Both the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Coalition (TIRRC) Votes PAC and the Davidson County Democratic Party are among the groups that have provided in-kind contributions to the political action committee formed to support the Nashville transit referendum that will be decided by voters next week, the group revealed in a report filed Tuesday, when the Green Lights for Nashville PAC filed an amended financial disclosure statement with the State of Tennessee.
The report revealed the pro-referendum group received nearly $1.3 million in contributions, mostly from the Nashville Moves Action Fund, which is reportedly a 501 (c) (4) nonprofit that does not need to reveal its donors, but has nonetheless been ordered to register with Tennessee and disclose them by Election Day.
It also showed the Green Lights for Nashville PAC received more than $100,000 worth of in-kind campaign contributions from just four groups.
According to the report, the TIRRC Votes PAC provided $34,689.20 worth of in-kind contributions to the pro-referendum committee through phone banking, canvasing, at least one commercial currently posted on YouTube, while the Davidson County Democratic Party provided an additional $1,472.80 worth of the same services.
Green Lights for Nashville PAC received an additional $6,649.76 worth of in-kind services from the Stand Up Nashville PAC, whose website explains it “addresses racial and economic inequality” in Nashville. The largest in-kind contribution came from the Nashville Moves Action Fund, who provided $65,406 worth of campaign services and paid field work.
The pro-referendum group filed its report just one day after The Tennessee Star reported TIRRC was instrumental to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Biden-Harris plan to release thousands of illegal immigrants from ICE facilities in Louisiana into Tennessee two years ago.
Legal action from Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti ultimately halted the plan, and Skrmetti released emails indicating significant communications between ICE officials and TIRRC, with the agency informing Governor Bill Lee’s office the agency would like to be included in conversations about releasing illegal immigrants into Tennessee.
The transit referendum proposed by Mayor Freddie O’Connell would construct miles of new sidewalks, establish new bus stops and 24-hour bus lines, and upgrade traffic signals throughout Nashville through a combination of federal funding and a half-cent increase to the city’s sales tax.
If approved, an independent financial analysis established the transit plan would ultimately cost Nashville taxpayers $6.9 billion over the life of the project, though the language approved for the ballot on Election Day lists the project’s cost at $3.1 billion.
A group formed to oppose the referendum, the Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax, describes the transit referendum as unfair, unsafe, and unnecessary, citing the regressive nature of sales taxes and high crime that plagues the WeGo public transit system in Nashville.
Additionally, Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham previously warned the transit plan could result in higher property taxes if the federal funding secured by O’Connell should be depleted before the project is finished.
Cunningham additionally called the referendum illegal, arguing the 2017 IMPROVE Act that enables Tennessee municipalities to levy sales taxes to pay for public transit does not allow the sidewalk and traffic signal upgrades proposed in O’Connell’s referendum.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Green Lights for Nashville Commercial” by Green Lights for NashvilleÂ
