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that has organized against the transit plan. “I felt the last couple of months there was not a two-sided public conversation on the transit plan,” he said, adding the plan’s backers conducted an organized campaign to sell it to residents. “As someone who has spent many months studying it, I concluded it was a terrible idea.” Fox said he also wanted to see if Metro Council would vet the plan, but it sailed through to a referendum, which will be on May 1. “I…

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Tennessee Celebrates School Choice With Events

Jason M. Reynolds

School choice is at the heart of a nationwide event taking place Jan. 21-27. Held every January, National School Choice Week (NSCW) brings the idea of education options to the forefront. Schools, homeschool groups and other organizations plan tens of thousands of events during the annual event, according to the movement’s website. Plans include rallies, receptions, coffeehouse meet-ups, festivals, school fairs, and other activities. Tennesseans have planned 640 events around the state that week, the group said in a press release. Gov. Bill Haslam proclaimed Jan. 21-27 as Tennessee School Choice Week, while Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke proclaimed the same on behalf of his city. Andrew Campanella, president of NSCW, said, “Parents in Chattanooga, like parents everywhere, simply want the best for their kids. We’re grateful to Mayor Berke for issuing this proclamation, raising parents’ awareness of the educational options available for their children. Every kid is unique, and parents know their kids better than anyone else. We hope to empower parents in Chattanooga and across the country to find the school or educational option that they know is best for their own kids.” NSCW recognizes all K-12 options, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private…

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